NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia has confirmed that it has developed a social protection system aimed at protecting low income families and is working in building a comprehensive and effective system through cooperation among the concerned government agencies, Saudi Press Agency said Friday.

It pointed out that this system gives priority to eradicating poverty and raising the standard of living in three main areas including social assistance, social insurance and labor market programs.

This came in a speech delivered by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the UN, Dr. Khalid Al-Manzalawi, in the general debate at the 57th session of the UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD).

He said: "The Kingdom is currently undertaking several economic reforms to reduce the fiscal deficit, stimulate non-oil revenues and reduce subsidies and tax legislation."

Dr. Al-Manzalawi further said that poverty is one of the most important global problems that have made all countries of the world strive to tackle it to the extent that the UN has made the poverty problem one of its top priorities, developing 17 development programs that aim to lift societies out of poverty. — SPA