Malaysia expects to end poverty by 2030 - Mustapa

Malaysia is expected to eradicate poverty by 2030 in line with the United Nations’ (UN) goal to end poverty and famine by then, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

He said an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) was formed last year aimed to engage with more local communities to collectively achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In September 2015, all 193 member countries of the UN unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its implementation framework, where the SDGs chart in detail a way forward to ensure a future that is sustainable for people, planet, peace and prosperity. It is to be achieved through a spirit of partnership between the government, private sector and civil society.

“Malaysia is working to realise the agenda especially in ending poverty and famine, at the same time there are improvements to be made,” he told reporters after a site visit of the All Party Parliamentary Group at the Jeli Parliamentary Community Service Centre here today.

However, Mustapa said, the agenda to end poverty would be difficult to attain in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Jeli MP said up till June this year, the poverty rate in Malaysia had dropped to 5.6 per cent compared to 7.6 per cent recorded in 2016.

Apart from that, the country’s unemployment rate has also decreased by 0.4 per cent to 4.9 per cent in June, compared to 5.3 per cent in May following the actions taken by the government to revive the economy, he added.

“Based on the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s numbers, 773,200 people were unemployed in June (this year) while in May there were 826,100 people.

“This positive development shows that the country’s economy is improving, however, serious attention should be given to this matter because of the broad definition of unemployment being used,” he said.

According to him, conceptually, the unemployed is defined as those who are not working and are in search of employment, hence workers who are temporarily jobless during the Movement Control Order, including those given leave without pay, are not categorised as unemployed.

He said the government was giving serious attention to the 768,000 workers under this category by channelling aids via various agencies, which included payments from the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO). - BERNAMA