Asia holds promise to achieving MDGs — ADB’s Kuroda

NEW YORK, New York ― Asia and the Pacific, home to three-fifths of humanity and two-thirds of the world’s poor, represented the world’s best hope for achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Asian Development Bank (ADB) president Haruhiko Kuroda said in a statement the bank released Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). “No global effort to achieve the MDGs will succeed unless our region succeeds," Kuroda said in his address to the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly. The president of the Manila-based multilateral development institution is among the world leaders who have convened in New York this week to accelerate progress toward the MDGs. Kuroda noted that the Asia and Pacific region’s performance has been highlighted by both notable successes and disappointing setbacks. “With more than 500 million people having overcome poverty since 1990, the target for reducing extreme income poverty is in sight. The region is also likely to achieve near universal primary school enrolment by 2015, attain gender parity in education, meet the target on access to safe drinking water, and halt the spread of deadly diseases such as TB and HIV," Kuroda said. At the same time, the region is lagging the targets for basic sanitation, infant mortality, maternal health, hunger and environmental improvements, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite formidable obstacles, Kuroda said national governments in the region, working with development partners, can accelerate progress on the MDGs by prioritizing and targeting spending in key areas, such as social protection, access to basic services, and basic infrastructure. He also called for the engagement of the private sector, civil society and communities to help governments augment resources and ensure more efficient service delivery. “The historic Millennium Declaration of 2000 promised a better life to millions of poor in the Asia and Pacific region and across the globe. Our collective action today can make that promise a reality," he said. Kuroda stressed the importance of basic infrastructure in attaining the MDGs. Lack of electricity, all-weather roads and other basic infrastructure limit access to health care and discourage children from completing their education. —ADB