Asia and Pacific should drive post-2015 growth - Ban Ki-moon

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

Ban said the region's strong economic growth and solid track record on achieving Millennium Development Goals, such as 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 mobilising greater private sector engagement," Ban said.

Also in this issue, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates explained 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," wrote Gates, who is co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In a series of articles, Development Asia assessed 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 examined new efforts to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030, and showed how Asia's chronic water deficit could be eased by a sharper focus on water security under the new development framework.

Development Asia is the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) biannual magazine on human and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.