Asia-Pacific

China submits proposals to achieve MDGs target

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-04 16:09

JAKARTA - China on Wednesday submitted four proposals to strengthen efforts in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target at the second day of the Special Ministerial Meeting for Millennium Development Goals Review in Asia and the Pacific: Run Up to 2015 here.

"Firstly, we should build a stronger political consensus on and inject greater vigor to the efforts for the MDGs with an aim to achieve action-oriented and at attainable results," China's Ambassador to Indonesia Zhang Qiyue said.

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According to Zhang, at present, the international community is confronted with various crises and hot-spot issues that have distracted attention and input from development issues and the MDGs.

She urged all parties to seize the last opportunity of five year left before 2015 to make efforts to strive for the timely realization of the MDGs.

Secondly, she said, countries must intensify efforts to secure the momentum of the economic recovery.

"Fast as the average growth is in the Asia-Pacific region, it is by no means an easy task to translate the current recovery momentum into sustainable development. It is imperative that countries in this region enhance coordination on their macroeconomic policies and maintain the continuity and stability of their macroeconomic policies," she said.

She added that since Asia-Pacific economies are highly dependent on external market and foreign investment, they should firmly oppose and reject protectionism of all description, expand market access and strive to maintain a fair, free and open global trading and investment system.

Thirdly, she said, countries must forge a global development partnership characterized of equality, mutual benefit and win-win outcome.

"The largest impediment for MDGs is the scarcity of funding support. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the developed countries to aid developing countries and keep their promises on increasing assistance, reducing and exempting debts, opening markets and transferring technologies," Zhang said.

This, she said, will help developing nations to enhance their economic performance as well as strengthen their capability to resist economic crisis and rehabilitate their economies in the aftermath of the crisis, which in turn contributing to sustainable socio-economic development in the Asia-Pacific region.

She added that developing countries should actively explore new ways for South-South cooperation.

Fourthly, she said, countries should strive for a balanced regional development.

"To achieve steady and all-round regional progress in the Asia- Pacific, it is imperative that all countries increase input and secure resources for development on one hand and respect the development models and policy space other countries may choose and face on the other," she said.

She stressed on the comprehensive social development in a coordinated, all-round and harmonized way, and steadily improves living condition and standards of people. "So that the MDGs will be achieved on schedule and across the board," she said.  

Furthermore, she said, the conference provided participants an opportunity to strengthen cooperation and seek consensus at regional level, which will help draw more attention to concerns of Asia-Pacific countries at the United Nations high-level meeting on the MDGs scheduled in September.