ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host a two-day international economic conference next week, featuring participants from over 12 countries, where participants will explore sustainable solutions to poverty and find ways to promote inclusive economic growth, the information ministry said.

The ‘International Conference on Inclusive and Resilient Economic Empowerment and Growth’ will be held from Oct. 13-14 in Islamabad, the information ministry said on Friday.

“The participants from 12 countries will attend the conference to explore sustainable solutions to poverty, promote inclusive economic growth and strengthen livelihood resilience through policy dialogue, knowledge-sharing and cross sector collaboration,” the information ministry said.

The statement did not elaborate members from which countries will take part in the gathering.

Syed Imran Ahmad Shah, federal minister for poverty alleviation, said the conference would provide a platform to assess progress in poverty alleviation, exchange evidence based insights and strengthen collaboration among public institutions, development partners and local communities.

He said the conference would help translate policy priorities into tangible development outcomes.

According to the United Nations, nearly 29 percent of Pakistan’s population is now living below the poverty line, up from 21.9 percent six years ago.

Pakistan has been actively seeking ways to ensure sustainable economic growth in hopes of pulling millions of households out of poverty.

Climate-induced disasters such as floods and droughts over the years have also damaged crop production in Pakistan, adding to the misery of the poor in the South Asian country.