Pakistan has called for the mobilization of all possible resources to help developing countries eradicate poverty and hunger and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to offset the devastating impact of the increase in food, fuel prices and the decline in economic growth on the large segment of the world population. Speaking for the Group of 77 (developing countries), Ambassador Munir Akram said the international community and institutions should revitalize global development cooperation and invest in sustained growth for reducing inequalities and enhancing the well-being of all. The Pakistani envoy was addressing the UN General Assembly Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), which opened its 77th session Thursday, with the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a resurgence of conflicts and the climate emergency driving its general discussion.

Pakistan is the current chairman of G-77 and China, which now has 134 members and is the United Nations biggest intergovernmental group of emerging countries. The developing countries needed financial support of at least $3.3 to $ 4.5 trillion per year to achieve the SDGs within the given timeline, Ambassador Akram said, adding resources must be mobilized from all possible sources: fulfillment of the 0.7 percent ODA (Official Development target); redistribution of the $650 billion new SDRs (Special Drawing Rights); and concessional finance from the multilateral institutions and development banks. At the same time, he said, there was a need to take coherent and coordinated actions and innovative measures to promote vaccine equity, build better health systems, and improve early warning and monitoring systems for pandemic preparedness at the global, regional and national levels.

Expressing concern over the lack of satisfactory progress on social development, the G77 chairman said conflicts, volatile financial markets, high rates of unemployment, humanitarian emergencies, corruption and climate change, to name a few, impeded the progress in the fulfilment of social objectives. In this context, Ambassador Akram reaffirmed that international development cooperation - especially North-South cooperation - remains a fundamental catalyst to sustainable development. Expressing support for developing countries in implementing their social development agenda, he called on the states to invest in family-oriented programmes for fighting poverty and inequality, promoting the empowerment of women and girls and advancing inter-generational solidarity. The Group of 77, he said, "recognizes the valuable contribution of older persons to the development of societies, and, therefore, calls for action to address protection gaps, and ensure the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for older persons.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP