Global financial crisis derails MDG progress in Asia-Pacific region

By MediaGlobal

23 February 2010 [MediaGlobal]: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in conjunction with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asian Development Bank, released a report on 17 February examining the effects that the global financial crisis has had on anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Asia and the Pacific area. The report is the latest in a series examining the issue, and “offers a unique opportunity to redress the information balance [and] to register the impact on the poor and implications for the achievement of the Goals.” The publication also examines new threats to the MDGs and looks at new opportunities to strengthen and protect the goals through fiscal stimulus packages.

There is a growing fear that women and children (such as this mother and child in Northern Thailand) will now be at risk to extreme poverty because of the global economic crisis. (Photo credit: Creative Commons)

The findings contained in the new ESCAP report are very important as any previous data examining the achievement of the MDGs in the region had been gathered prior to the 2008 financial meltdown. The report essentially seeks to make an assessment of the damage the crisis has had on economic growth of the countries in the region. It also details that the Asian-Pacific region is particularly vulnerable to economic setbacks, mainly because it is linked to the global economy through a number of different channels, including “trade, tourism, foreign direct investment, official development assistance and remittances”.

Another reason for this vulnerability is that the Asian-Pacific area has weaker social protection programmes than other areas, such as Eastern Europe, and is described in the report as the “world’s most dynamic region.” Dr Noeleen Heyzer, under-Secretary General of the UN and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, told MediaGlobal: “Despite progress towards the MDGs, large scale deprivations exist in the region: some 1.3 billion rural residents do not have access to basic sanitation, some 98 million children younger than 5 years of age are malnourished, and some 978 million people live below $1.25 a day.”

According to the report, prior to the global economic crisis, the Asian-Pacific region had in fact made significant progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Some countries were found to be early achievers on a number of indicators, such as reducing gender disparities in education and halving the proportion of people without access to clean drinking water. The data in the report encompasses a wide range of issues. For example it was found that Kazakhstan and Tajikistan were making poor progress on child mortality rates, whereas Azerbaijan and Armenia were making good progress on poverty but very poor progress on child malnutrition.

Anastasia Andrzejewski from the Hunger Project, a global organization that works in 13 countries to develop strategies to end hunger and poverty, toldMediaGlobal: “The global economic crisis has indeed had a devastating effect on those living in poverty, particularly women. In our efforts to reverse the growing rates of poverty, as noted in the report, we must focus on building people’s resiliency. The Hunger Project has found that communities can become more resilient to such shocks, when in advance of the crisis, they are mobilized to work together cooperatively, women are empowered as key change agents, and grassroots communities and local governments work together in partnership.”

The report fundamentally stressed the importance of regional co-operation in working towards achieving the MDGs and in providing financial security in the area. Dr.Heyzer told MediaGlobal that, in her view, “The world community must come together and redouble their efforts in achieving the MDGs. Otherwise, the region will miss many targets and MDGs will remain beyond the reach of many countries. Our promise of inclusive and sustainable development will remain as elusive as ever. The crisis has pushed an additional 17 million people into poverty. If the crisis persists, this figure can go up to 21 million.”

Readers can access the ESCAP report by going to http://www.unescap.org.