Asia-Pacific should lead Post-2015 Development Agenda: Ban

Asia and the Pacific should play a leading role in driving the post-2015 development agenda, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tells the latest issue of Development Asia.

In an interview, Ban says the region’s strong economic growth and solid track record on achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) like halving the proportion of people in extreme poverty, made Asia and the Pacific 'critical' to the success of the new framework.

“The Asia-Pacific region should continue to lead by setting good practices, fostering partnerships through South-South cooperation, and mobilizing greater private sector engagement,” he added.

Also in this issue, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates explains why better development statistics will be crucial to the success of the new development goals.

“Ultimately, the better the data available in the development field, the higher the quality of people’s lives in poor countries,” writes Gates, who is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In a series of articles, Development Asia assesses the current status and future prospects of the new development agenda and the new set of development goals that will drive it.

The issue also examines new efforts to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030, and shows how Asia’s chronic water deficit could be eased by a sharper focus on water security under the new development framework.