Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych urged Ukrainians on Sunday to make joint efforts to defeat poverty in the ex-Soviet republic, where every fourth person is living under the poverty line according to Labor Ministry data.
Yanukovych addressed the nation on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Ukrainian president's press office said.
"The reduction of the poverty level and its eradication depend on resolute efforts by every citizen who is indifferent to the fate of those who are suffering from poverty. That is why I am addressing representatives of state authority, socially responsible business and deputies of all levels and urging them to do their best to stem this social evil," Yanukovych said.
According to Yanukovych, joint efforts could propel "Ukraine into the group of the most developed and prosperous countries in the world."
According to data of the Ukrainian Labor Ministry, 26.4% of Ukrainians are living under the poverty line.
KIEV, October 17 (RIA Novosti)