9th International Conference on Asian Economic Development-Toward Sustainable Development Goals: Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Sustainable Growth

Time of event

Day 1: 14:00–16:10 (Tokyo time)
Day 2: 14:00–16:30 (Tokyo time)

Conference Summary

Although remarkable progress has been made in reducing extreme poverty globally, approximately 264 million people are still living below the poverty line. Over 1.1 billion people are also at risk of being pushed back into poverty, with limited social protection and difficulties fulfilling basic needs like access to food, healthcare, education, and water and sanitation.

New threats brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflicts, and food insecurity are increasing economic and social vulnerability in many countries in Asia and the Pacific. Such challenges stand in the way of achieving an end to poverty by 2030, as called for by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They are also prompting renewed poverty elimination efforts, particularly in Asia and the Pacific.

Against this backdrop, ADBI and Chiang Mai University co-hosted a virtual conference on tackling constraints on poverty reduction and inclusive growth. The focus was on sharing country experiences and best practices for generating quality jobs, promoting small and medium-sized enterprise microcredit and financing, improving human capital development, gender equality, and ensuring social protection.

Objectives

• Examine imperatives for achieving the SDG poverty elimination target and inclusive, sustainable growth in Asia and the Pacific
• Better equip policy makers to set priority policies and resource allocation for meeting these goals
• Exchange views and experiences pertaining to eradicating poverty, related challenges and progress, development agendas, and policy opportunities

Participants

• About 50 participants, including government officials from Asian Development Bank member countries and experts from think tanks, universities, and other international organizations

Output

• Greater knowledge and understanding of poverty eradication and sustainable financing needs among government officials and experts
• Enhanced dialogue, networking, and policy cooperation toward achieving poverty reduction and inclusive growth
• Identification of policies for poverty alleviation and improving equality

Partner

Chiang Mai University

Conference Presentations