Turning to Asia
Poverty in Africa gets Bob Geldof, Bono and a whole host of philanthropists, politicians and hairy Irish rockers prattling on about their plight. Today it's Asia's turn.
Here's the key sentence:
As well as being a human rights issue, it also raises fears of social instability.
Absolutely. In Africa, poverty is mainly a moral issue. They don't affect us all that much - they just fight among themselves and die of disease and starvation. Asia is something else. There, poverty is political.
That being said, I do also see the infamous 'hand of history' caressing Tony's shoulder again. He knows that he has only a year or so left in office and with the stigma of the Iraq debacle clinging to him he wants to ensure it's not the only thing he's remembered for.
Perhaps I'm being harsh; perhaps he really means it and should be commended for daring to step where other Western leaders fear to tread. There's certainly self-interest there, for Tony the man, Tony the politician and for Britain as a whole. But even so, something is better than nothing.
See also this editorial in The Guardian by Robin Greenwood of Christian Aid.
I remain suspicious and sceptical about NGOs, particularly religious charities, but he raises a couple of good points:
As the Asian century began, many thought macro-economic growth alone could end the continent's poverty once and for all, but those who still believe this need a reality check.
Asia is home to the majority of the world's population and to most of its poor. Of the planet's 1 billion people who exist on less than $1 (57p) a day, two-thirds live in Asia.
They are not just in fragile states such as Afghanistan, Burma or the freefall economies of former Soviet central Asia. Hundreds of millions still live in poverty despite the fashionable, much-reported success of the region's drivers: China and India.
The myth of a richer Asia is shattered in the slums and villages of these vast countries. Even with double-digit growth rates, the poor are getting poorer.
Precisely. If I forget everything else I saw in China and India, it the gap between rich and poor that will remain with me. Not only is it wrong, but it is dangerous. It needs to be addressed with vigour.
What we in the West do is frequently counterproductive - it is all very well to speak of 'lifting people out of poverty' but the responsibility ultimately lies with government.
Read the BBC article below, or click straight to the conference website.
Asia faces 'major poverty test'
By Jill McGivering
BBC Asia analyst
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told a conference in London that Asia faces major challenges in tackling poverty in the next decade.
He was speaking to delegates at a conference on Asian poverty, organised by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the British government.
He said that by 2015 more than one billion people will be living in desperate poverty in Asia.
Politicians from across Asia are discussing dramatic wealth gaps there.
Many have expressed frustration that the world's focus on alleviating poverty is on Africa, with Asia failing to get the attention it deserves.
To many, Asia is a success story - a region of rapid economic growth and progress.
But, although tens of millions have been lifted out of poverty in recent decades, Asia is still home to two-thirds of the world's poor.The struggle now is to sustain growth whilst also managing greater competition for natural resources and greater pressure on the environment.
"There is remarkable progress to applaud - but none of us here today are under any illusion that major challenges still remain. There are still areas of conflict, instability and engrained poverty," Mr Blair said.
"It is estimated that the number of people living in Asia on US$2 a day will have halved by 2015, but that still leaves over a billion people in dreadful poverty."
One other key question is how to distribute wealth more evenly.
Even within booming economies like India and China, the wealth gap is widening with many millions still mired in poverty, especially in rural areas.
As well as being a human rights issue, it also raises fears of social instability.
Japan's deputy foreign affairs minister, Kiyohiko Toyama, sees this as a pressing concern.
"There are people who are getting richer and richer and the people who remain in poverty for nearly forever and, you know, we have to address this programme of widening disparity inside Asia," Mr Toyama said.
Asian politicians have many reasons to be optimistic, but many also express frustration that in recent years the world's focus has been on helping Africa.
They see this conference as a welcome first step in redressing the balance and claiming attention for Asia's poverty needs too.
