GENEVA, Sept. 14 -- Eliminating all forms of poverty is not only fundamental to the pursuit of a happy life by all peoples, but also important for promoting and protecting human rights, a senior Chinese diplomat stressed here Friday.
Delivering a statement on behalf of a cross-regional group of countries including Non-Aligned Movement, Russian Federation and South Sudan, Yu Jianhua, head of the Chinese Mission to UN at Geneva, made the remarks at the on-going 39th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
"Today, nearly 800 million people across the world are still living in poverty, and global poverty eradication remains a tough and long battle," Yu said.
He continued that to eradicate poverty and create conditions for better promoting and protecting human rights, nations should work together to vigorously promote sustainable development.
"We need to pursue sustained, inclusive, and equitable growth and respect the right of States to independently choose their own path of poverty eradication and sustainable development in accordance with their national circumstances," Yu noted.
According to Yu, States should act with precision in poverty relief and eradication and design their strategies in light of the realities facing their poor populations and areas.
In this regard, Yu said, measures could include developing public policies directed at poverty eradication, building infrastructure in poverty-stricken areas, providing public services, and creating job opportunities for the poor to enhance their capacity for self-development.
"Development must be for the people, by the people, and its benefits shared by the people," he said.
The Chinese ambassador also highlighted the importance of international cooperation on poverty eradication, saying that States should firmly uphold an open world economy and the rules-based multilateral trading system, and build a new type of international poverty eradication partnership featuring win-win cooperation.