MDGs in Asia Pacific
Six years have passed since the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration, which gave rise to the Millennium Development Goals. Since then, the countries of Asia and the Pacific have been working hard to achieve these goals. Some have been very successful; others have made less progress.
Many Countries have prepared their own reports on progress towards the MDGs - and there have also been assessments at the global level. To supplement these, UN Economic and Social Comission Asia-Pacific (UNDESCAP), UNDP and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have formed a partnership, capitalizing on their particular areas of expertise, to present a regional picture - analysing the trends in MDG achievement across Asia and the Pacific and exploring the policy implications at both the national and regional levels.
This tripartite initiative by a United Nations regional commission (UNESCAP), a United Nations agency (UNDP) and a regional development bank (ADB) is the first of its kind in the world. It ensures a common voice on the MDGs in the region, helps build a consolidated regional platform and presents a clear plan of action for their achievement.
Lately, the tripartite initiative between UNESCAP, UNDP and ADB led to the holding of the South Asia MDG Forum in Nepal. This Forum was the first of a series of Subregional Forums on MDGs. The outcomes of these Forums will contribute to build a Road Map towards the achievement of the MDGs specifically dedicated to the Asian and Pacific region.
Below is an overview of the progress made in the Asian and Pacific region - goal by goal, and then at the subregional level - towards the achievement of the MDGs as presented in the report A Future Within Reach: Reshaping Institutions in a Region of Disparities to Meet the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific.
Overview of the Progress made in the Asian and Pacific region
Asia and the Pacific is one of the world's most dynamic regions, so it should come as no surprise that the report A Future Within Reach finds this region has made rapid progress towards many of the MDGs. But not all the developing countries in Asia and the Pacific are making sufficient progress; indeed none are currently on track to meet all the goals by 2015.
Goal 1 - Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
On the poverty target, the Asian and Pacific region has made dramatic progress. Between 1990 and 2001 in the 23 countries offering sufficient data (out of a total of 55) the proportion of people living on less than $1 per day fell from 31 to 20 per cent. Asia and the Pacific's overall poverty reduction will inevitably be swayed by the achievements of China and India - and both are well on track, as are 17 other countries. The countries having the most difficulty appear to be Armenia, Bangladesh, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Mongolia.
The second target under this goal is to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. For 27 countries, the proportion of people consuming less than the minimum dietary energy requirement fell between the early 1990s and 2001, but only slightly - from 18.7 to 15.1 per cent. The worst situation is in Tajikistan with 61 per cent of the population hungry, followed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with 36 per cent. Another important indicator is child malnutrition which is disturbingly high in a number of countries: 48 per cent of children are undernourished in Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, for example, and 47 per cent in India.
Goal 2 - Achieve universal primary education
Here progress has been good. Most countries in the region have primary enrolment ratios above 80 per cent, and many above 90 per cent. Of the 33 countries with sufficient data available to estimate a trend, 8 have already achieved the target, and 11 others are on track to do so. However, dropout rates can also be high. In Papua New Guinea, for example, around half of children drop out before grade five and in India, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar more than one third do so.
Another measure of success is the primary completion rate, which for the region as a whole between 1998 and 2001 rose from 89 to 93 per cent - though this gives an over-optimistic picture since the number of graduates is swollen by over-age children.
Goal 3 - Promote gender equality and empower women
Progress on eliminating gender disparity in education has been good, but progress in participation and empowerment needs to be accelerated. The target under this goal focuses on eliminating gender disparity at all levels of education. At the primary level, of the 38 countries or territories with data available, 26 have already achieved the target and 5 are on track to do so. Bangladesh and China have made particularly rapid progress. Of the 5 countries that are regressing, the most serious situations are in Afghanistan, where between 1990 and 1999 the ratio between girls' and boys' primary enrolment fell dramatically, from 0.55 to 0.08, though the situation has probably since improved, and in Pakistan, where the proportion has stalled at 0.74.
At the secondary level the situation also seems positive. Across the region, between 1990 and 2001 the ratio of girls to boys at the secondary level increased from 0.73 to 0.87. Of the 36 countries with relevant data, 25 have already achieved the target, and even countries such as Pakistan and Nepal with very low ratios have been making progress so fast that they are on track. For tertiary education there has also been considerable progress. Of the 27 countries with the necessary data, 15 have already achieved the target, while 5 others are on track; indeed in tertiary education a number of countries have more females than males.
Goal 4 - Reduce child mortality
Here the picture is mixed. The first target is to reduce the under-5 mortality rate by two thirds. For this indicator the 47 countries with data available divide into two halves. Half have already achieved their targets - and all have child mortality rates below 45 per 1,000 live births. The other half, however, are in a very different position: only 4 are on track to meet the target, 14 are off track, making progress too slowly, while 3 are regressing.
In 2003, the largest number of child deaths was in India, 2.3 million, followed by China, 650,000, and Pakistan, 481,000. Of these countries only China has been making sufficient progress; both India and Pakistan are moving too slowly. The most shocking rate, however, is in Afghanistan with 257 deaths per 1,000 live births: one child in four dies before reaching the age of 5. As child mortality rates come down, the majority of deaths take place in the earliest years, months, and even days, of life. Overall therefore, the pattern for infant mortality is similar to that of the under-5 mortality
Goal 5 - Improve maternal health
Here too progress has been far too slow. The target is to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015, but the ratio in the average Asian developing country has only declined from 395 to 342. Even more alarming, of the 42 countries for which data are available, maternal mortality has gone up in 22. Around two thirds of Asian maternal deaths, 164,000, take place in India and Pakistan, both among the regressing countries. The highest maternal mortality rates per 100,000 live births are, however, in Afghanistan (1,900), Nepal (740) and Timor-Leste (660). Each year, across the region around one quarter of a million women die as a result of a normal life cycle event: pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all these deaths could be avoided if mothers had routine obstetric care and access to emergency obstetric care.
Goal 6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
HIV/AIDS is also an area of great concern. The target is to have halted and begun to reverse the spread of the epidemic by 2015. Overall, however, the region is off track: between 2001 and 2003 the prevalence among those aged 15-49 in the average Asian country rose from 0.39 to 0.45 per cent. As of 2004, the Asia-Pacific region has over 9 million people living with HIV/AIDS and each year half a million people die. The highest prevalences among adults aged 15-49 are all in South-East Asia: Cambodia, 2.6 per cent; Thailand, 1.5 per cent; and Myanmar, 1.2 per cent - though the first two of these have already achieved their MDG targets, since they have reduced the prevalence. The highest numbers of infected people, however, are to be found in India and the Russian Federation, where the prevalence is rising. China has kept the prevalence fairly stable, so can be considered "on track".
There are also worries about malaria. Although there are insufficient data to calculate trends, in some countries the disease seems to be making a comeback. The highest prevalences are in the Pacific, notably Solomon Islands, where the disease affects 15 per cent of the population. The largest number of people sick are in Indonesia, with 1.9 million people infected. The largest number of deaths are in India - more than 30,000 each year. The highest death rate, however, is in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Tuberculosis too remains a major concern, though in this case the region is making progress: between 1990 and 2003 the number of people infected declined from 12.8 to 10.3 million and the number of people dying each year fell from 1.1 to 1.0 million. The largest number of people infected in 2003 were in the most populous countries: China, 3.2 million; India, 3.1 million; and Indonesia, 1.5 million. All three are, however, making progress.
Goal 7 - Ensure environmental sustainability
The first target is to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes. Based on their progress in preparing national sustainable development strategies, of the 55 Asia-Pacific developing countries only 5 are early achievers and 10 are on track. This goal also aims to reverse the loss of environmental resources. Here the picture is also mixed: over the period 1990-2000, in the 48 countries reporting data the proportion of land forested increased in 13, remained unchanged in 17 and decreased in 18. The most rapid rates of deforestation have been in Micronesia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Another environmental indicator is carbon dioxide emissions. Between 1990 and 2002, average per capita emissions increased across the region from 2.2 to 2.5 tons. Of the 50 countries for which data are available, 30 are regressing, while 20 have become early achievers as a result of deliberate policy, or like many of the Central Asian countries, because of a reduction in industrial output.
A further important target is to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation. For urban water supplies, of the 40 countries offering data, 31 are early achievers or on track and even those that are regressing, nevertheless, had achieved quite high values. The situation in the rural areas is quite different, with coverage typically 10 to 20 percentage points lower. Nevertheless, here too there has been progress: of the 34 countries with data available, 11 are early achievers and 5 are on track, though 18 are off track, of which 11 are regressing. Access to improved sanitation is also far better in urban than rural areas - 73 against 31 per cent.
Subregions and levels of development
- South and South-West Asia - This is the poorest performing subregion: the only one in which a majority of its countries, 6 out of 10, are off track for more than one third of the indicators. The slow progress here is largely because this region includes 4 of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) - 3 of which are also landlocked and 1 of which is a small island developing State.
- North and Central Asia - This region has a high proportion of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs). Here the countries of greatest concern are Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia. The first two have high and increasing rates of malnutrition. Education standards have also slipped and the virtual collapse of the social sector in some countries has resulted in a general deterioration of health indicators.
- Pacific - The majority of these countries are Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Fewer than half have data for the majority of indicators: none offer any information on poverty or hunger and few on education or gender. Papua New Guinea has more information, which indicates that on most indicators it is off track. Many Pacific countries have problems with water supplies and sanitation.
- South-East Asia - This includes some of the more prosperous countries in the region - along with some of the LDCs so it is no surprise that success in the MDGs largely reflects this division - with Timor-Leste as the least successful and Singapore the most. Like Myanmar, Timor-Leste also has high infant mortality rates, and along with the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam unacceptably high rates of maternal mortality. This subregion also has severe environmental problems: forest coverage is disappearing and carbon dioxide emissions per head are rising rapidly.
- East and North-East Asia - China is on track for - or has already achieved - three quarters of the indicators. Mongolia, however, has struggled with most of the MDGs. For the Democratic People's Republic of Korea it is difficult to assess progress since data are missing on almost half the indicators.
About the Millennium Development Goals
In September 2000 at the Millennium Summit the Member States of the United Nations issued the Millennium Declaration, committing themselves to a series of time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. Most of the targets are to be achieved by 2015. Known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), they represent a framework for achieving human development and broadening its benefits.
Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day
Indicators:
- Proportion of population below $1 (PPP) per day
Proportion of population below $1 per day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.08 a day at 1993 international prices. The one dollar a day poverty line is compared to consumption or income per person and includes consumption from own production and income in kind. This poverty line has fixed purchasing power across countries or areas and is often called an “absolute poverty line” or measure of extreme poverty.
- Poverty gap ratio (incidence multiplied by depth of poverty)
Poverty gap ratio is the mean distance separating the population from the poverty line (with the non-poor being given a distance of zero), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line.
- Share of poorest quintile in national consumption
Share of the poorest quintile in national consumption is the income that accrues to the poorest fifth of the population.
Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Indicators:
- Prevalence of underweight children under-five years of age
Prevalence of (moderately or severely) underweight children is the percentage of children under five years old whose weight for age is less than minus two standard deviations from the median for the international reference population ages 0–59 months. The international reference population was formulated by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) as a reference for the United States and later adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for international use (often referred to as the NCHS/WHO reference population). - Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption
Proportion of the population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption is the percentage of the population whose food intake falls below the minimum level of dietary energy requirements. This is also referred to as the prevalence of under-nourishment, which is the percentage of the population that is undernourished.
For more information on the subject:
 | Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals--Definitions, Rationale, Concepts and Sources The present handbook provides guidance on the definitions, rationale, concepts and sources of data for each of the indicators that are being used to monitor the goals and targets. For more information, please visit the United Nations Statistics Division website |
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Target 3: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
Indicators:
- Net enrolment ratio in primary education
Net primary enrolment ratio is the ratio of the number of children of official school age (as defined by the national education system) who are enrolled in primary school to the total population of children of official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills
along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art and music. - Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5
The proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5, known as the survival rate to grade 5, is the percentage of a cohort of pupils enrolled in grade 1 of the primary level of education in a given school year who are expected to reach grade 5. - Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds
Literacy rate of 15–24 year-olds, or the youth literacy rate, is the percentage of the population
15–24 years old who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on everyday life. The definition of literacy sometimes extends to basic arithmetic and other life skills.
For more information on the subject:
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Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Target 4: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015
Indicators:
9. Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education
Ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education is the ratio of the number of female students enrolled at primary, secondary and tertiary levels in public and private schools to the number of male students.10. Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old
The ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old (literacy gender parity index) is the ratio of the female literacy rate to the male literacy rate for the age group 15-24.11. Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector
The share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector is the share of female workers in the non-agricultural sector expressed as a percentage of total employment in the sector.The non-agricultural sector includes industry and services. Following the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) of All Economic Activities, industry includes mining and quarrying (including oil production), manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas and water. Services includes wholesale and retail trade; restaurants and hotels; transport, storage and communications; financing, insurance, real estate and business services; and community, social and personal services.
Employment refers to people above a certain age who worked or held a job during a reference period. Employment data include both full-time and part-time workers whose remuneration is determined on the basis of hours worked or number of items produced and is independent of profits or expectation of profits.
12. Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament
The proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments is the number of seats held by women expressed as a percentage of all occupied seats.
For more information on the subject:
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Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Target 5: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate
Indicators
13. Under-five mortality rate
The under-five mortality rate is the probability (expressed as a rate per 1,000 live births) of a child born in a specified year dying before reaching the age of five if subject to current age-specific mortality rates.
14. Infant mortality rate
The infant mortality rate is typically defined as the number of infants dying before reaching the age of one year per 1,000 live births in a given year.
15. Proportion of 1 year-old children immunised against measles
The proportion of 1-year-old children immunized against measles is the percentage of children under one year of age who have received at least one dose of measles vaccine.
For more information on the subject:
| | Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals--Definitions, Rationale, Concepts and Sources The present handbook provides guidance on the definitions, rationale, concepts and sources of data for each of the indicators that are being used to monitor the goals and targets. For more information, please visit the United Nations Statistics Division website |
Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Target 6: Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
Indicators
16. Maternal mortality ratio
The maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes) during pregnancy and childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, per 100,000 live births. The 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases makes provision for including late maternal deaths occurring between six weeks and one year after childbirth.17. Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
The proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel is the percentage of deliveries attended by personnel trained to give the necessary supervision, care and advice to women during pregnancy, labour and the post-partum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns. Skilled health personnel include only those who are properly trained and who have appropriate equipment and drugs. Traditional birth attendants, even if they have received a short training course, are not to be included.
For more information on the subject:
| | Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals--Definitions, Rationale, Concepts and Sources The present handbook provides guidance on the definitions, rationale, concepts and sources of data for each of the indicators that are being used to monitor the goals and targets. For more information, please visit the United Nations Statistics Division website |
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
Target 7: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
Indicators
18. HIV prevalence among pregnant women aged 15-24 years
HIV prevalence among 15-24 year-old pregnant women is the percentage of pregnant women ages 15-24 whose blood samples test positive for HIV.
19. Condom use rate of the contraceptive prevalence rate
Condom use rate of the contraceptive prevalence rate is the number of women aged 15-49 years in marital or consensual unions who are practising contraception by using condoms as a proportion of all of women of the same age group in consensual unions who are practising, or whose sexual partners are practising, any form of contraception.
19a. Condom use at last high-risk sex
Condom use at last high-risk sex is the percentage of young people ages 15-24 reporting the use of a condom during sexual intercourse with a non-regular sexual partner in the last 12 months.
19b. Percentage of population aged 15-24 years with comprehensive correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS
Percentage of population aged 15-24 years with comprehensive correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS is the share of women and men aged 15-24 years who correctly identify the two major ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV (using condoms and limiting sex to one faithful, uninfected partner), who reject the two most common local misconceptions about HIV transmission and who know that a healthy-looking person can transmit HIV.
19c. Contraceptive prevalence rate
The contraceptive prevalence rate is the percentage of women who are practising, or whose sexual partners are practising, any form of contraception. It is usually reported for women ages 15-49 in marital or consensual unions.
20. Ratio of school attendance of orphans to school attendance of nonorphans aged 10-14 years
Strictly defined, the number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS is the estimated number of children who have lost their mother, father or both parents to AIDS before age 15. In practice, the impact of the AIDS epidemic on orphans is measured through the ratio of orphans to non-orphans who are in school.
Target 8: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Indicators
21. Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria
Prevalence of malaria is the number of cases of malaria per 100,000 people. Death rates associated with malaria refers to the number of deaths caused by malaria per 100,000 people.
22. Proportion of population in malaria-risk areas using effective malaria prevention and treatment measures
Malaria prevention is measured as the percentage of children ages 0-59 months sleeping under insecticide-treated bednets. Malaria treatment among children is measured as the proportion of children ages 0-59 months who were ill with fever in the two weeks before the survey and who received appropriate antimalarial drugs.
23. Prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis prevalence is the number of cases of tuberculosis per 100,000 people. Death rates associated with tuberculosis refers to the number of deaths caused by tuberculosis per 100,000 people. A tuberculosis case is defined as a patient in whom tuberculosis has been bacteriologically confirmed or diagnosed by a clinician.
24. Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under directly observed treatment short course DOTS (Internationally recommended TB control strategy)
The tuberculosis detection rate is the percentage of estimated new infectious tuberculosis cases detected under the internationally recommended tuberculosis control strategy DOTS. DOTS combines five elements-political commitment, microscopy services, drug supplies, surveillance and monitoring systems and use of highly efficacious regimes-with direct observation of treatment. The cure rate is the percentage of new, registered smear-positive (infectious) cases that were cured or in which a full course of DOTS was completed. A tuberculosis case is defined as a patient in whom tuberculosis has been bateriologically confirmed or diagnosed by a clinician.
For more information on the subject:
| | Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals--Definitions, Rationale, Concepts and Sources The present handbook provides guidance on the definitions, rationale, concepts and sources of data for each of the indicators that are being used to monitor the goals and targets. For more information, please visit the United Nations Statistics Division website |
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Target 9: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources
Indicators
25. Proportion of land area covered by forest
The Proportion of land area covered by forest is the forest areas as a share of total land area, where land area is the total surface area of the country less the area covered by inland waters, such as major rivers and lakes. As defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Global Forest Resources Assessmen, 2000, forest includes both natural forests and forest plantations. It refers to land with an existing or expected tree canopy of more than 10 per cent and an area of more than 0.5 hectare where the trees should be able to reach a minimum height of five metres. Forests are identified by both the presence of trees and the absence of other land uses. Land from which forest has been cleared but that will be reforested in the foreseeable future is included. Excluded are stands of trees established primarily for agricultural production, such as fruit tree plantations.
26. Ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity to surface area
The ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity to surface area is defined as nationally protected area as a percentage of total surface area of a country. The generally accepted IUCN-World Conservation Union definition of a protected area is an area of land or sea dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and of natural and associated cultural resources and managed through legal or other effective means.
27. Energy use (kg oil equivalent) per $1 GDP (PPP)
Energy use (kilogram oil equivalent) per $1 gross domestic product (PPP) is commercial energy use measured in units of oil equivalent per $1 of gross domestic product converted from national currencies using purchasing power parity conversion factors.
28. Carbon dioxide emissions per capita and consumption of ozone-depleting CFCs (ODP tons)
Carbon dioxide emissions per capita is the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a country as a consequence of human (production and consumption) activities, divided by the population of the country. In the global carbon dioxide emission estimates of the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, the calculated country emissions of carbon dioxide include emissions from consumption of solid, liquid and gas fuels; cement production; and gas flaring. National reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which follows the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines, is based on national emission inventories and covers all sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions as well as carbon sinks (such as forests).Consumption of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in ODP (ozone-depleting potential) tons is the sum of the consumption of the weighted tons of the individual substances in the group-metric tons of the individual substance (defined in the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer) multiplied by its ozone-depleting potential. An ozone-depleting substance is any substance containing chlorine or bromine that destroys the stratospheric ozone layer. The stratospheric ozone layer absorbs most of the biologically damaging ultraviolet radiation.
29. Proportion of population using solid fuels
Proportion of population using solid fuels is the proportion of the population that relies on biomass (wood, charcoal, crop residues and dung) and coal as the primary source of domestic energy for cooking and heating.
Target 10: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
Indicators
30. Proportion of population with sustainable access to an improved water source, urban and rural
The proportion of the population with sustainable access to an improved water source, urban and rural, is the percentage of the population who use any of the following types of water supply for drinking: piped water, public tap, borehole or pump, protected well, protected spring or rainwater. Improved water sources do not include vendor-provided water, bottled water, tanker trucks or unprotected wells and springs.
31. Proportion of population with access to improved sanitation, urban and rural
Proportion of the urban and rural population with access to improved sanitation refers to the percentage of the population with access to facilities that hygienically separate human excreta from human, animal and insect contact. Facilities such as sewers or septic tanks, poor-flush latrines and simple pit or ventilated improved pit latrines are assumed to be adequate, provided that they are not public, according to the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund's Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 Report. To be effective, facilities must be correctly constructed and properly maintained.
Target 11: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers
Indicators
32. Proportion of households with access to secure tenure
The proportion of households with access to secure tenure is 1 minus the percentage of the urban population that lives in slums. In the absence of data on number of slum dwellers, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) produces estimates based on a definition of slums as agreed by the Expert Group Meeting on Urban Indicators in 2002. Those indicators will be adjusted, and the definitions of secure tenure and slums will be refined through future consultations with Expert Group Meeting participants and their related networks of professionals.Secure tenure refers to households that own or are purchasing their homes, are renting privately or are in social housing or subtenancy. Households without secure tenure are defined as squatters (whether or not they pay rent), homeless and households with no formal agreement.
UN-HABITAT defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof who lack one or more (in some cities, two or more) of the following conditions: security of tenure, structural quality and durability of dwellings, access to safe water, access to sanitation facilities and sufficient living area.
For more information on the subject:
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Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Target 12: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, nondiscriminatory trading and financial system (Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction both nationally and internationally)
Target 13: Address the special needs of the least developed countries (Includes: tariff and quota free access for the least developed countries' exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous ODA for countries committed to poverty reduction)
Target 14: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States (through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly)
Target 15: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term
Indicators
Some of the indicators listed below are monitored separately for the least developed countries (LDCs), Africa, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.
Official development assistance (ODA)
33. Net ODA, total and to the least developed countries, as percentage of OECD/DAC donors gross national income
Official development assistance comprises grants or loans to developing countries and territories on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC) list of aid recipients that are undertaken by the official sector with promotion of economic development and welfare as the main objective and at concessional financial terms (if a loan, having a grant element of at least 25 per cent). Technical cooperation is included. Grants, loans and credits for military purposes are excluded. Also excluded is aid to more advanced developing and transition countries as determined by DAC.Donors' gross national income (GNI) at market prices is the sum of gross primary incomes receivable by resident institutional units and sectors. GNI at market prices was called gross national product (GNP) in the 1953 System of National Accounts. In contrast to gross domestic product (GDP), GNI is a concept of income (primary income) rather than value added.
The General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Committee for Development Policy, through the Economic and Social Council, decides on the countries to be included in the list of least developed countries (LDCs). As of January 2004, the list included the following countries, by region: Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, the Niger, Rwanda, Saõ Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the Sudan, Togo, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia; Asia and the Pacific: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Yemen; Latin America and the Caribbean: Haiti.
34. Proportion of total bilateral, sector-allocable ODA of OECD/DAC donors to basic social services (basic education, primary health care, nutrition, safe water and sanitation)
Official development assistance comprises grants or loans to developing countries and territories on the OECD Development Assistance Committee list of aid recipients that are undertaken by the official sector with promotion of economic development and welfare as the main objective and at concessional financial terms (if a loan, having a grant element of at least 25 per cent). Technical cooperation is included. Grants, loans and credits for military purposes are excluded. Also excluded is aid to more advanced developing and transition countries as determined by DAC. Bilateral official development assistance is from one country to another. Basic education comprises primary education, basic life skills for youth and adults and early childhood education. Primary health care includes basic health care, basic health infrastructure, basic nutrition, infectious disease control, health education and health personnel development.
35. Proportion of bilateral official development assistance of OECD/DAC donors that is untied
Official development assistance (ODA) comprises grants or loans to developing countries and territories on the OECD Development Assistance Committee list of aid recipients that are undertaken by the official sector with promotion of economic development and welfare as the main objective and at concessional financial terms (if a loan, having a grant element of at least 25 per cent). Technical cooperation is included. Grants, loans and credits for military purposes are excluded. Also excluded is aid to more advanced developing and transition countries as determined by the Committee. Bilateral official development assistance is from one country to another. Untied bilateral official development assistance is assistance from country to country for which the associated goods and services may be fully and freely procured in substantially all countries.
36. ODA received in landlocked developing countries as a proportion of their gross national incomes
Official development assistance comprises grants or loans to developing countries and territories on the OECD Development Assistance Committee list of aid recipients that are undertaken by the official sector with promotion of economic development and welfare as the main objective and at concessional financial terms (if a loan, having a grant element of at least 25 per cent). Technical cooperation is included. Grants, loans and credits for military purposes are excluded. Also excluded is aid to more advanced developing and transition countries as determined by DAC.Recipient countries' gross national income (GNI) at market prices is the sum of gross primary incomes receivable by resident institutional units and sectors. GNI at market prices was called gross national product (GNP) in the 1953 System of National Accounts. In contrast to gross domestic product (GDP), GNI is a concept of income (primary income) rather than value added.
The land-locked developing countries are, by region: Africa: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe; Asia and the Pacific: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan; Europe: The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Moldova (expected from 2003); Latin America and the Caribbean: Bolivia and Paraguay.
37. ODA received in small island developing States as a proportion of their gross national incomes
Official development assistance comprises grants or loans to developing countries and territories on the OECD Development Assistance Committee list of aid recipients that are undertaken by the official sector with promotion of economic development and welfare as the main objective and at concessional financial terms (if a loan, having a grant element of at least 25 per cent). Technical cooperation is included. Grants, loans and credits for military purposes are excluded. Also excluded is aid to more advanced developing and transition countries as determined by DAC. Recipient countries' gross national income at market prices is the sum of gross primary incomes receivable by resident institutional units and sectors. GNI at market prices was called gross national product in the 1953 System of National Accounts. In contrast to gross domestic product, GNI is a concept of income (primary income) rather than value added.The small island developing States are by region: Africa: Cape Verde, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, Saõ Tomé and Principe, and Seychelles; Asia and the Pacific: Bahrain, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu; Europe: Cyprus and Malta; Latin America and the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Market access
38. Proportion of total developed country imports (by value and excluding arms) from developing countries and least developed countries, admitted free of duty
Imports and imported value of goods (merchandise) are goods that add to the stock of material resources of a country by entering its economic territory. Goods simply being transported through a country (goods in transit) or temporarily admitted (except for goods for inward processing) do not add to the stock of material resources of a country and are not included in international merchandise trade statistics. In many cases, a country's economic territory largely coincides with its customs territory, which is the territory in which the customs laws of a country apply in full.Goods admitted free of duties are exports of goods (excluding arms) received from developing countries and admitted without tariffs to developed countries.
There is no established convention for the designation of developed and developing countries or areas in the United Nations system. In common practice, Japan in Asia, Canada and the United States in North America, Australia and New Zealand in Oceania and Europe are considered "developed" regions or areas. In international trade statistics, the Southern African Customs Union is also treated as a developed region, and Israel is treated as a developed country; countries emerging from the former Yugoslavia are treated as developing countries; and countries of eastern Europe and European countries of the former Soviet Union are not included under either developed or developing regions.
The General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Committee for Development Policy, through the Economic and Social Council decides on the countries to be included in the list of least developed countries (LDCs). As of January 2004, the list included the following countries, by region: Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Saõ Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the Sudan, Togo, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia; Asia and the Pacific: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, the Lao People's Democratic Republic., Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Yemen; Latin America and the Caribbean: Haiti.
39. Average tariffs imposed by developed countries on agricultural products and textiles and clothing from developing countries
Average tariffs are the simple average of all applied ad valorem tariffs (tariffs based on the value of the import) applicable to the bilateral imports of developed countries. Agricultural products comprise plant and animal products, including tree crops but excluding timber and fish products. Clothing and textiles include natural and synthetic fibers and fabrics and articles of clothing made from them.
40. Agricultural support estimate for OECD countries as a percentage of their gross domestic product
Agricultural support is the annual monetary value of all gross transfers from taxpayers and consumers, both domestic and foreign (in the form of subsidies arising from policy measures that support agriculture), net of the associated budgetary receipts, regardless of their objectives and impacts on farm production and income, or consumption of farm products.For agricultural products, the total support estimate represents the overall taxpayer and consumer costs of agricultural policies. When expressed as a percentage of GDP, the total support estimate is an indicator of the cost to the economy as a whole.
41. Proportion of ODA provided to help build trade capacity
Official development assistance comprises grants or loans to developing countries and territories on the OECD Development Assistance Committee list of aid recipients that are undertaken by the official sector with promotion of economic development and welfare as the main objective and at concessional financial terms (if a loan, having a grant element of at least 25 per cent). Technical cooperation is included. Grants, loans and credits for military purposes are excluded. Also excluded is aid to more advanced developing and transition countries as determined by DAC.Activities to help build trade capacity enhance the ability of the recipient country
- To formulate and implement a trade development strategy and create an enabling environment for increasing the volume and value-added of exports, diversifying export products and markets and increasing foreign investment to generate jobs and trade
- To stimulate trade by domestic firms and encourage investment in trade-oriented industries
- To participate in the benefit from the institutions, negotiations and processes that shape national trade policy and the rules and practices of international commerce
Those activities are further classified by the First Joint WTO/OECD Report on Trade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building (2002) under two main categories, trade policy and regulations (divided into nineteen subcategories) and trade development (divided into six subcategories).
Debt sustainability
42. Total number of countries that have reached their HIPC decision points and number that have reached their HIPC completion points (cumulative)
The HIPC decision point is the date at which a heavily indebted poor country with an established track record of good performance under adjustment programmes supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank commits to undertake additional reforms and to develop and implement a poverty reduction strategy.The HIPC completion point is the date at which the country successfully completes the key structural reforms agreed at the decision point, including the development and implementation of its poverty reduction strategy. The country then receives the bulk of debt relief under the HIPC Initiative without any further policy conditions.
43. Debt relief committed under HIPC Initiative
Debt relief committed under HIPC Initiative (in United States dollars) as a component of official development assistance has been recorded in different ways over time. Up through 1992, forgiveness of non-official development assistance debt that met the tests of official development assistance was reportable as ODA. During 1990-1992 it remained reportable as part of a country's ODA, but was excluded from the Development Assistance Committee total. Since 1993, forgiveness of debt originally intended for military purposes has been reportable as "other official flows", while forgiveness of other non- ODA loans (mainly export credits) recorded as ODA has been included in both country data and total Committee ODA, as it was until 1989.
44. Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and services
External debt service refers to principal repayments and interest payments made to nonresidents in foreign currency, goods or services. Long-term refers to debt that has an original or extended maturity of more than one year.Exports of goods and services comprise sales, barter or gifts or grants of goods and services from residents to non-residents. Where exports of goods are valued f.o.b., the costs of transportation and insurance up to the border of the exporting country are included in exports of goods. Other transactions involving a mixture of goods and services, such as expenditures by foreign travellers in the domestic market, may all have to be recorded under services in the rest of the world account. Export receipts along with worker remittances received from abroad provide the foreign exchange proceeds for meeting external debt service obligations.
Target 16: In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth
Indicators
45. Unemployment rate of young people aged 15-24 years, each sex and total
Unemployment rate of young people aged 15-24 years is the number of unemployed people ages 15-24 divided by the labour force of the same age group. Unemployed people are all those who are not employed during a specified reference period but are available for work and have taken concrete steps to seek paid employment or selfemployment. In situations where the conventional means of seeking work are of limited relevance, where the labour market is largely unorganized or of limited scope, where labour absorption is temporarily inadequate or where the labour force is largely selfemployed, a relaxed definition of unemployment can be applied, based on only the first two criteria (without work and currently available for work).The labour force consists of those who are employed plus those who are unemployed during the relevant reference period. It is the economically active portion of the population. Employment refers to being engaged in an economic activity during a specified reference period or being temporarily absent from such an activity, while economic activity refers to the production of goods and services for pay or profit or for use by own household.
Target 17: In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries
Indicators
46. Proportion of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis
The proportion of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis is the percentage of the population that has access to a minimum of 20 most essential drugs. Access is defined as having drugs continuously available and affordable at public or private health facilities or drug outlets that are within one hour's walk of the population. Essential drugs are drugs that satisfy the health care needs of the majority of the population. The World Health Organization has developed the Model List of Essential Drugs, which is regularly updated through widespread consultations with member States and other partners. Progress in access to essential medicines is thus the result of combined effort by governments, strategic partners such as United Nations agencies, public-private partnerships, non-governmental organizations and professional associations (WHO Expert Committee on Essential Drugs, November 1999).
Target 18: In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications
Indicators
47. Telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 population
Telephone lines refer to the number of telephone lines connecting subscribers' terminal equipment to the public switched network and that have a dedicated port in the telephone exchange equipment.Cellular subscribers refers to users of cellular telephones who subscribe to an automatic public mobile telephone service that provides access to the public switched telephone network using cellular technology.
48. Personal computers in use per 100 population Internet users per 100 population
Personal computers (PCs) are computers designed to be operated by a single user at a time.
For more information on the subject:
| | Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals--Definitions, Rationale, Concepts and Sources The present handbook provides guidance on the definitions, rationale, concepts and sources of data for each of the indicators that are being used to monitor the goals and targets. For more information, please visit the United Nations Statistics Division website |
Revised MDG Monitoring Framework with New Targets and Indicators
The MDG monitoring framework has been revised as recommended by the Inter-agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators and agreed upon at the recent meeting of UN principals in Torino. In addition to several changes to the indicators, the framework confirms the adoption of four new targets:
- Under Target 1: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people.
- Under Target 6: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health.
- Under Target 7: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it.
- Under Target 9: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.
The complete list of MDG targets and indicators can be located at the Official United Nation Site for MDG Indicators .
Thanks to Guido Schmidt-Traub (MDG Support Team/UNDP) for sharing this information with MDGNet.
Source: MDGNet.
Overview
MDG in Asia and the PacificMDG Fact Sheets
A series of MDG fact sheets for each Asia - Pacific sub-region is being created to provide an overview of the progress towards meeting the 2015 deadline. The fact sheets compare performances of countries within the sub-region, attempt to provide an overview of the latest statistical data and include useful country level case studies. The release of the fact sheets will coincide with each of the sub-regional MDG Forums.
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South Asia MDG Fact Sheets
The South Asia MDG Fact Sheets were released during the South Asia MDG Forum (Kathmandu, 11 – 12 October 2006).
» Dowload all fact sheets in one PDF file (PDF, 789 KB)
East and South-East Asia MDG Fact Sheets
The East and South-East Asia MDG Fact Sheets were released during the East and South-East Asia MDG Forum (Hanoi, 1 – 2 March 2007).
» Dowload all fact sheets in one PDF file (PDF, 914 KB)
North and Central Asia MDG Fact Sheets
The North and Central Asia MDG Fact Sheets are released during the North and Central Asia MDG Forum (Bishkek, 19 – 20 July 2007).
English Version:
» Dowload all fact sheets in one PDF file (PDF, 963 KB)
Russian Version:
» Dowload all fact sheets in one PDF file (PDF, 830 KB)
South Asia MDG Forum
| Kathmandu, Nepal, 11-12 October 2006 | |
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East and South-East Asia MDG Forum
While many East and South-East Asian countries have made tremendous progress in reducing income poverty, the region's less developed countries and economies in transition still face difficult challenges in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Inequalities within some countries have also widened.
Participants at a East and South-East Asia MDG Forum in Hanoi, Viet Nam, have called on governments in the region to do more to 'reach the unreached' by improving educational and health care services. Participants also called for increased efforts to protect the subregion's quickly dwindling forests. The recommendations came at the close of the forum, 1-2 March.
The East and South-East Asian MDG Forum brings together a unique mix of high level government officials, representatives of civil society, and the media to assess progress towards MDGs in the region, and to identify key remaining challenges. Participants are expected to produce an action plan for East and South-East Asia to meet the MDGs by 2015. At the Forum more than 100 participants from 12 countries identified common 'road blocks' to universal primary and secondary education, health care for mothers and children, equal treatment of women, sustainable use of forests, and obtaining the human and financial resources to meet common development goals.
UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su told the Forum that the Action Plan identified key areas where urgent actions are needed, which would be included in developing and refining a regional road map to meeting the MDGs.
Mr. Ayumi Konishi, Asian Development Bank's (ADB) County Director for Viet Nam, told participants that all stakeholders need to redouble their efforts so that the region can achieve all of the MDGs, and that ADB would fully support this effort.
UNDP's Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, David Lockwood, said he was pleased that gender equality was earnestly deliberated in the Forum.
Other points in the Plan of Action include recommendations to improve the quality and availability of teachers, especially in rural and remote areas, to disadvantaged groups such as minorities, child workers and the disabled; improve accessibility of health care facilities in remote and mountainous areas; change traditional/cultural perceptions of women's role in politics, and train women elected officials at the local level to enter national-level politics; consider economic instruments such as fees or taxes to support the sustainable use of forests and water resources; create new and strengthen existing South/South partnerships in the subregion.
The Forum is part of a tripartite MDG initiative by UNESCAP, UNDP and ADB. A South Asia regional forum was held in Nepal in October in 2006; a Central Asia Forum is being planned for later this year.
Press Releases
- UN/ADB Regional Action Plan Calls on Governments to 'Reach the Unreached'
- UN/ADB Open Regional Development Forum with Call to Tackle Inequalities in East, South-East Asia
- East, South-East Asian Nations to Tackle Road Blocks to Development Goals at Forum in Hanoi
Related Documents
- Documents from the East and South-East Asia MDG Forum
- Pictures from the East and South-East Asia MDG Forum
Central Asia to Develop Action Plan to Reach the Millennium Development Goals
UN Regional Forum Takes Place in Kyrgyzstan, 19-20 July
Bangkok (United Nations Information Services) - Despite progress in reducing income poverty and promoting education for girls, Central Asian countries still have one of the highest proportion of population undernourished in Asia and the Pacific. The sub-region is also falling behind in meeting some other Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), such as curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
To enable these countries to address the challenges they face towards achieving the MDGs by the deadline of 2015, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) will bring together around 100 delegates from 13 countries at the North and Central Asia MDG Forum, which will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 19-20 July 2007.
Participants, who include government policy makers, business leaders, representatives of civil society, academics and the media, are expected to develop an action plan to eradicate hunger and meet all the other MDGs in North and Central Asia.
The Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Almaz Atambayev, is expected to inaugurate the meeting.
Other ministers scheduled to attend the meeting include Mr. Ednan Karabaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr Sabyrbek A. Moldokulov, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Fan Xiaojian, Vice Minister and Director of the Leading Group on Poverty, China, and Ms. Lidia Gribenko, Councilor of Minister, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Kazakhstan.
Representative of international development agencies attending the meeting include Mr. Shigeru Mochida, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNESCAP, Mr. Ashrat Malik, Country Director for Kyrgyzstan, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Ms. Kori Udovicki, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
2007 marks the mid-way point between the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by world leaders in 2000 and the 2015 target date to achieve them. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007, released by the United Nation in early July, shows clear progress by the Asian and Pacific region in reducing income poverty and realizing several other MDGs.
North and Central Asia is particularly impressive in reducing the proportion of people living in extreme poverty, i.e. with less than $1 a day. In Kyrgyzstan, for instance, the proportion decreased from 20% to approximately 2% between 1996 and 2003. Significant progress has also been made in this sub-region in the areas of education - particularly in reducing gender gap - and maternal health, although several countries are not expected to meet the goal of reducing maternal mortality.
On the other hand, the CIS countries in Asia have one of the highest proportions of population undernourished in Asia and the Pacific region - 20% compared to 12% in South-Eastern Asia for the period 2001-2003. This sub-region is not expected to achieve the targets of reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis if the prevailing trends persist, despite low and moderate prevalence rates. Moreover, most countries of this sub-region are landlocked and face particular challenges, such as high international transport costs, isolation from world markets and lack of access to information and technology.
The meeting is organized under the auspices of the tripartite initiative between UNESCAP, UNDP, and ADB, which aims to promote the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific. The North and Central Asia MDG Forum is part of a series, with the South Asia forum being held in Katmandu in October 2006, and the East and South-East Asia forum in Hanoi in March 2007.
More information on the tripartite initiative is available at: www.mdgasiapacific.org.
Note to Editors:
You or your representatives are invited to attend the North and Central Asia MDG Forum from 19-20 July 2007 at the "Issyk-Kul" Hotel, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The opening ceremony will begin at 09:00 on 19 July, followed by a press conference scheduled for 10:00am. A closing press conference is scheduled on the 20th July, at 16.30.
For further information please contact:
Antonin Coeur-Bizot
Poverty and Development Division, UNESCAP
Tel: +(66-2) 288-1635
Fax: +(66-2) 288-3007
E-mail: coeur-bizot(at)un.org
Vasilina Brazhko
Communication Officer
UNDP country office, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Tel: +996 (312) 61-12-11
Fax: +996 (312) 61-12-17
E-mail: vasilina.brazhko(at)undp.org
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