Regional perspective on the achievements of MDGs
ASIA - PACIFIC
Kim Hak-SuExecutive Secretary
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
A very diverse region!
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• 3 of the world’s most populous countries
• Some highly developed and a number of middle-income
• 14 least developed countries (LDCs)
• 12 landlocked developed countries (LLDCs)
• 17 small island developed States (SIDS)
Different levels of MDG achievements
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• Fast achievers
• Slow achievers
• Off-track countries
Fast achievers
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• Meet income poverty and “on track” in other targets• In East-Asia and South-East Asian – meet income poverty target• Mixed progress in:
– women’s equal representation– Reducing under-five-years old mortality– Reducing maternal mortality– Halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS– Environmental sustainability
• Pockets of poverty in China, India and Indonesia• Income inequality could be worsening
Slow achievers
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• South Asia and West Asia• Appears on track in income poverty, education and
drinking water goals• South Asia - slow progress in other goals • West Asia – income poverty on the rise
Off-track countries
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• Least Developed Countries• Landlocked Developing Countries• Countries with economies in transition• Island developing countries
Key MDG challenges - Asia-Pacific region
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• Largest number of absolute poor (700 million, 2/3 world’s poor)• Several countries have increasing poverty levels – sustainability
of poverty reduction a challenge• Diversity in the level of achievement of MDGs• Concern in meeting the targets on hunger and other goals
What ESCAP is doing?
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• Partnership with UNDP to promote MDGs since 2001
• First regional report on MDGs in June 2003
(focus on Goal 1 and 8)
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• Second phase launched in February 2004
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined the partnership
• Second regional MDG report to be released in September 2005, a series of Technical Background Papers
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• Patchy and incomplete data sets• Only 15 countries have $1 a day poverty figures• UNSIAP and UNDP project on building
statistical capacity
MDG data
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Thank you
