Kathmandu, October 19:

After expressing commitment at the top-level to alleviate poverty, the government of Nepal should now focus more on implementation of its plans and policies to meet the poverty alleviation goals, a UN official said today.

In a half way to UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015, the government needs to concentrate on HIV/AIDS and education and move faster to achieve the goals, said Salil Shetty, director of UN Millennium Campaign.

The aggregated country report on UN MDG can be misleading since some regions fare well as compared to others, he said. “At the current historical junction, there are opportunities to effect many changes here. The new constitution should really protect economic and social rights,” said Shetty.

“There is political commitment and the government here is keen on creating a new order. This should be taken as an opportunity to translate their commitments to real action, where the marginalised had a voice and everyone had access to and control over productive resources like land, forest and water,” he added.

Around 31 per cent population in Nepal in living below the extreme poverty line.

PM Puspha Kamal Dahal in his message on the the International Day for Eradication of Poverty pledged to create conducive environment for development and also formulate appropriate laws and policies to help alleviate poverty.

Dahal also ensured that the government would help ensure equitable investment and distribution of resources and services in order to establish an equitable society.

“Even if the resources are there, they do not actually reach to the people,” he said. The UN Millennium Campaign observed a three-day campaign from October 17-19 ‘Stand Up and Take Action’ against poverty for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“The campaign is all about people standing up and reminding their leaders and government about their commitments. One per cent of the world population (67 million) were expected to stand up to support this campaign,” said Shetty.