Chapter 16 Technology: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Water and Climate Change: Asian Priorities

Asia is considered one of the fastest developing continents. As per the UNDP Human Development Report (2010), Asian countries like China, Nepal, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and South Korea are among the top 10 fastest growing countries. China, the second highest achiever in the world in terms of HDI improvement since 1970, is the only country on the “Top 10 Movers” list due to income rather than health or education achievements. Significant progress in human development was also found for most of the nine South Asian countries in the trends analysis – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, and Pakistan. Inequality for women remains a major barrier to human development throughout Asia, the 2010 Report shows. The new Gender Inequality Index – which captures gender gaps in reproductive health, empowerment, and workforce participation in 138 countries – shows that six countries of East Asia and the Pacific fall in the lower half on gender inequality, with Papua New Guinea among the bottom 10. Asian Development Bank (ADB)'s Asian Development Outlook (2011) forecasts regional GDP growth of 7.8% in 2011 and 7.7% the following year. The projected growth rates are lower than the 9% posted in 2010 but show that the region continues its firm recovery from the global economic crisis. It needs to be kept in mind that Asia's diversity is based on socioeconomic, demographic, climatic, and cultural characteristics.