17 October 2016, New York: Addressing the Economic and Financial (Second) Committee of the United Nations under the theme "Eradication of Poverty and other Development Issues", His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the UN, observed that this agenda item is central to the achievement of the entire 2030 Agenda and should not be treated as a standalone subject.
Ambassador Sareer gave examples of how the Government of Maldives has worked steadfastly on poverty eradication through investing in socio-economic and human development indicators;
with special focus on policies granting universal healthcare, education, skills based learning as well as a focus on sustainable fisheries and tourism industries. He also noted that Maldives is witnessing an unprecedented youth bulge, with over 48% of the country's population below 25 years of age. Providing another example of investing in vulnerable demographics, Ambassador Sareer noted initiatives centred on youth advancements, aimed at "creating jobs, public and private investments in tertiary education institutions in the country, offering a wide range of vocational, under-graduate and graduate courses".
Noting that while his country is often hailed as an MDG success story, where extreme poverty rates have fallen significantly in the last decades, many challenges remain. Climate change increases associated risks because of dwindling fish stocks, coral bleaching, marine debris and coastal erosion. H.E Mr. Sareer stressed that achieving sustained and sustainable development "will require investments in human development, in diversification of our economies, in building more resilient infrastructure and most importantly to come together as a global community to fight hunger and poverty".
ENDS
