The Asia-Pacific Region has the largest concentration of poor in the world. More than 800 million people here live in absolute poverty.
Poverty alleviation is seen as a key objective of the development plans of the region's governments.
The Regional Poverty Alleviation Programme for Asia and the Pacific aims to complement regional and national efforts by an integrated set of interventions. It is based on extensive usage of local expertise, community groups and NGOs as well as a sharing of experiences and networking and information dissemination. A Poverty Alleviation Group consisting of representatives from governments, NGOs, research institutions, universities and the private sector will be established to provide substantive advice on the implementation of the Programme. The countries participating in the Programme are Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. A macro analysis country report was prepared for Mongolia by an International Labour Organization consultant.