(VNA) – The 9th Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF-9) themed “People’s Solidarity against Poverty and for Sustainable Development” concluded in the Laoian capital, Vientiane on Friday.
The 4-day forum tackled four main topics including “Universal social protection and access to essential services”, “Food security and the management of land and natural resources”, “Sustainable energy generation and use”, and “Work and sustainable livelihoods” and many other topics.
Vietnam’s delegation attended all the discussions, chaired two workshops on “peace and security – disarmament for sustainable development” and “Strengthen South-South unity and the participation of civil society in solving crisis”.
The forum later released a statement saying that AEPF 9 took place at a historically important time, focusing on injustice, inequality, and poverty, which people in Asia and Europe are currently experiencing. The global economic crisis is just one of a series of crises closely associated with each other including food security, energy, climate change, security, and environmental deterioration, which have affected millions of people. The gap between rich and poor has widened and more people now suffer from unequal access to resources, employment, and fundamental services. The statement calls on all governments at the Asia -Europe Economic Meeting (ASEM) to implement practical measures to solve the issues mentioned above.