Laos urges Asean to act jointly to deal with poverty, food security

A senior Lao leader has called on Asean nations and regional stakeholders to further strengthen cooperation to alleviate poverty and ensure food security in the region. 
Speaking at the 29th Asean Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting held in Bali, Indonesia, on Monday, the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Suanesavanh Vignaket, said addressing gaps and finding solutions to eradicate poverty and hunger among the poor is not an easy task for a single organisation or sectoral body.

Leaders hold hands at the 29th Asean Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting in Indonesia.

“I would like to urge national and regional organisations and stakeholders to enhance their continued efforts and raise investments in both capital capacity and human resources capability, which will facilitate eradication of poverty and food security in the region,” she said.
Mrs Suanesavanh said Laos, as a Least Developed Country (LDC), has framed a plan to achieve graduation from the list of LDCs by 2026.
Realising the sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda and fully implementing the Programmes of Action for the LDCs and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in alignment with the Lao National Vision 2030, the 9th five-year Plan on Socio-Economic Development and the Green Growth Strategy are among the government’s priorities to drive sustainable development.     
The minister said Laos stands ready to work closely with Indonesia and other member states to realise Asean priorities and to ensure the success of Asean in 2023, which will bring benefits to the region and serve as a foundation for Laos’ Asean Chairmanship in 2024.
Mrs Suanesavanh reiterated the significance of regional and international collaboration to overcome economic difficulties brought on by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, emerging geopolitical challenges, climate change, and the increase in prices of goods, food and energy.
At the 29th ASCC Council Meeting, Asean leaders underlined the importance of continued empowerment of people in rural areas to support sustainable development and poverty eradication in the Asean region. The meeting supported the proposed establishment of the Asean Villages Network (AVN) to strengthen village-to-village networking across Asean.
The meeting agreed to strengthen protection for Asean peoples and looked forward to the adoption of the Asean Declaration on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Family Members in Crisis Situations and the Asean Declaration on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers at the 42nd Asean Summit.
The ASCC Council Meeting noted ongoing efforts as part of Asean’s commitment to address climate change and noted the work done to establish the Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, as a follow-up to the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update May 10, 2023)