Poverty betrays decade long growth in S Asia

November 9, 2008

Bangladesh has a long way to go even if MDG achieved, says Human Development report

Bdnews24.com . Dhaka

The education and commerce adviser, Hossain Zillur Rahman, and guests pose with copies of the ‘Human Development in South Asia 2007: A Ten Year Review’ at the launch in a programme in Dhaka on Saturday. — New Age photo

Despite record economic growth in South Asia over the past decade, the total number of people living in poverty has not gone down, said a report published in Dhaka on Saturday.

Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of BRAC, launched the report, ‘Human Development in South Asia: A Ten-Year Review,’ in a ceremony held at the BRAC Centre Auditorium Saturday.

The review marks the 10th anniversary of the first South Asia Human Development Report by the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre in Islamabad.

The report looks at human development achievement and shortfall in the region over the last 10-year period, with particular emphasis on the indicators of economy and education, say its authors.

‘There has been a spectacular increase in economic growth rate of the major economics in South Asia… Poverty has declined in most countries, although rural poverty is still a major issue in some countries,’ it says.

But, the report continues: ‘Despite unprecedented economic growth in South Asia leading to a primary decline in poverty and a higher human development level, the total number of people in poverty has not gone down, and health and education indicators are still areas of concern.’

‘Bangladesh has witnessed consistent economic growth and rapid human development since the 1990s attaining near self-sufficiency in food grains,’ says the report in its country-wise analysis.

‘As a result of economic reforms including trade and market liberalisation, Bangladesh has registered higher growth of per capita GDP over the last 10 years.

‘But high poverty levels, rising income inequality, widespread underemployment and inadequate social sector expenditures pose serious challenges to the achievement of the country’s socio-economic goals,’ say the authors.

‘Bangladesh has a long way to go even if the Millennium Developments Goals are achieved.

‘If Bangladesh is able to halve the population who live in poverty by 2015, still nearly 47 million people would remain poor and more than 22 million people would be living in extreme poverty in 2015,’ says the review.

‘As many in Bangladesh are still poor and food insecure, poverty reduction does not necessarily translate into less hunger and malnutrition.’

The benefits of economic growth have yet to be translated adequately into reduction in poverty and human deprivation throughout the region, the report said.

Over the past one decade, despite some reduction in poverty rate, South Asia’s share in the total number of global poor has increased significantly from 40 per cent in 1993 to 47 per cent in 2004.

Rural poverty has increased in many South Asian countries and income inequality is on the rise, the report said.

Poverty betrays decade long growth in S Asia

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