The flags of the ASEAN member nations (Photo: straitstimes.com) The ninth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication commenced in Vientiane, Laos, on October 17 under the theme “Public, Private and People Partnerships for Post-2015 Sustainable Development in ASEAN”.
In his opening speech, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong underlined that cooperation in rural development and poverty elimination in ASEAN has resulted in a number of outstanding achievements.
He described this time’s biennial meeting as an important forum for the bloc’s members to boost mutual understanding and share valuable experience in rural development and poverty reduction, thus strengthening the ties within ASEAN.
ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh said sustainable development is one of the top priorities set in the road map to building the ASEAN Community as well as in the 2025 Vision that the regional leaders are scheduled to approve at their upcoming summit.
He noted the rate of low-income earners in the region dropped dramatically over the past decade, delineating that only one in every eight people has a daily income of under 1 USD at present, a sharp fall from one in every two people.
The official attributed that outcome to the sustainable development policies that attach importance to the partnership among all social elements, which is also the topic of the ninth ministerial meeting.
At the event, the Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh, exchanged the country’s experience in the public-private partnership in agriculture, rural development and poverty eradication.
It also shared lessons drawn from the ongoing implementation of the multidimensional poverty measurement method, which assesses poverty in terms of income and access to medical, clean water and educational services.
From October 13 to 16, an array of related meetings took place in Vientiane to prepare for the ministerial function, including the 12th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, a similar meeting between ASEAN nations and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and the forth ASEAN Forum on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication.-VNA
