September 2010: “Paths to 2015: MDG Priorities in Asia and the Pacific” is a report from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that provides an update of the status toward achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Asia and the Pacific.

The paper reveals mixed results across countries in the region and points out that the region may reach 2015 with almost 35 million extra people in extreme income poverty, nearly 900,000 extra children suffering from malnutrition, 1.7 million births not attended by skilled professionals, and 70 million more people without access to improved sanitation. The report highlights the important role of basic infrastructure in achieving MDG targets, by helping 1.9 million people in the region living without basic sanitation, 470 million without safe drinking water, and the quarter of all households without access to electricity.

As a group, the report notes, Pacific Island countries have been successful with indicators related to tuberculosis, protected areas, and the consumption of ozone-depleting substances. But they have been regressing or making no progress in eight MDG indicators and advancing only slowly in another five, those for infant and under-five mortality and access to antenatal care. Papua New Guinea is home to almost 70% of the Pacific Island countries’ population, so estimates for the sub-region inevitably are affected by this country’s performance. Overall, the Pacific Island countries show better progress on gender equality in education and also are moving forward, although slowly, on expanding access to improved sanitation facilities and safe drinking water. However, the report points out that the accuracy of Pacific Island aggregates for many indicators is hampered by a shortage of data.

The report indicates the need to put into action seven drivers to accelerate MDG progress in the coming years in Asia and the Pacific, including strengthening growth by stimulating domestic demand and intra-regional trade; making economic growth more inclusive and sustainable; strengthening social protection, which will minimize the impact of economic crises and natural calamities; reducing persistent gender gaps; ensuring financial inclusion; supporting least developed and structurally disadvantaged countries; and exploiting the potential of regional economic integration.

The report highlights that a shortage of available land in many small island developing States, in particular, is leading to greater density in urban areas, which lack adequate infrastructure. Added to this challenge is the potential adverse impact of climate change on human health, on food security, on coastal infrastructure, and on the livelihoods of communities that depend on natural resources. Such impacts would hinder progress toward the MDGs. [The report]