IN FOCUS
|
 Poverty Network for Asia
Through a $1 million technical assistance project , ADB backs the establishment of a formal regional network in Asia to share knowledge on poverty reduction. The three-year project is co-financed by the Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund and the People's Republic of China Poverty Reduction and Regional Cooperation Fund (with additional parallel financing from the ASEAN Foundation).
Eminent think tank institutions in Asia working on poverty reduction and inclusive growth will have a quick and cost-effective way of disseminating policy briefs, working papers, and research studies through a regional poverty website, e-newsletters, and seminars. The project will also finance studies and conferences on the impact of the global economic slowdown on poverty and on the environments of the poor. ADB is looking for a consultant project coordinator.
|
 Top
|
PROJECTS
ADB Supports Health Programs and Systems in the Punjab Millennium Development Goals Program
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, home to 56% of Pakistan's population. The government of Punjab has placed high priority on the attainment of MDGs, and has recently increased budget allocations to social sectors. The province is likely to achieve all MDGs except mother and child health (MDGs 4 and 5). The Government's program will improve quality and availability of health services for the low income groups, strengthen the management of health service delivery, and establish a sustainable and pro-poor health financing system. In the first three years, the $425 million project will be supported with $100 million from ADB.
|
CONTACT US
For suggestions and questions, please contact the Poverty Unit in ADB's Regional and Sustainable Development Department
Email: Poverty-Matters@adb.org |
|
Food and Nutrition Social Welfare Program and Project in Mongolia
In response to the food price crisis in mid-2008, the government of Mongolia introduced a targeted food subsidy program to address the nutrition needs of poor children and linked this to health and education Millennium Development Goals achievements. ADB supports the Government's food stamp program with a $9 million investment grant plus a $3 million capacity building grant to strengthen the social welfare system. The project contributes to the achievement of MDG 1b (reducing world hunger).
Poverty Reduction in Upland Communities in the Mekong Region through Improved Community and Industrial Forestry (Technical Assistance)
In the Mekong Region, about 80 million (40%) of the total population are classified as poor or vulnerable to poverty, and the majority live in relatively remote rural areas where much of the residual forest is also located. Some of the poorest of these upland communities are from the ethnic minorities. For these communities, forests function as safety nets during periods of stress and often supply a significant portion of household income. Forest loss push vulnerable upland forest dependent communities deeper into poverty. A regional technical assistance project showed ways to enhance pro-poor community and industrial forestry in the region. The project was rated as partly successful, as it has yet to institutionalize sustainable change.
ADB LOOKS FOR POVERTY CONSULTANT
ADB has just approved its technical assistance for knowledge networks on poverty reduction and inclusive growth. The project will facilitate working papers and policy briefs, seminars and conferences, and the development of an Asian website on Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth, linking up to 70 think tank institutions in the region. In this context, we are looking for an eminent adviser on poverty reduction (working from home office) to manage and coordinate this project. Interested colleagues may contact: abauer@adb.org. |
Employment-Oriented Skills Development Project in Papua New Guinea
ADB's Employment-Oriented Skills Development Project in Papua New Guinea aimed to improve socioeconomic conditions and living standards by increasing access to self-employment and wage employment opportunities. Urban and rural women and youth were targeted because of their lack of employment-oriented skills. The project improved the policy environment for skills training, enhanced management competencies of public, private and church-run vocational training institutions, and established a sustainable financing mechanism for non-formal employment-oriented skills training for such institutions.
Under the project skills training material was produced for motor mechanics; hospitality and tourism; agriculture; and entrepreneurial skills in basic sewing, baking and cooking. While the project was rated as generally successful , the delivery of the materials to training providers both at the national and provincial levels has not commenced. The project was financed through a $20 million ADB loan, a $5 million grant co-financed by the Government of Australia, and a $0.5 million technical assistance grant.
ADB Campaign Targets Vulnerable Cultural Minorities in the People's Republic of China
HIV/AIDS is not just a medical issue, but a social one. Especially among ethnic communities, the infection is intertwined with social issues like poverty, gender equality, the state of medical services, education opportunities, and orphans left to fend for themselves. Funded by ADB, partner institutions such as the China Association of Ethnic Economy and other NGOs, research institutions, and the China Commission for Ethnic Affairs are targeting Tibetans, Mongolians, Hui and Qiang population who live in the remote mountain areas of Gansu and Qinghai provinces in northwest China. While the ethnic groups know little about HIV/AIDS, they are among the most vulnerable because of the prevalence of injected drug use, unsafe blood transfusions, and poverty. As part of the campaign, about 27,000 posters and brochures have been translated into local dialects and distributed so that their messages reach the targeted communities.
ADB Helps Combat Land Degradation and Reduce Rural Poverty in Western China
The People's Republic of China (PRC) has some of the worst land degradation problems in the world. Rural poverty further drives damaging land practices, including overuse of water and agrochemicals and the conversion of marginal lands for irrigation. A $100 million loan from ADB, co-financed by a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant of $4.6 million will provide alternative livelihood opportunities for 46,000 rural households in Ningxia province for setting up clean, resource-efficient industries such as horticulture, instead of traditional agricultural activities that are low-yielding, water intensive and cause pollution. Through other forward linkages the project will benefit 140,000 smallholder farmers.
Insulating Mongolia's Gers to Protect the Urban Poor Against Harsh Winters
ADB - through grant funding from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR)- is providing insulated felt blankets to protect the ger (traditional dwelling structure) of about 4,000 poor households in Ulaanbaatar against the harsh winter. The project is expected to halve the use of coal and firewood for heating and improve air quality inside the houses. Poor households currently spend over half of their average household income for coal and firewood to keep themselves warm.
Other recently approved projects:
Top
KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT
Poverty Relief Remains a Daunting Task for China
The Chinese government has raised the official poverty line from RMB785 yuan yearly income to RMB1,067 ($156), increasing the number of poor to 43.2 million. However, applying the international poverty line ($1.25), about 190 million rural and urban people are in extreme poverty. Despite these challenges, the People's Republic of China's success in reducing income and social poverty is rather outstanding. In a very informative CCTV interview Chris Spohr from ADB and Prof. Wang Sangui discuss new challenges for poverty reduction, inequality, and inclusive growth in China.
|
New Poverty Counts: Implications for Asia and the ADB
New poverty data show that the Asia and Pacific region has one-third more poor people than earlier assumed. 903 million women, children and men are extremely poor and 54% of the region's population live on less than $2 a day. The data do not yet include those affected by the 2008 food price spike and global economic slowdown. The recent ADB study explains the methodology behind the new poverty estimates, highlights country specifics on extreme poverty and vulnerability, makes poverty projections through 2020, and discusses possible implications for ADB. |
Asian Migration Prospects 2007-2012
Regional integration is expected to contribute significantly to economic growth in the Greater Mekong Subregion and improve the livelihoods of the people. However, to ensure that the poor benefit fairly from regional integration, appropriate regional, national, and local strategies are needed. Such strategies are particularly important for communities in the frontline of border interactions and likely to be directly affected by regional integration. A technical assistance (TA) was prepared to provide a more comprehensive base of information about cross-border livelihood interactions and poverty. The highly successful TA also assisted in the formulation and modification of national poverty reduction strategies. |
Can Ethical Trade Certification Contribute to the Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals?
Organic products and fair-trade products are among the rapidly growing "ethical trade" products. This market development trend utilizes certification systems that ensure impartiality in assessment of products produced in developing countries. The growth of ethical consumerism in developed countries has led to increased imports of environmentally and socially certified products produced by the poor in developing countries, which could potentially contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A paper from the ADB Institute found that organic certification substantially contributes to MDG1 (poverty and hunger) and MDG7 (environmental sustainability). Farmers who follow certification requirements stand to be rewarded with substantial improvements in farming systems, premium prices, and better market access. In addition, by eliminating the risk of exposure to toxic agrochemicals, fair trade farming directly contributes to health-related MDGs. |
Effectiveness of Public Spending: The Case of Rice Subsidies in the Philippines
In response to the spike in rice prices in 2008, the rice subsidy program budget for the Philippines's National Food Authority (NFA) was expanded five-fold to 2.5%of gross domestic product. Those buying NFA rice in cities buy more than their rural counterparts, and despite all citizens being eligible, only 16% of them avail of the program. The program does not act as a safety net against unemployment, as much as for consumption support. It can better reach the poor if its inclusion and exclusion errors are reduced; its access and availability to the poor improved; and the quality of governance bolstered. |
Preventing the Trafficking of Women and Children and Promoting Safe Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion
The Greater Mekong Subregion has traditionally been an area of high migration, within its countries and across borders. Poor women and children suffer most from trafficking. In response to this, an ADB technical assistance (TA) was designed to address the impact of major highways and tourisms development on human trafficking, and recommend ways of improving subregional cooperation in the field. The successful TA produced reference material for project officers designing and administering infrastructure projects in the region. |
Defining an Agenda for Poverty Reduction
After the approval of its new Poverty Reduction Strategy in 1999, ADB organized its first Poverty Reduction Forum. The conference proceedings are summarized in a two volume book. The books cover a wide range of poverty issues for Asia and the Pacific, such as on poverty strategies, macroeconomics and trade, promoting good governance, role of civil society and the private sector, priority social development policies, poverty measurements, targeted poverty reduction efforts, and country studies. The second volume discusses issues on social protection. |
Top
TOOLS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Civil Society Organizations Sourcebook: A Staff Guide to Cooperation with Civil Society Organizations
An ADB regional technical assistance (RETA) project supported central and local governments in the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Malaysia and India in developing toolkits for improved public services provision and combating corruption. The toolkits and citizen report cards were applied in solid waste, health and education projects, and are now used in various training centers in the region for government officials. The RETA was rated as highly successful.
Economic Analysis in ADB Operations
This evaluation report aims to promote the use of rigorous economic analysis by ADB staff in formulating country partnership strategies and designing projects to ensure quality-at-entry and achieve greater aid effectiveness. According to the study, 61% of all 2006-2007 approved projects have economic analyses that could be considered as generally satisfactory, and 39% partially satisfactory or below. Improvements are suggested for (a) the agriculture and natural resources sector projects' demand, alternatives, and sustainability analyses; (b) the transport sector projects, where the articulation of economic rationale and alternatives analysis have the greatest scope for improvement; (c) the water and sanitation sector, where the articulation of economic rationale and demand analysis are the weakest; and (d) demand analysis in the energy sector project. The report does not specifically suggest poverty impact analysis.
Top
To Change E-Mail Address or Unsubscribe To change your e-mail address, simply unsubscribe your old e-mail address and send a blank e-mail to: Poverty-matters-request@intraweb.adb.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line. To unsubscribe, follow this link or send a blank e-mail to: Poverty-matters-request@intraweb.adb.org with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.
|
Sectors and Themes 
RSS Feeds
