. Lungu

From PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE in  New York –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu says poverty can only be eliminated if countries deliberately address the challenges of realising broad-based pro-poor growth, and improve quality human capital, ?among others.
Mr Lungu said that poverty could also be eradicated when there was improved quality human capital, full and productive employment and decent work for all, especially women and youths.
The President was speaking yesterday when he addressed an interactive dialogue on ending poverty and hunger  at the United Nations Summit on the Post-2015 Summit in New York .
Mr Lungu said this could only be achieved if there were efforts to implement and support policies designed to realise improved welfare of citizens.
He said the major focus for the new 2030 Agenda for sustainable development should endeavour to reduce the inequalities between nations.
President Lungu said this would ensure that development impacted positively on everyone.
He said that poverty eradication was the overreaching goal that all should pursue with unprecedented effort in the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to restore human dignity for nations.
Mr Lungu said that landlocked countries and least developed nations faced a huge challenge and specific vulnerabilities.
“Zambia like many other countries has prioritised ending poverty in all forms and dimensions and we are determined to end hunger and achieve food security at household level and minimise all forms of malnutrition,” he said.
Mr Lungu said there could be no meaningful development if citizens remained in abject poverty and hunger.
“It is against this background that we are committed to the implementation of various social protection programmes such as the social cash transfer scheme, women and youth empowerment programmes,” he said.
The President said the Government was also committed to providing food security as well as the Farmer Input Support Programme, all aimed at ending poverty and hunger.
Mr Lungu said the above initiatives were aimed at ensuring that vulnerable citizens were protected from extreme risks and shocks, food insecurity at household level, among others.
He further said that social protection was a powerful tool that could be used to reduce poverty and hunger and improve food security at household level and reduce malnutrition.
The President said this empowered households and contributed significantly to human capital formation and human development.
“Small-scale cash transfers to poor rural households alleviate poverty and stimulate economic activities in rural economies,” Mr Lungu told the summit.
Mr Lungu called for more investment in programmes with improved accountability and transparency.
President Lungu is among the more than 154 heads of State and Government attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA70?) at the UN headquarters in New York.