Bangkok--Aug 2--UNIS Bangkok
ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES DISCUSSING A ‘MARSHALL PLAN’ FOR ASIA & PACIFIC’S
POOR
WHEN: Wednesday-Friday, August 3-5, 2005
WHERE: Jakarta Convention Center, Indonesia
WHO: President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; Ministers and
representatives from over 40 Asia and the Pacific countries; Special Advisor of the UN Secretary-General Prof. Jeffrey Sachs; Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Mr. Kim Hak-Su; UNDP’s Regional Director and Assistant Secretary-General Dr. Hafiz Pasha; UN Assistant Secretary-General on Economic Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs(UNDESA) Mr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram; Vice Presidents of the Asian Development Bank Mr. Geert Van Den Linden; and UN Special Ambassador for the MDGs Ms. Erna Witoelar, representatives from over 20 international organizations including civil society organizations.
Jakarta, 1 August, 2005- Ministers and representatives from over 40 Asia and Pacific countries, representatives from over 20 regional and
international organizations are gathering this week in Jakarta under the chair of Dr. N Hasan Wirajuda, Indonesia Minister for Foreign Affairs to discuss “a marshal plan” to end poverty in Asia, where more than 700 million poor people live. The Jakarta Declaration and “a regional compact” type of partnership is expected to be outcome of the meeting to be submitted by the region at the World Summit in the United Nations General Assembly in September 2005. Such partnership and cooperation is aimed at encouragingworld leaders to step up their action for more effective development cooperation.
Asia has achieved one of the largest decreases in mass poverty over the past decade. However huge challenges remain in a region where the world’s largest number of people is living in absolute poverty. The situation of Asia’s 14 least developed countries (LDCs), totaling 260 million people, gets overshadowed by the comparative successes of China, India and the “tigers” of East and Southeast Asia.
Last June, the G8 declaration announced a 100 percent cancellation of debt for 18 poor countries, which does not include any countries in the Asia and Pacific region. Included in this group are some of the poorest countries in the world, such as Afghanistan and Timor-Leste.
To ease the plight of Asia’s poor, industrialized countries need to grant duty free and quota free market access and substantially increased
official development assistance, including mobilizing innovative financing and Asian countries need to assure effective use of the resources, transparency and accountability and promotion of good governance.
The recently released UNDP-UNESCAP report Voices of the Least Developed
Countries of Asia and the Pacific, estimates that by tripling official development assistance from 2002 levels of less than $4 billion to approximately $12 billion in 2006, and then to $25.3 billion in 2015, the poorest countries of Asia could actually achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This would mean an estimated 40 million people would have access to safe drinking water in Asia’s poorest countries, the lives of two million children under the age of five would be saved from preventable disease, and five million more children would be enrolled in primary school.
PRESS CONFERENCE:
Friday, August 5 at 1:00 pm at Cendrawasih Room 3&2B, Jakarta Convention Center
Joint press conference attended by: Indonesia Coordinating Minister of
People’s Welfare H.E. Mr. Alwi Shihab;Indonesia Minister of Trade H.E. Ms. Mari Pangestu; Prof. Jeffrey Sachs; Mr. Kim Hak-Su;Mr. Hafiz Pasha; Mr.Jomo Kwame Sundaram; Mr. Geert Van Den Linden; and Ms. Erna Witoelar
SIDE PRESS EVENTS:
Tuesday, August 2 at 8:00-9:30 am at ASEAN Room, Hilton Hotel
Breakfast media gathering on the preparation of the Regional Ministerial Meeting by Ms. Erna Witoelar, UNDP and UN-ESCAP Representatives, and the Organizing Committee (MOFA)
Wednesday, August 3 at 12:30 pm at Summit Room/Kasuari Lounge, JCC
Luncheon briefing on the “Voices of the LDCs in Asia and the Pacific”
report with Mr. Kim Hak-Su and Dr. Hafiz Pasha
Thursday, August 4 at 1:00-2:30 at Merak Room, JCC
Presentation by NAM Center, UN ESCAP and EMPRETEC “Good Practices in
Poverty Alleviation Program”
Thursday, August 4 at 5:45 pm at Merak Room, JCC
Round table discussion on “Gender Equality and the MDGs: Asia Pacific
Experiences” with the State Minister of Women’s Empowerment H.E. Ms. Meutia Hatta, Ms. Erna Witoelar, and Dr. Hafiz Pasha
SESSIONS OPENED TO THE PRESS:
Wednesday, August 3:
9:15-9:30 - Welcoming remarks by the Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Dr.N Hassan Wirajuda
9:30-10:00 - Inaugural speech by the President of Indonesia H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Friday, August 5:
11.30-12.00 — Closing remarks by the Coordinating Minister of People’s
Welfare H.E. Dr. Alwi Shihab
EXHIBITION:
Wednesday-Thursday, August 3-4 whole day at lobby level, in front of
Cendrawasih Room, JCC
Exhibition to show case poverty alleviation efforts participated by 10
organizations
For further information and request for interviews please contact:
Irzani Ratni HP +62 818 08 237 508 or phone (062-21) 381 3453; Ati Chalid
at [email protected] or HP +62 816 145 6666; Elis Nurhayati
at [email protected] HP +62 812 10 50061; or Christelle Chapoy at
[email protected] phone (062-21) 314 1308 ext. 183
To obtain accreditation badges please contact Ministry of Foreign Affairs
with Ms. Irzani Ratni HP +62 818 08 237 508 or phone (062-21) 381 3453 or
email at [email protected] End.