Despite the impressive progress made by Asia-Pacific nations over the past decade in economic growth, 1.5 billion people in the region still live on less than two U.S. dollars a day, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday.
The statement was made as ADB representatives are highlighting the continuing prevalence of poverty in the region during discussions over the replenishment of the Asian Development Fund, an endowment used to provide grants and low-interest loans to some of Asia and the Pacific's poorest nations.
In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has experienced sustained high growth rates, with average economic growth of about6 percent per year. However, despite a rapid decline in poverty rates, around 600 million people in the region are surviving on less than one dollars a day, according to recent estimates of the Asian Development Bank.
Non-income poverty is proving to be persistent, as evidenced by the millions of children who still live in hunger, as well as unacceptably high maternal and child mortality, poor quality education in many countries, and lack of access to adequate water and sanitation, said the multilateral organization.
The region is on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals of halving the number of people who live on less than a dollar a day, a significant accomplishment. However, the Asia-Pacific region is unlikely to meet the goals for reducing non-income poverty in areas such as health, education, and sanitation, the ADB said.
Since 2001, the Asian Development Fund has provided more than 1billion dollars a year for programs that help poor families escape poverty, according to ADB.
Source:Xinhua
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