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Pakistan to halve poverty by 2015: Achieving millennium goals
SINGAPORE, Sept 16: Pakistan is all set to achieve the millennium development goals (MDG) by slashing the poverty level by half from above 30 per cent in the year 2000 to 15 per cent by the year 2015. It will pull hundreds of millions of people out of abject poverty and integrate them into the economic mainstream.
The goals will be achieved by sustaining the current high growth rate in an environment of macroeconomic stability and by investing in physical and human infrastructure to a level that suits the country's needs.
Pakistan's representatives Dr Salman Shah, adviser to the prime minister on economic affairs, and Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, adviser to the ministry of finance, made these observations in one of the 10 seminars on the first day programme of seminars 2006 in Singapore.
World Bank directors also heaped large praise for Pakistan's upward economic trajectory and positive returns on the many projects initiated in that country since January 2002 when major programs where resumed following a lull of 10 years. Also stressed upon was the remarkable resilience with which the economy continues to grow and diversify despite the instability caused by the war on terror along its border with Afghanistan and its continuing conflict with neighbooring India.
The seminar on "South Asia ends poverty: How the region with the greatest concentration of poor people can make history" was addressed by a panel of experts and representatives from Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. The vice-president, South Asia region of the World Bank, was chairing and moderating the seminar.
In reply to a question referring to observations made in the UNDP Asia Pacific Human Development Report (APHDR) 2006, ââ¬ÅTrade on Human Terms: Transforming Trade for Human Development in Asia and the Pacificââ¬Â, regarding the growth in South Asia to be predominantly jobless and to the fact that from a food surplus the region is becoming a net importer of food grains, the panellists expressed their reservations.
Wahiduddin Mahmud, professor of economic at the Dhaka University, said he did not know about the report. Dr Ashfaque said over 5.54 million jobs had been created over the last five years in Pakistan.
The focus of the 2006 meetings is on Asia to quite an extent, as it is believed at the World Bank and the IMF that it deserves to have a bigger voice at the fund and the bank because its contribution to the world economy has grown substantially.
"Today Asia is the most vibrant and dynamic region of the world. The simultaneous rise of Pakistan, China and even poverty ridden India is the amazing growth story of this century. It, however, is not an unqualified success, as Asia still faces many challenges and has its shortcomings," observes the bank in one of the reports. But a genuine opportunity exists for some countries, particularly Pakistan, to set itself up as a regional powerhouse and trailing a path apart from the endemic povery of its neigboors, mainly Afghanistan and India, and enter the middle income categorie of developing nations.
The Programme of Seminars (PoS), the organisers believe, is a fitting forum to share this story. This is the reason why "Asia in the world and world in Asia" is chosen to be the theme of the seminars, informed a representative of the committee responsible for the series of seminars.
The Singapore Institute of Policy Studies co-organised the PoS for the 2006 IMF-World Bank annual meetings.
This is the first time in 10 years that PoS is coming back to Asia to have a special focus on Asia and formulating a plan for the future ahead of the economic boom expected to take place in certain Asian markets (Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia) It will also have the advantage of benefit from the input of Asian thought leaders.
In all 37 seminars will take place for which 140 speakers are drawn from all over the world. These include outstanding people from the public sector, civil society, academia, international organisations, media and major financial lenders from Europe and North America.
Ten years ago World Bank President James Wolfenson initiated the PoS as an intellectual forum for an active engagement on issues of common concern and interest. World Bank and IMF current president and managing director Paul Wolfowitz and Rodrigo de Rato convinced of its contribution decided to carry on with this programme and are spearheading the foray into the newer markets of Pakistan and Vietnam.
The organisers describe it as a festival of learning, dialogue and consensus building with the ultimate purpose of building a better and more prosperous world.
SINGAPORE, Sept 16: Pakistan is all set to achieve the millennium development goals (MDG) by slashing the poverty level by half from above 30 per cent in the year 2000 to 15 per cent by the year 2015. It will pull hundreds of millions of people out of abject poverty and integrate them into the economic mainstream.
The goals will be achieved by sustaining the current high growth rate in an environment of macroeconomic stability and by investing in physical and human infrastructure to a level that suits the country's needs.
Pakistan's representatives Dr Salman Shah, adviser to the prime minister on economic affairs, and Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, adviser to the ministry of finance, made these observations in one of the 10 seminars on the first day programme of seminars 2006 in Singapore.
World Bank directors also heaped large praise for Pakistan's upward economic trajectory and positive returns on the many projects initiated in that country since January 2002 when major programs where resumed following a lull of 10 years. Also stressed upon was the remarkable resilience with which the economy continues to grow and diversify despite the instability caused by the war on terror along its border with Afghanistan and its continuing conflict with neighbooring India.
The seminar on "South Asia ends poverty: How the region with the greatest concentration of poor people can make history" was addressed by a panel of experts and representatives from Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. The vice-president, South Asia region of the World Bank, was chairing and moderating the seminar.
In reply to a question referring to observations made in the UNDP Asia Pacific Human Development Report (APHDR) 2006, ââ¬ÅTrade on Human Terms: Transforming Trade for Human Development in Asia and the Pacificââ¬Â, regarding the growth in South Asia to be predominantly jobless and to the fact that from a food surplus the region is becoming a net importer of food grains, the panellists expressed their reservations.
Wahiduddin Mahmud, professor of economic at the Dhaka University, said he did not know about the report. Dr Ashfaque said over 5.54 million jobs had been created over the last five years in Pakistan.
The focus of the 2006 meetings is on Asia to quite an extent, as it is believed at the World Bank and the IMF that it deserves to have a bigger voice at the fund and the bank because its contribution to the world economy has grown substantially.
"Today Asia is the most vibrant and dynamic region of the world. The simultaneous rise of Pakistan, China and even poverty ridden India is the amazing growth story of this century. It, however, is not an unqualified success, as Asia still faces many challenges and has its shortcomings," observes the bank in one of the reports. But a genuine opportunity exists for some countries, particularly Pakistan, to set itself up as a regional powerhouse and trailing a path apart from the endemic povery of its neigboors, mainly Afghanistan and India, and enter the middle income categorie of developing nations.
The Programme of Seminars (PoS), the organisers believe, is a fitting forum to share this story. This is the reason why "Asia in the world and world in Asia" is chosen to be the theme of the seminars, informed a representative of the committee responsible for the series of seminars.
The Singapore Institute of Policy Studies co-organised the PoS for the 2006 IMF-World Bank annual meetings.
This is the first time in 10 years that PoS is coming back to Asia to have a special focus on Asia and formulating a plan for the future ahead of the economic boom expected to take place in certain Asian markets (Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia) It will also have the advantage of benefit from the input of Asian thought leaders.
In all 37 seminars will take place for which 140 speakers are drawn from all over the world. These include outstanding people from the public sector, civil society, academia, international organisations, media and major financial lenders from Europe and North America.
Ten years ago World Bank President James Wolfenson initiated the PoS as an intellectual forum for an active engagement on issues of common concern and interest. World Bank and IMF current president and managing director Paul Wolfowitz and Rodrigo de Rato convinced of its contribution decided to carry on with this programme and are spearheading the foray into the newer markets of Pakistan and Vietnam.
The organisers describe it as a festival of learning, dialogue and consensus building with the ultimate purpose of building a better and more prosperous world.
