The Launch of the Regional MDG II Report - A Future Within Reach: Reshaping institutions in a region of disparities to meet the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific
Statement By
Haruhiko Kuroda
President
Asian Development Bank
13 September 2005
UN Plaza, New York
Ladies and gentlemen, before I turn to the matter at hand, let me first extend, on
behalf of the Asian Development Bank, our deepest sympathy to the victims of the
recent hurricane on the Gulf coast. By all reports, this is a disaster of unprecedented
proportion for the United States. As we know from experience, the full impact of such an event will take many months to determine, and the rebuilding many years.
The ties between the Asian and the American people are deep, wide and
timeless, as demonstrated by the country’s overwhelming response to the Asian
tsunami. It is my personal hope that the world will respond to the US with the same
generosity and compassion in its time of need. To all who have lost their family
members, friends, homes, jobs and more to this terrible tragedy, please know that our
thoughts and prayers are with you.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen: Five years have now elapsed since the
adoption of the Millennium Declaration. While there has been progress, much still
remains to be done, including in the Asia-Pacific region. Provided efforts are
considerably intensified, the MDGs can be fully achieved. And this must be done to
ensure a decent life for all.
Beginning tomorrow, a very important stock-taking exercise will assess the
world’s progress to date, and chart out the work still remaining. We look forward to the outcomes of the UN General Assembly Summit and to seeing a clear road map for the
10 years ahead.
The Report that we are launching here today is our regional contribution to this
international stock-taking exercise. The Report is an important landmark in the regional partnership forged between UNDP, UNESCAP and ADB to help countries achieve the
MDGs. It focuses attention on the significant challenges that still remain in Asia and the Pacific.
The world will significantly fall short of meeting the MDGs if they are not achieved
in our region. The scale of deprivation in Asia and the Pacific is daunting. The region is home to 2/3 of the world’s poor. It is home to more people without adequate nutrition, more living in slum conditions, and more without access to water and sanitation than any other region of the world. While the region’s accomplishments in reducing income poverty are now well recognized and we are set to achieve the income poverty goal, an immense task still lies ahead. In particular, the Report highlights major shortfalls in nutrition, infant and child mortality, primary schooling, water supply and maternal mortality.
The Report indicates that the region can do much through its own efforts. Its
special focus on reshaping institutions for service delivery and in the regional
cooperation context is particularly important.
For instance, to ensure that basic services reach all poor people, more than
resources will be needed for the massive scaling up of efforts required to achieve the
Goals. Attention will also have to be paid, as pointed out in the Report, to creating
institutions that increase the range of service providers, permit greater access to
services by the poor, empower users of services, and expand the reach of public
services through decentralization and improved local governance.
The economic integration of the Asia and Pacific region is an imperative for its
sustained growth and development. In this, reshaping institutions must play a critical
role. Reforming capital and financial market institutions at the regional level is
necessary, for example, to translate the region’s huge foreign exchange reserves into
badly needed investments in physical and social infrastructure. Increased openness to
trade and investments has been a major factor in the region’s growth. Fostering more
intraregional trade and investments through regional agreements in these areas can
increase mutual benefits many times over.
Regional cooperation efforts must also be expanded to social, environmental and
other areas, where new challenges have arisen. Some of these relate directly to the
MDGs. For example, communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, SARS and influenza
have emerged as major threats to the region, calling for greater cooperative efforts to
address them. Environmental degradation and pollution is an unfortunate byproduct of
the region’s rapid growth, and the report makes suggestions for cooperation for “green”
growth. The Report also highlights the need for a grains security system, efforts to
address labor migration issues and cooperation for improved governance. The
suggestions for institutional change to support resolution of all these issues are
extremely relevant and need to be carefully considered.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for participating in the launch of this Report.
We hope that you will reflect on its messages and help galvanize efforts in your
respective countries and institutions for achieving the MDGs. We stand behind you fully
in this effort.
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