'Anti-poverty, development should dominate UN post-2015 agenda'

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui said here on Monday that the UN post-2015 development agenda should concentrate on anti-poverty and development.

"In the process of establishing the agenda of global development beyond 2015, the United Nations should continue to put eradicating poverty and promoting development at the core," Zhang said at the launch of a paper presented by the High-Level Advisory Panel to the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Vuk Jeremic.

The paper, entitled "The United Nations in the Age of Sustainable Development," deals with how countries can tackle global issues and overcome interconnected crises through cooperation. It was presented on Monday at a UNGA informal meeting presided over by Jeremic.

Zhang expressed his hope that the United Nations will stick to the cause of international development and help developing countries accelerate their development.

In the post-2015 agenda, the United Nations should focus on resolving the difficulties faced by developing countries, especially African countries and the least developed countries, and help them enhance capacity building for sustainable development, Zhang noted.

"While the United Nations should play a crucial leading role in shaping international rules, global governance issues that bear on the immediate interests of all countries should be handled by UN member states through consultation," he said.

Meanwhile, "the United Nations needs to continue to stand for fairness and justice, uphold the fundamental principles of the UN Charter such as sovereign equality and peaceful settlement of disputes, and oppose willful use or threat of force," Zhang added.

Before the Monday informal meeting of the UNGA, Zhang also met with Jeremic to have an in-depth discussion of issues of mutual concern.

The High-Level Advisory Panel was established by Jeremic at the beginning of the 67th session of the UNGA last year to address the most important issues facing the international community.