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Mr. Chairman,
At the outset, let me congratulate you and members of the Bureau on their election. We also thank Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his comprehensive reports - a manifestation of his vision of addressing income inequality challenges through social protection, economic growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development for all.
Pakistan also aligns itself with the statement delivered by the State of Palestine on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
Mr. Chairman,
Despite reduction in income inequality between countries in the past three decades, wide disparities within and among countries persist, based on income, gender, age, race, religion disability and opportunity.
According to the Secretary General’s report, “eighty-two per cent of the wealth generated in 2017 went to the top one percent, while the 3.7 billion people, who make up the poorest half of the world, saw no increase in their wealth.”
This year, the Commission’s theme “Addressing inequalities and challenges to social inclusion through fiscal, wage and social protection policies” is therefore timely and important.
Mr. Chairman,
Social exclusion and income inequality are multifaceted challenges that need multi-pronged solutions.
Pakistan’s new Government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, through its people-centric policies, is taking a number of steps to attack poverty. These policies are aimed at reducing inequality by promoting financial inclusion, agricultural growth, rural development, provision of educational opportunities, access to health care and poverty eradication.
In a world where economies increasingly rely on sophisticated skills and well-trained citizens, my country considers education as an investment in its future. Like others, for us too, education acts as an equalizer, as a means of inclusion and as a vehicle to end marginalisation. By implementing policies such as “Waseela-e-Taleem”, a conditional cash transfer programme for education to increase primary enrolment and completion, we are seeking to provide basic education to all. This program has already benefited close to two million children across my country.
Pakistan currently has the largest proportion of young people in its history. This youth bulge provides us with a unique opportunity to benefit from the demographic dividend and harness the potential of youth by providing openings for their growth and development.
The Prime Minister's Youth Programme aims at the socio-economic development of young people and combating unemployment. It entails a broad canvas of schemes aimed at enabling youth and the underprivileged to access employment opportunities through skills development, higher education and Information Technology.
We also believe that the country’s social, political and economic development can only be sustained by strengthening mechanisms that ensure gender equality and women’s empowerment. Through social safety initiatives like the cash transfer-based and female empowerment-focused Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), vulnerable segments are being helped to overcome extreme poverty and find livelihoods.
At the same time, our new government has instituted a National Health Programme to provide health care to underprivileged citizens. ‘Insaf Sehat Cards’ or ‘Health Cards’ will potentially benefit over 15 million families for a start.
We have also put in place robust results-based monitoring systems to evaluate progress on a wide range of strategies to ensure implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. Chairman,
Reducing inequalities requires continued national and international commitment and action. International cooperation and the promotion of partnerships and acceptance of mutual responsibility are of critical importance.
We hope our discussions this year will help lead to the realization of our shared goals of empowering the people by eradicating poverty and ensuring social integration.
I thank you.