Abstract

This report assesses the state of progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and then considers how the international community can embark on a post-2015 development agenda and do so in an inclusive way that extends the benefits of development to the most marginalized groups and regions.

For this purpose, the report zeroes in on three key issues. The first is technology. In an era where much economic growth is impelled by rapid technological change, how can Asia and the Pacific ensure that these new technologies drive human development not just for a fortunate few, but for everyone? It argues that the priority is not so much to “transfer” technologies from developed to developing economies but to identify and disseminate the most productive technologies, some of which may be found on our own doorsteps.

The second issue is finance. Achieving these new ambitions will require political commitment, but also significant financial resources. In the past, the necessary investment in developing countries might have come largely from the public purse. But today, the financing landscape has changed – while the strategic initiative needs to be backed by greater public funds, the largest sums are in private hands. In the years ahead sustainable development will need to be financed from a more diverse range of sources − public, private and joint financing options, both domestic and international, recognizing not only the need to move more funds towards financing investments in sustainable development but also to build capacities and mechanisms to help countries attract money from all possible sources. A shared agenda suggests how key constituents can work together to make money work for a development where benefits are not only more equitably shared but will last for generations to come. And such partnerships will look beyond the traditional North-South flows, recognizing that Asia and the Pacific offers major opportunities for South-South cooperation.

The third issue is statistics. The need to monitor the MDGs has already stimulated governments to generate a broader and richer flow of data. The Sustainable Development Goals will be even more demanding. Countries across Asia and the Pacific must find better ways of tracking both old and new priorities − and at a level of detail and disaggregation that reveals the lived experience of the region’s most marginalized people. More important still, however, such statistics should serve as a launching pad for evidencebased policymaking.