Moreover, these dramatic growth rates have not been accompanied by commensurate increases in employment opportunities or in investments for human development – crucial opportunities that the region can no longer afford to miss.

Conditional cash transfers, which were pioneered and tried with some success in Latin America, can provide much needed focus on specific MDGs especially those related to education and health. Schemes in which mothers are provided cash incentives to ensure that their children – especially girls – go to school or to ensure that children are inoculated can make a major difference in reaching the MDGs.

Asian countries, with some exceptions, have not used such schemes as widely as in other regions where they have been shown to work especially well in rural areas.

At the UN Development Program, we have seen and helped drive some progress in this region, even in countries that are landlocked and emerging from conflict.

Operating in one of the most challenging security environments in the world and assisted by the UN and other development partners, Afghanistan has rolled out a basic package of health services covering nearly 85 percent of the population, which is reported to have led to a 26 percent drop in under-5 mortality and a 23 percent reduction in infant mortality between 2002 and 2006.

Bhutan, working closely with the UN and other agencies, has already reached the goal of halving the number of people without access to adequate drinking water and sanitation. But as a group more support is needed for these countries, especially landlocked nations, to help them benefit from broader Asian prosperity.

With the current volatility in global markets, the growing crisis of rising food and fuel prices, and the risks posed by climate change, it is the more vulnerable across all countries in the region that are going to be at risk of sudden downturns.

This is going to be one of the largest challenges from now until 2015. In a region where natural disasters and conflict have often inflicted substantial reversals to previous achievements, no gains can be taken for granted.

So while Asia has much to celebrate, there is also much to do. With increasing global pressure threatening to slow things down, now more than ever the important dialogue that is to take place today, must be converted into our most precious international currency – action.

The message is simple: the goals are achievable, but it will take concerted, creative and decisive action from the global community. That is precisely what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is asking for at this high-level meeting from world leaders, to share their concrete plans and next steps to deliver on these commitments.

The author, Ajay Chhibber, is assistant secretary-general, assistant administrator of the United Nations Development Program and director of the UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific

(China Daily September 25,2008)