The meeting, themed “A united ASEAN to deal with poverty in the global financial crisis context”, was attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and rural development ministers from 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as representatives from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Addressing the event, PM Dung said this is a practical event showing the strong determination of ASEAN member countries to cooperate in reducing poverty rate, developing rural areas and minimising the negative impact of the current global financial crisis and economic downturn.

He emphasised that each member country and the whole ASEAN bloc should make a stronger commitment to investing more in rural development and poverty reduction, as well as narrowing the gap between rural and urban areas.

The Government leader affirmed that boosting rural development and poverty reduction is a pillar in Vietnam’s sustainable development strategy. The country has fulfilled the United Nations Development Goals on poverty reduction ahead of schedule. The Government of Vietnam has pledged to invest more in human resource development, rural development and poverty reduction and to make practical contributions to the building of the ASEAN community, he said.

PM Dung noted that the region and the world have experienced rapid changes and faced huge challenges caused by the global financial crisis, climate change and epidemics. To cope with these challenges, joint efforts by all nations are essential, he added.