Education helps disadvantaged groups like women, girls and the disabled access opportunities to have a better life as education equips them with knowledge, skills and confidence, she said.

Vietnam has prioritised education, Kim Anh said, adding that the country has injected 20% of its State budget into education, along with devising many incentives for poor and ethnic minority students.

At the same time, Vietnam has strengthened international cooperation in education, she noted.

Kim Anh said social inequality is developing between countries and within each country, in terms of income, gender, employment and access to education, health care and fresh water.

Therefore, tackling social inequality has become an urgent task for all regions, countries and the entire international community, she said.

In his opening remarks, on October 2, Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the UN, highlighted challenges to the materialisation of Sustainable Development Goals, including economic crises, sluggish growth, natural disasters, climate change, inequality, unemployment and population aging.

Given this, he suggested prioritising disadvantaged groups, increasing social sponsorship and heeding statistics to tackle inequality.

Liu described maintaining peace and preventing conflicts as a prerequisite for sustainable development.

Following the opening ceremony, the delegates discussed social development, stressing the need to build an inclusive society with the participation of all groups and people of all social strata.

They also shared experience in reducing poverty and easing difficulties for disadvantaged groups.