The Minister of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, Betty Amongi Akena, has emphasized Uganda’s commitment to further regional and international development cooperation in order to enhance social livelihoods through poverty eradication.
Minister Amongi made the remarks while presenting a keynote presentation to world leaders at the 62nd session of the Commission for Social Development being held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Themed “Fostering Social Development and Social Justice through Social Policies to Accelerate Progress on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to Achieve the Overarching Goal of Poverty Eradication,” this year’s conference aims to inspire collaborative efforts towards poverty eradication and sustainable development.
Minister Amongi called upon global leaders to invest in programmes that tackle poverty’s root causes. She emphasized the need to focus on human capital development, social protection, and safety nets for vulnerable populations.
“Uganda re-affirms its commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, ensuring that no one is left behind, and recognizing the remaining challenges that require concerted efforts and partnerships to achieve the desired development goals,” Minister Amongi declared.
Amongi asserted that addressing these challenges is vital for providing decent jobs through relevant skilling programmes, which are instrumental in achieving the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Uganda has further sustained its active commitment to development cooperation at regional and international levels. This is manifested through our leadership role in shaping the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Minister Amongi said.
She further emphasized Uganda’s dedication to sustainable development, citing the strong support and endorsement of Uganda’s Vision 2040, the East African Community’s Vision 2050, and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
“The overall goal is to transition Uganda into a middle-income country through strengthening competitiveness for sustainable wealth creation, employment, and inclusive growth,” Minister Amongi explained.
She highlighted that Uganda’s social protection policies focus on increasing access to social security through both direct and contributory schemes. Additionally, she said Uganda aims to enhance care, protection, equal opportunities, affirmative action, and support for vulnerable individuals.
The 62nd session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD62) commenced on February 5th and will continue until February 14, 2024, in Conference Room 4 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
