UN-BOUND WORLD LEADERS TOLD TO PROVIDE MORE AID, TACKLE GENDER DISPARITY

By D. Arul Rajoo
BANGKOK, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- Over 100 heads of state who will be gathering at the High-Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in New York this week, have been asked to seriously strengthen cooperation, increase overseas development aid and provide financial assistance to the world's least developed countries.

In making the call, Dr Noeleen Heyzer, United Nations Under
Secretary-General and the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), urged them to move much faster in
reducing domestic and export subsidies on agriculture in developed
countries.

"It is make-or-break time for getting the MDG targets "on track" for all,
and for ensuring that MDG implementation proceeds in a gender-equitable
way.

"It is time for those world leaders to seriously strengthen cooperation in
order to make a difference that will contribute to achieving the MDGs," she said
here Tuesday.

Heyzer said the gathering was taking place at the halfway point towards the
2015 target date for the achievement of the eight MDGs, adding that in
confronting uneven progress to date, everyone should address the exclusion of
vulnerable communities and segments of the population that have been left
behind.

She said the leaders would review progress towards MDG implementation,
identify gaps in that progress and commit to concrete efforts to bridge those
gaps.

But for these to yield accelerated results and to happen effectively,
Heyzer said it would be essential for them to take a hard look at the
distressing conditions on the ground, citing the Asia-Pacific which has
experienced unparalleled economic growth and helped keep the region on track to
reach MDG targets of reducing extreme poverty by half, and achieving universal
education.

"While this progress is laudable, such achievement is overshadowed by the
uneven progress and disparities glaringly visible between countries in the
region, within countries, and, between their men/boys and women/girls," she
said.

With close to two-thirds of the world's population in the Asia-Pacific
region, the persisting gender-based gaps and related gender inequalities have
widespread ramifications and clear economic and social costs, not only in the
region, but globally.

Heyzer said two-thirds of the estimated global total of 774 million
illiterate adults lived in this region -- which also has the world's highest
female adult illiteracy rate -- while an estimated 65 per cent of employed women
here, or 447 million, were considered to be in vulnerable employment.
"Almost 45 per cent of all maternal deaths in the world occur here, with
South Asia having the second highest maternal mortality ratio in the world. The
list goes on.

"And to make matters worse...with our region being the world's most
disaster-prone, more women than men die as the indirect and direct result of
these natural disasters," she said.

For example, Heyzer said women accounted for approximately 61 per cent of
deaths from the recent Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, and more than 70 per cent of
fatalities from the Indian Ocean tsunami in December, 2004.

She said while these grim facts made for grim reading, the problems had
only been worsened by the region's widespread gender disparities, citing last
year's regional survey produced by the Bangkok-based Unescap that estimated
persistent gender inequality cost the region between US$58 billion and US$77
billion (US$1= RM3.4) annually.

The world, she said, must collectively commit to ensure that everyone was
able to reap the benefits of progress in implementing those eight laudable
commitments.

The MDG goals range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of
HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education.
-- BERNAMA