The Asia–Pacific is a highly complex and heterogeneous region of 3.6 billion people. It includes some of the most populous nations as well as tiny island countries, and one of the world’s wealthiest countries as well as 14 of the least developed ones. The region has more than 3,500 different languages. There are democratic and authoritarian governments as well as centrally planned and market-based economies. Some of the world’s richest people are in Asia, but there are also 727 million people who live on less than US$ 1 a day.

In this scenario, every effort to overcome existing conditions of poverty is a hard challenge and must be addressed with specific regard to this heterogeneity. Furthermore, any evaluation of the application of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) must be aware of the uneven results produced: some of these countries have achieved all of the MDGs; others have been less successful and only progressed in particular ways. The main goals applied in the region are: effective provision of universal primary education; health improvements; reductions in child mortality; improvements in water supply and access to sanitation (especially in rural areas); prevention and treatment of major diseases; gender equality; and women’s empowerment (as a basic dimension for healthier families). Despite the common tendency in MDG approaches to focus on reaching those who are more easily reached, this paper argues for far more attention to the more isolated, rural and ethnic communities who tend to be by far the most needy. Furthermore, budget increases in national governments is not enough to create positive impacts, since there are cultural, physical, legal and financial barriers. The poor are not a homogeneous group but, rather, social segments that face a number of specific barriers: informality; a lack of access to legal advice and administrative structures; gender discrimination; the exclusion of disabled people; and HIV/AIDS discrimination.

Good governance implies that governments need to move beyond their traditional roles as basic services providers, towards the inclusion of communities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The government’s most appropriate role should be to provide enabling environments for involving a wide range of providers, but also setting standards and monitoring processes and results. Public–private partnerships combine the state’s public interest and social responsibility with private sector efficiency and responsiveness. Civil society organizations provide services in the absence of state provision, or create alternative ways. Nonetheless, this does not imply that governments must be taken away from their probably most valuable role: that of ensuring universal and just access to basic services.

The four chapters of the report explore the current situation of poverty in the Asia–Pacific region, proposing mechanisms to overcome several barriers. The key is to apply a model of comprehensive governance, one that must be efficient at implementing sustainable and successful basic provision strategies. Within this, the nine basic principles are: inclusiveness and equity; participation; transparency; efficiency; effectiveness; subsidiarity; adherence to the rule of law; accountability; and sustainability.