ASEAN-China-UNDP symposium on sustainable development goals, poverty reduction opens in Vietnam

During the two-day symposium, participants, mainly government officials, scholars and businesspeople from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, China and other countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific region and representatives of international and regional organizations, are to touch upon measures toward zero poverty and sustainable development with innovation.

"We need to foster greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN development plans to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advance poverty reduction," Huang Xilian, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN, said at the event's opening ceremony, adding that it is necessary to "look for new models of practical cooperation."

According to Huang, in poverty reduction, the Chinese approach is a proven case in delivering SDGs, and the country has been an active contributor in global cooperation against poverty.

Participants at the symposium also highly appreciated China's success stories in poverty reduction.

"I would like to note the very important examples set by many in China and ASEAN on innovation in achieving the SDGs and the many lessons we can all learn from China's remarkable achievement in dramatically reducing poverty," Valerie Cliff, Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said at the opening ceremony.

At a press briefing after the ceremony, Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, said that in recent years, China has intensified investment in infrastructure development through China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative to connect countries and peoples in the world.

Participants at the symposium on Wednesday agreed that an ASEAN model of inclusive innovation which truly leaves no one behind should be created to effectively accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, reduce inequality, and tap into the creativity of diverse strata in societies.

The symposium, co-held by the Chinese Mission to ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat and the UNDP, is designed as a forum where ASEAN countries, China and other nations in the Asia-Pacific region can freely exchange knowledge, broaden horizons of possibilities, and identify opportunities for collaborative experimentation.