UN commission for Asia-Pacific: Vietnam’s inflation down to 2.5 pct

The Vietnamese economy is forecast to pick up moderately at 6.1-6.2 percent thanks to improving exports, investment and household purchasing demand.
The Vietnamese economy is forecast to pick up moderately at 6.1-6.2 percent thanks to improving exports, investment and household purchasing demand.

According to a flagship survey of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) released in Hanoi on May 14, Vietnam’s inflation fell from double-digits to 4.1 percent in 2014 and would be 2.5 percent in 2015.

Commenting on the regional economic prospects, Dr. Albert Isgut from the ESCAP’s Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division said the Asia-Pacific economy will expand by a mere 5.9 percent this year from 5.8 percent a year earlier, spurred by decreased inflation and a steep decline in global oil prices.

The ESCAP has introduced an innovative new multidimensional inclusiveness index – a composite measure of 15 core indicators that track the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development in 16 countries, which together account for 92 percent of the region’s population and 88 percent of its GDP.

It called on regional developing economies to ensure equal opportunities, especially among women and girls by expanding their access to quality education and healthcare.

The commission also expressed its support for countries to create jobs by facilitating small- and medium-sized enterprises and industrialising rural areas with the private sector holding a key role in inclusive development.

ESCAP Executive Secretary Shamshad Akhtar urged Asia-Pacific governments to mobilise domestic resources, especially those from the private sector for sustainable development.-VNA

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