Varela pledges human development plan to UN

PRESIDENT Juan Carlos Varela. On Saturday September 25,  reaffirmed  Panama’s  commitment to the new agenda for human development, effective for the next 15 years, adopted by the Summit of Sustainable Development Goals (ODS) held at the UN headquarters in New York.

Varela,  said the “efficient and transparent” use of public funds and resources of the state is set to meet the 17 objectives set in the human development agenda.

“We have taken the Sustainable Development Goals as an official guideline of our government, ensuring resources for its effective implementation,” he said.

He said that his government has been strengthened and expanded coverage of social programs, which according to his calculations which currently benefit 20% of the population.

He also notedthat the government  has allocated 30% of the total public investment budget from 2015 to 2019 to meet the target of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation for the entire population.

He talked about the recovery of 50% of deforested land  in the next 20 years and a goal set to replace informal settlements by “decent” homes through the program called “Roof of hope.”

Varela remains in New York where he will hold bilateral meetings and on Wednesday will address the UN General Assembly.