Decent jobs, liveable cities, and protection against disasters should become part of a new global blueprint for development that could aim to end poverty by 2030, says a new report co-authored by ADB.

Despite Asia’s rapid growth, vast sections of its population still live in poverty and suffer hunger and other forms of deprivation, which could threaten the sustainability of the region’s growth and its integration, says a new study by ADB and the National University of Singapore.

Asia and the Pacific face a daunting unfinished development agenda when the Millennium Development Goals expire in 2015. The focus in this fast growing region should be on the glaring gaps in its MDG achievements: eradicating extreme poverty and making better progress on human development, especially reducing infant deaths and improving maternal health.

The future prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region is threatened by a deepening divide between rich and poor, according to the latest issue of Development Asia magazine, which examines in a series of articles the causes and consequences of rising inequality, and options for governments to close income gaps.