Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador Dang DinhQuy noted the efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) tonarrow development gaps among its members at a session of the Commission forSocial Development of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The 57th session of the Commission for SocialDevelopment opened on February 11 at UN headquarters in New York city, the US,under the theme “Addressing inequalities and challenges to social inclusionthrough fiscal, wage and social protection policies”

On behalf of ASEAN, Ambassador Quy, head ofVietnam’s permanent mission to the UN, shared the common concern aboutinequalities in each country and between different countries. Opportunities toaccess health care and employment within a country are not spread evenly due togender inequality and inequality between rural and urban areas, along withother factors.

Meanwhile, challenges like climate change,epidemics, natural disasters and environmental degradation have been growingaround the world, threatening efforts towards the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals.

The diplomat noted that ASEAN has made effortsto narrow the development gap through the Initiative for ASEAN Integration – acooperation framework for more developed countries to assist others and createconditions for all member nations to develop and share the benefits of regionalconnectivity.

ASEAN is well aware of the increasing role ofinformation technology and the importance of capitalising on chances created bythe scientific and technological revolution to benefit people. In particular,the ASEAN Smart Cities Network was set up to balance economic, social andenvironmental aspects, Quy said.

He also affirmed ASEAN’s commitments toimproving living standards for the elderly, the disabled, children, women andyoung people through initiatives like the action plan on mainstreaming therights of persons with disabilities and the ASEAN Youth in Climate Action andDisaster Resilience Day. Member countries have also worked to promotesustainable employment and healthy and safe workplaces for labourers throughoccupational safety and green job development programmes.

In his speech, Ambassador Quy also highlightedcooperation between ASEAN and the UN through inter-sectoral dialogues,experience sharing, capacity building and technical support, which haveaffirmed the necessity of cooperation in realising the goals of the 2030 Agendafor Sustainable Development.

At the session, ECOSOC Vice President ValentinRybakov said: “Inequality is becoming the defining issue of our time”, addingthat “a world in which extreme wealth co-exists with extreme poverty is a worldof strife.”

Income inequality has increased in manycountries, while health and education disparities remain high, showing theworld is moving in the wrong direction, he added.

President of the 73rd UN General AssemblyMaría Fernanda Espinosa Garcés said multilateralism is the only andthe best means to cope with global challenges that are hampering sustainabledevelopment.-VNA