Asia-Pacific states pledge to cut poverty

The Jakarta Declaration, presented on Friday by Indonesian Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihad, represents a major step forward in ensuring that all nations of Asia and the Pacific -- especially the poorest -- achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to a message received here yesterday, it requests the special assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Millennium Project for supporting sectoral needs assessments for national governments to achieve the MDGs.

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The commitment represents the culmination of a three-day meeting in which the unique challenges of the region's Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have been brought to the forefront. It further underscores the necessity of increased regional solidarity in trade, health and environmental sustainability.

The declaration calls on the donors to provide enhanced and more predictable financing for aid, while emerging donors of the region, such as the East Asian 'tigers', should strengthen trade, infrastructure development, and investment in poor countries of the region, to fight poverty. For their part, the poorest countries must commit to improved governance.

"We recognise the urgent need for Asia and the Pacific to undertake collective actions, considering that much needs to be done for the next ten years", the declaration states.

On behalf of the region, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will present this roadmap for the United Nations General Assembly at the World Summit 2005 next month.

The meeting also stressed Asia-Pacific region's health and environment crisis and commitment to mobilise cooperation to address them.

Warning that development gains of many countries in the region are threatened by the steady rise of oil prices, the declaration calls for enhanced development of alternative energy sources, efficient energy use and sustainability of supplies.

Given the region's particular vulnerability to natural disasters, the countries also stressed the need for more regional cooperation and the need to speed up establishment of early warning systems for all natural hazards, along with more technology transfer to avert the development of pandemics such as HIV/Aids, avian flu and other communicable diseases.

It appealed for the development of regional health initiatives.