Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today commended Malaysia for
“making great strides” in reducing poverty, adding that the country must share
its experiences with the world to enhance development in other nations.
“Your experiences can help countries throughout the global
South, and I urge Malaysia to look at how it can increase South-South
cooperation,” Mr. Ban said in a speech at the Institute for Diplomacy and
Foreign Relations in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
In his remarks, Mr. Ban underlined that Malaysia has made
remarkable progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the
globally agreed blueprint for halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of
diseases, promoting access to education and improving health care – ahead of
the 2015 deadline.
“Millions of people have been lifted from poverty. With such
success comes responsibility. This is your chance to assume leadership,” he
said, adding that the country must now focus on working on finding ways to
achieve sustainable development economically, socially and environmentally.
In addition, during a joint press conference with Prime
Minister Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Mr. Ban praised the country for
its efforts to maintain unity while respecting ethnic and religious diversity.
“Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and
multi-cultural country. Promoting unity among diversity, promoting one Malaysia
among Malaysians is a great vision, not only for the Malaysian people, but also
for the region,” he said.
“This is exactly what the United Nations tries to
promote worldwide.”
Source: UN News Centre
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