Message from Secretary of State

Message from Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development

Asia 2015

I am delighted to contribute a few thoughts on the future development of Asia to this union virtual forum. Having worked for many years for the union movement and now as Minister for international development in the UK government, I know how important it is to involve people in vigorous debate about the ways in which we can improve the world we live and work in.

Asia is a continent of extremes. With some of the fastest growing and most dynamic economies in the world, the skyscrapers of Mumbai and Shanghai are symbols of an impressive success. But they are not the whole Asian story. Huge inequalities continue to exist across the region. Asia is home to two-thirds of the world's poor. On present trends, no Asian developing country - not even China and India - will achieve all of the Millennium Development Goals that the United Nations set as a target to reduce poverty by 2015.

And yet here's the challenge: with all its dynamism, Asia has a real chance of eliminating absolute poverty in a generation. That's more than 600 million people, currently living on less than a dollar a day, whose lives could be measurably improved by clean water, access to basic healthcare and a host of other services that we in the UK take for granted. But this can only be achieved if governments, civil society organisations, such as private businesses and unions, as well as the international community, act in partnership now.

The role of trade unions is particularly important in helping people to gain their rights and improve their lives. Unions help workers to acquire a voice, and I am particularly encouraged to see the work that is being done to reach out to unorganised workers in the economy.

Economic growth and social progress must advance hand-in-hand if development is to be sustained. Yet, in some Asian countries, the divide between rich and poor is growing.

In March, the UK government's Department for International Development, together with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, hosted Asia 2015: Promoting Growth, Ending Poverty, a major conference of Asian politicians, experts, private sector, civil society and development agencies, focussing on the development challenges facing Asia and to develop ideas on the way forward over next ten years.

The conference highlighted Asian successes, with the aim of sharing experiences of what works. It focused on the damage done by excluding groups from society through discrimination on grounds of gender, caste, religion, ethnicity and disability. It looked at ways to improve governance and deliver services to people more effectively. It considered ways to improve infrastructure and reduce environmental damage. And it recognised that the best way to make progress was to build partnerships between Asian governments, the private sector and civil society, within the Asian region, and with the international community.

I think there is too little debate about how we can create more and better jobs for poor people. Some argue that globalisation is a race to the bottom. But ask poor people, as I do, where the best prospect for escaping poverty lies and they tell you it is through employment, self-employment or business - 'a good job'. It is through decent work, equipping people with the means to raise their living standards and providing people with the basic necessities of life. If we ignore job creation, and the opportunities it gives poor people to contribute economically, or the institutions which enable poor people to have a voice, then developing countries' economic success will be short-lived. And that's in no-one's interest.

Poor women and men want to benefit from growth today: growing economically now and reducing poverty later will not work. And we know that growth must be environmentally sound - growing now and cleaning up later will not work, either.

The debate on Asia's future is not just for Asians to have; it affects everyone. You may be interested to know that in the UK the population is divided on how economic development in Asia will affect them in the future. According to a recent survey, 29 per cent of adults believe that Asia's economic development will have a positive impact on their day to day life. Yet 28 per cent believe the opposite, thinking that it will have a negative effect. N ewspapers are full of articles about Asia's economic dynamism and dire warnings about the threat posed to jobs in the UK.

That's why we in the UK have a stake in Asia succeeding just as much as Asians have a stake in the international community accommodating Asia's emerging economic dynamism. As representative bodies, trade unions should be shaping the future of Asia, helping to improve working conditions, promote international labour standards and boost skills. These are the building blocks of development and of the fight against poverty, and if we work together then we have a much better chance of making progress.

Hilary Benn

Secretary of State for International Development

See the conference website www.asia2015conference.org for a full conference report, carrying key messages from the range of discussions and sessions and the chairs' conclusions.