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Countries
Asia
In recent years the young and dynamic population of many Asian countries has been driving forward economic development. The gradual opening of markets is leading to strong growth in trade among the Asian countries themselves, and international competitiveness too is growing. After years of high average growth of seven per cent, the economic crisis of 2009 hit Asia hard. The fall-off in demand in industrialised countries has had a major impact on the countries in the region. The Asian Development Bank estimates that the economic crisis will force more than 60 million people in Asia below the poverty line, or prevent them rising above it.
Attaining the Millennium Development Goals, in particular MDG 1 (reducing by half the proportion of poor people by 2015), depends in large measure on Asia's development. The United Nations MDG Report 2009 indicates that poverty rates in East Asia have dropped substantially. Thanks in particular to China's robust economic growth, 475 million people have managed to climb out of extreme poverty. Overall, however more than 700 million people on the continent still live in absolute poverty; that is about two-thirds of the absolute poor worldwide.
Numerous internal conflicts, for example in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, are jeopardising development in the countries concerned and affecting stability throughout the region. This situation is compounded by the natural disasters which strike the continent at frequent intervals.
The full spectrum of government systems can be found in Asia, from the world's largest democracy in India, to totalitarian regimes in North Korea and Myanmar. Many Asian countries see human rights violations, some massive. Women and ethnic minorities suffer worst. Moreover, many governments fail to provide the necessary public services. Corruption is widespread and many administrative structures are outdated.
Asia's population is expanding at an average rate of 1.2 per cent per annum. According to the 2009 figures of the German Foundation for World Population (DSW), 4.12 billion people currently call Asia their home. That is more than 60 per cent of the total population of the world.
Asia's environmental problems are increasing on account of demographic and economic growth. Every year logging (often illegal) destroys huge tracts of forest. Many poor people from rural regions leave for the towns and cities to find work, causing problems in major urban conurbations in particular, where groundwater levels have dropped on account of high water consumption. Drinking water is being contaminated by raw sewage and the illegal dumping of solid waste. In South Asia alone 580 people have no access to proper sanitation.
The demand for energy is rising across the region. Securing energy supplies, not least for the poor, will be a key determinant of the continent's economic and social development. The large Asian countries are already contributing substantially to climate change. Whether or not this phenomenon can be halted will depend in no small way on them.
Germany's cooperation with Asian countries
No other region of the world displays such a wide spectrum of development status as Asia. Differentiating cooperation with partner countries to take this into account will continue to be a special challenge in future.
German efforts in Asia are closely coordinated with the activities of other donors. The needs of the partner countries, Germany's special areas of competence and the division of labour among donors determine the priority areas of German cooperation with Asian countries:
Where official development assistance (ODA) has been discontinued or is not possible, such as Myanmar and North Korea, Germany supports the work of German non-governmental development organisations.
The Asia strategy developed by the BMZ aims to create a framework of reference for political dialogue with the partner countries and other donors. It forms the basis for country strategy papers and priority area strategy papers.
The promotion of regional cooperation in Asia is a particular concern of German development policy. Trans-national and similar problems are to be resolved jointly by the Asian states. Regional associations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are to be consolidated. This fosters not only economic development but helps achieve political stability in the region.
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See also
- Country profile Afghanistan
- Country profile Bangladesh
- Country profile Cambodia
- Country profile China
- Country profile India
- Country profile Indonesia
- Country profile Kyrgyzstan
- Country profile Laos
- Country profile Mongolia
- Country profile Nepal
- Country profile Pakistan
- Country profile Philippines
- Country profile Sri Lanka
- Country profile Timor-Leste
- Country profile Uzbekistan
- Country profile Viet Nam
