Poverty and illiteracy rates have been slashed but governments in East and Southeast Asia need to speed up health and environment improvements to meet the looming 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This view was shared at a forum in Shanghai on July 13 by the Asia Development Bank (ADB), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), according to a news release issued following the event.
The joint forum was held to examine the sub-region’s progress on MDGs, and to look at actions needed to address problem areas.
“East and Southeast Asia have already achieved 11 of the 21 MDG indicators but governments must step up efforts on maternal health, child mortality and environmental sustainability, including forest cover, to achieve all MDGs by the target date,” said Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, ADB’s Vice President for Knowledge Management.
Widening gaps in income and development between countries, regions within countries, and urban and rural communities, are also setting back progress on MDGs and need to be addressed, the forum said.
“The consequences of these disparities – further aggravated by the uncertain prospects of the global economy and combined effects of the global food, climate, energy and economic crises – are that improvements in the lives of the poorest are happening at an unacceptable slow pace and in some cases, hard fought gains are being eroded,” said Nicholas Rosellini, UNDP’s Deputy Regional Director of Asia and the Pacific.
To help meet MDG targets, the forum urged governments to promote domestic demand, prioritise the supply of basic services, and expand social safety for vulnerable groups, including women and the unemployed. The need for greater regional cooperation was also highlighted in areas such as trade in food, and expanded monetary and financial ties.
Recommendations from the forum will be taken to the UN MDG Summit in New York in September where the tripartite partnership of ADB, UNDP and UNESCAP will launch the 2010 Regional MDG Report, and present Asia ’s voice on the goals.
2010 marks the 10 th anniversary of the UN Millennium Summit where 189 heads of state agreed on the MDGs which include halving extreme poverty, providing universal primary education, improving gender equity, and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, all by the target date of 2015.
“As we all know, the performance of the region in achieving the MDGs has been rather mixed, with many countries finding difficult challenges in meeting the targets by 2015. In that context, the region could harness its vast financial resources to close the gaps,” said Nagesh Kumar, Director of UNESCAP’s Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division.
The forum, jointly organised by ADB, the ADB Institute (ADBI), UNDP and UNESCAP, was a follow-up to consultations in the Pacific, South Asia and Central Asia./.
This view was shared at a forum in Shanghai on July 13 by the Asia Development Bank (ADB), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), according to a news release issued following the event.
The joint forum was held to examine the sub-region’s progress on MDGs, and to look at actions needed to address problem areas.
“East and Southeast Asia have already achieved 11 of the 21 MDG indicators but governments must step up efforts on maternal health, child mortality and environmental sustainability, including forest cover, to achieve all MDGs by the target date,” said Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, ADB’s Vice President for Knowledge Management.
Widening gaps in income and development between countries, regions within countries, and urban and rural communities, are also setting back progress on MDGs and need to be addressed, the forum said.
“The consequences of these disparities – further aggravated by the uncertain prospects of the global economy and combined effects of the global food, climate, energy and economic crises – are that improvements in the lives of the poorest are happening at an unacceptable slow pace and in some cases, hard fought gains are being eroded,” said Nicholas Rosellini, UNDP’s Deputy Regional Director of Asia and the Pacific.
To help meet MDG targets, the forum urged governments to promote domestic demand, prioritise the supply of basic services, and expand social safety for vulnerable groups, including women and the unemployed. The need for greater regional cooperation was also highlighted in areas such as trade in food, and expanded monetary and financial ties.
Recommendations from the forum will be taken to the UN MDG Summit in New York in September where the tripartite partnership of ADB, UNDP and UNESCAP will launch the 2010 Regional MDG Report, and present Asia ’s voice on the goals.
2010 marks the 10 th anniversary of the UN Millennium Summit where 189 heads of state agreed on the MDGs which include halving extreme poverty, providing universal primary education, improving gender equity, and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, all by the target date of 2015.
“As we all know, the performance of the region in achieving the MDGs has been rather mixed, with many countries finding difficult challenges in meeting the targets by 2015. In that context, the region could harness its vast financial resources to close the gaps,” said Nagesh Kumar, Director of UNESCAP’s Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division.
The forum, jointly organised by ADB, the ADB Institute (ADBI), UNDP and UNESCAP, was a follow-up to consultations in the Pacific, South Asia and Central Asia./.
