'If only the poor could eat reports'

'If only the poor could eat reports'

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Asian giant China flaunted its progress in poverty alleviation in
a report that highlighted the "flawless" collaboration between
its government and social elements, self-reliance and coordinated
development programs.

The report, read out by Chinese Minister of State Council
Leading Group, Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, Liu
Jian, said the number of people living in poverty had been
reduced from 250 million to 26.1 million between 1978 and 2004,
with the poverty incidence rate declining from 30 percent to less
than 3 percent.

Indonesia appeared anxious to gain similar recognition. So a
report delivered by Minister of Trade Mari E. Pangestu said her
government had prioritized poverty reduction by ensuring
sustainable natural resources management and promoting the
development of rural areas.

A total of 25 countries conveyed reports on their commitments
to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) meeting here on
Wednesday, the first stage of a three-day Regional Ministerial
Meeting on the MDGs in Asia and Pacific as a preparation for
September's World Summit in New York.

Glowing figures filled the reports, as well as high-octane
confidence and calls for the regional pooling of resources and
cooperation to achieve all of the goals.

"But are the delegations taking this seriously? Report after
report. It's like they are only concerned with figures but not
the root issues. If only the poor could eat reports," Hira
Jhamtani from the Malaysia-based Third World Network (TWN) said.

She said none of the delegations had tried in their reports to
seek the answers to long-standing, yet fundamental, questions,
such as the basic causes of poverty, the chances of creating a
fairer world trading system, or the sustainability of the
progress achieved to date.

Hira argued that goal eight of the MDGs -- developing a global
partnership for development -- would not be dealt with at all
during the conference.

"They say that this goal is just for the developed countries
to ponder. But that's wrong. This goal is in fact the key to
achieving the other seven goals. They don't talk about creating
concrete, equal partnerships among all nations or corporate
responsibility to help preserve the environment," she said.

Roy Cabonegro from the Philippines' Social Watch organization
shared the frustration, saying the issues of poverty and trade
injustice could not be resolved without properly revising the
prevailing development paradigm, which he claimed only benefited
the well-off countries.

There were other questions hanging over the reports, said the
activists, as they mostly depicted the macro conditions in a
country.

Coordinator of the Civil Society Network for the MDGs in
Indonesia, Titik Hartini, said a United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) report showed that countries in the Asia-Pacific
region were doing well with the first three goals, but not with
the next four.

There is no mention at all of goal eight, she added.

"There are questions that are still being left unanswered
despite these macro figures, including the sustainability of the
progress achieved to date. Please note that this report portrays
the macro position. So, if the well-off countries in the region
are not doing well with goals four to seven, what do you think is
happening in the poor ones?" she said. More stories on Page 3