Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the opening segment of the 77th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP).
In his video statement, the Prime Minister underscored the need for pursuing the right mix of national actions, regional collaboration, and multilateral cooperation, in order to ensure that “no one is left behind” during the response and recovery efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister called for putting the people “front and centre” for pro-poor and inclusive policies, while highlighting that people-centred economic security is at the core of Pakistan’s development paradigm – in line with the shift in the country’s focus from geo-politics to geo-economics.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that peace and development must be anchored in human rights and the international community should pay special attention to situations of foreign occupation.
The Prime Minister stated that, in building back, countries of the Asia and the Pacific region have the opportunity to model their economies on more resilient and sustainable grounds through ambitious climate action.
In addition to calling for addressing the debt issue of developing countries in a fair and sustainable manner, the Prime Minister stressed the need for mobilizing adequate financing for development.
The 77th session of UN-ESCAP, based in Bangkok, Thailand, is being held in a virtual format from 26 to 29 April 2021 under the theme of “Building back better from crises through regional cooperation in Asia and the Pacific.” The session will analyze the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in countries of the region, take stock of actions taken thus far, and set out a policy agenda for building back better.
*-*-*-*-*
