Asia struggles to meet UN development goals

MANILA - Developing countries in Asia are struggling to meet the UN-set millennium goals although the region is on course to cut extreme poverty, a report released on Monday showed.

The Asian Development Bank said that the region, home to 61 percent of the world's population, is on its way to meeting the extreme poverty goals thanks to rapid economic growth in China and India.

But no single country is on track to achieve all of the goals.

"The income target will be met but the non-income targets, such as those referring to literacy, nutrition, will probably not be met," ADB chief economist Ifzal Ali told Reuters at the launch of the progress report.

The ADB findings reflect the conclusions of a report released by the United Nations in July. At the time, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the world will struggle to meet the targets unless rich countries boost their international aid budgets.

The United nations set the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 with a 2015 deadline. The goals covered areas such as reducing child malnourishment and carbon dioxide emissions, improving sanitation and fighting HIV.

Asia's average poverty rate fell to 17 percent in 2004 from 32 percent in 1990, but South Asia is showing slow progress, the ADB report showed.

About 65 percent of the world's underweight children come and 63 percent of urban dwellers without access to basic sanitation from Asia Pacific.

Slums and child beggars are a familiar sight in many Asian cities, despite rising affluence and glittering skyscrapers.

Ali said corruption was preventing some developing countries from improving the lives of their poorest citizens.

"Fast, effective delivery of public goods and services is a demonstration by a government of its commitment to reach the very neediest. This is to my mind an acid test, and otherwise everything is just rhetoric, nothing is real," Ali said.

Apart from environmental sustainability and poverty reduction, the goals also include promoting gender equality, reducing hunger and child mortality, and promoting literacy.

The report showed that many of the less developed economies particularly in south, southwest and southeast Asia need help to plug some of their development gaps.