The opportunity, however, is to ensure that access to knowledge runs deep into even the poorest countries. And those who ask why we should be pushing the Internet when there are still so many illiterate people in the world have not seen the tremendous effect that connectivity can have even in the poorest villages for example, through access to basic health information and market prices for agricultural products. At the end of the day, of course, countries themselves must act to make sure that they build capacity and can take full advantage of global integration. And East Asia's rapid recovery from financial crisis is a very good example of what nations and people can do even in adverse circumstances. There is no room for complacency.
Recovery is still uneven across and within countries.
Many people continue to suffer and struggle to escape poverty. And yet, it is a tribute to East Asia that, despite the setback of the last three years, it is at this stage likely to be the only region to meet the International Development Goal of reducing by half the proportion of people in absolute poverty by the year 2015, on top of the region s earlier achievements. The greatest challenge facing us in the new millennium is to make sure that the rapid advances we are witnessing in science, technology, and knowledge are put to the service of all mankind and in particular that they lead to further poverty reduction. We know enough now about how to guide the forces of globalization and steer them in that direction. Our destiny lies in our own hands and not in some arbitrary global forces.