Bangkok, 11 November
2026
Countries meeting this week at the
United Nations in Bangkok will discuss innovative approaches
to tackling the multiple forms of poverty that still plague
more than 1 billion people in Asia and the
Pacific.
The last three decades have shown significant
progress in reducing the number of poor people across the
region, as governments enacted various social schemes to
help people escape poverty, improve their well-being and
withstand economic uncertainties.
Yet, according to
the newly released Social Outlook for Asia and the
Pacific 2026: Eradicating Poverty and Empowering People,
poverty extends beyond a lack of income to include multiple
deprivations in education, health, nutrition, housing and
access to essential services.
Under that criteria,
more than 1.1 billion people lived in poverty across the
region in 2026. Among them, 310 million live in extreme
poverty. An additional 1.2 billion people are not poor but
vulnerable to falling back into poverty. These figures
underscore the scale of the challenge and the need to look
beyond income when measuring people’s
well-being.
“The nature of poverty and vulnerability
is evolving as climate change, demographic change, digital
transformation and recurring economic shocks reshape who is
poor, how people experience deprivation and their exposure
to future risks,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United
Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of
the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP).
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The report was launched on the opening day of
the ninth session of the Committee on Social Development in
Bangkok, where ministers, senior policymakers and civil
society representatives are gathering to explore policy
options for eradicating poverty, expanding social protection
and developing comprehensive care systems to build resilient
societies.
Adapting to economic pressure, ageing
population and climate impacts, countries across Asia and
the Pacific recognize that care systems, universal and
inclusive social protection are strategic investments to
protect people, advance gender equality and support just
transitions.
Examples of effective governments
measures include universal health coverage; targeted
policies and stronger public-private partnerships to create
jobs for persons with disabilities; job training on
renewable energy sources where fossil fuels are expensive
and parental education, improved maternal nutrition and
enhanced newborn healthcare to help reduce child
stunting.
“The region is well positioned to lead
this transformation by strengthening social protection and
health care, aligning employment policies with demographic
realities, expanding skills and labour market
opportunities,” said Alisjahbana.
The Committee is
also expected to review progress, identify gaps and consider
ways to accelerate action on key regional commitments,
including the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing,
the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social
Protection and the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and
Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities
(2023–2032).
