OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Asia's remarkable victories in its war on poverty have put the world, except for sub-Saharan Africa, on target to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), designed by a United Nations summit five years ago to reduce extreme poverty and other forms of deprivation by 2015.

The number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen by 130 million worldwide since 1990, even with overall growth of more than 800 million in the developing regions since then, according to The Millennium Development Goals Report 2005, an interim survey launched by Secretary-General Kofi Annan today in New York.

Describing the Secretary-General's report, with its comprehensive charts and graphs, as "user-friendly", Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, José Antonio Ocampo said it was the most authoritative evaluation of progress toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) globally and regionally.

This report would serve as a complement the Secretary-General's report "In Larger Freedom" and also serve as an input to the High-Level Meeting on Financing for Development later this month and the September Summit.

On the issue of hunger, Mr. Ocampo said the picture was that of slow progress throughout the world and a reversal since 1997. Most regions, however, were not on track to meeting the target of halving the number of people suffering from hunger by 2015.

The report mentioned some critical factors, such as conflict and natural disaster that exacerbated poverty and hunger. Overcoming conflict was crucial to overcoming poverty given the fact that the largest proportion of conflict took place in the poorest countries.

On the issue of trade, he said the report pointed out several positive trends, particularly the dynamic growth of trade and the advances made by the middle-income countries in the international trading order.

Contrary to the specific measures taken by industrial countries to allow greater access of the goods of the least developed countries to their markets, a growing proportion of exports from least developed countries were not entering duty free into the developed countries, reflecting not only harmful regulations but also their weak supply capabilities.

The major issues now on the table were the fact that agricultural subsidies in the industrialized world continued to be high, and that major manufactures of interest to developed countries continue to have much higher targets than what was typical in international trade today, Mr. Ocampo said.

Noting that gender cut across the MDGs as a whole, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Thoraya Obaid, said some progress had been made in fighting poverty, promoting the rights of women and improving maternal health. Some success had also been made in combating HIV/AIDS.

An alarm clock of disease, disability and death was ticking, however, and the international community would have to go along way before it could rest. Each minute, each day, nine persons contracted HIV, six persons died of AIDS and one woman died bringing life into the world, she said. The report shows that empowering women is a prerequisite to overcoming hunger, poverty and disease, she said.

Gender equality and reproductive and maternal health free women to pursue opportunities in education and work, giving them the power to make decisions that improve their families, communities and nations. "This helps attain other development goals," said Ms. Obaid.

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