At the Launch of "A Future Within Reach 2008: Regional Partnerships for the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific"
Speech by
Ursula Schaefer-Preuss
Vice President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development
Asian Development Bank
28 April 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
Introduction
Ms. Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of UNESCAP; Mr. David Lockwood, UNDP Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: I am very pleased to be here today, to participate in the launch of our joint report on the MDGs for the Asia-Pacific region.
A Future Within Reach 2008 is the third report on the region's progress, and a product of our commitment to work together. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate staff in all three organizations who have prepared this report.
Status of MDGs in the Asia-Pacific Region
As the report shows, the region has made considerable progress in recent years. Rapid growth and investment in people has made a tremendous difference in the lives of the poor, and lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. Progress achieved in areas such as primary education, including education for girls, and control of diseases such as tuberculosis, shows that we can succeed with the right set of policies, resources and capacities.
Efforts need to be significantly scaled up, however, as much still remains to be done. Four million children die each year without reaching age five; and a quarter-million women die giving birth. Two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in Asia and the Pacific. HIV, malaria and tuberculosis continue to be major concerns. Many countries are unlikely to achieve gender parity in tertiary education; discrimination and violence against women remain grave problems.
ADB fully supports the report's recommendation that much can still be accomplished by combining and scaling up efforts around a regional road map, with the region's development partners "delivering as one." The coordinated provision of knowledge and capacity building, expertise, advocacy, regional public goods and financial resources is a critical need.
ADB's Future Tasks
The timing of this event could not be more appropriate for ADB. Tonight, I am leaving for Madrid to participate in our Asian Development Fund (ADF)-X Meetings as well as our 41st Annual Meeting. We will discuss there the long-term financing and strategy required to better combat poverty within our region.
The financing gap on the MDGs remains large. We hope that the forthcoming international conference in Doha on financing for development in December 2008 is able to arrive at satisfactory solutions to this very difficult issue. The report indicates, for example, that about $25 billion of additional resources are needed to achieve the MDGs by the group of 29 weaker countries alone that have access to our concessional ADF resources. Moreover, as our recent Asian Development Outlook 2008 observes, due to the current increase in food prices, inflation is accelerating and is likely to hit decade-long highs. This could make our work on meeting the MDGs and reducing poverty and hunger even tougher.
We will also discuss ADB's new Long-Term Strategic Framework (Strategy-2020) at our Annual Meeting in Madrid. While keeping poverty reduction as our overarching goal, we seek more inclusive growth in the region - as poverty reduction can only be sustained if more people are economically productive, and socio-economic growth takes place with better management of the environment. Creating opportunities, in particular by improving education systems at all levels, enlarging access, and providing some level of social protection are critical for the region, which is home to both an aging population and a large group of unemployed young people. In addition, ADB's long term strategy emphasizes sustainable growth through infrastructure development, regional cooperation, and meeting the needs of climate change.
The knowledge and information provided in this report will be useful in tackling these issues. Its call for joint efforts by all development partners is timely. We also recognize that this is essential in our efforts at poverty alleviation and achieving the MDGs.
Conclusions
In conclusion, I am happy that our partnership with UNESCAP and UNDP which has resulted in this important report remains strong and effective and am certain that it will continue so in the future. Meeting the MDGs is both a global and regional challenge, and it is also my hope that with vigorous action at the domestic, regional and international levels, we will find ways to generate the necessary resources to turn the corner on poverty in our time.
Thank you.
News and Events 
Top of page
