"Indonesia aims to reduce its unemployment rate to about 5 percent in 2014, from the current figure of 7.87 percent, on the back of good economic prospects, President Yudhoyono said Monday. With strong economic fundamentals, the country has registered high economic growth in the region during the crisis, while the others suffered from strong contraction.

The Southeast Asia's largest economy's exports have started to improve and is predicted to begin to grow at 5 percent next year as the global demands on emerging markets products are predicted to soar along with the global economic recovery. President Yudhoyono said that the government would attempt to boost exports, consumption, technology, and the government spending would be used accurately."

"The ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor has received major boost with India and Japan signing an agreement to set up a project development fund. The corridor would include six mega investment regions of 200 square kilometers each and will run through seven states -- Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Each investment region would have a combination of production units, public utilities, logistics, environmental protection facilities, residential areas, social infrastructure and administrative services. The first phase of the project is likely to be completed by 2012 with an estimated $90 billion to be invested to develop infrastructure in the investment regions."

"Most South Asian economies are recovering from the global financial crisis, and starting to register brisk growth. The recovery has been especially swift in India, the region's biggest and fastest growing economy. As the year draws to a close, the overall mood in India is optimistic. Businesses are planning new investments, consumers are buying new cars and homes, and stock markets are reaching their highest level in a year and a half.

Policy makers in India are expecting the economy to rise by 7.5 to eight percent during the current financial year. That is far higher than forecasters predicted at the start of the year, when the global recession had sharply slowed growth. Economists say India's economic recovery has been faster than expected. They say the world's second fastest growing economy fared better than most others because India's banking sector was unaffected by the credit crisis."

"Viet Nam has brought its malnutrition rate for under-five-year-old children down to 19.9 percent from 38.7 percent over the past 10 years, which health officials hailed as 'remarkable'. But stunting and malnutrition rates for children under five are still high, and obesity and nutrition-related chronic diseases have increased, especially in big cities.

The National Targeted Program on Child Malnutrition Prevention was implemented 10 years ago in all communes and wards nationwide, with intervention measures such as information and communication dissemination, medical staff and nutrition volunteers training and Vitamin A and iron supplement pill provision for children and women, especially pregnant women. More than 10,000 medical staffers and 107,000 nutrition volunteers were involved in the programs."

"Asia should keep interest rates low even as China, Korea and other emerging economies in the region may grow at the fastest pace in three years in 2010, the Asian Development Bank said. Some policy makers in Asia have started raising borrowing costs to contain accelerating inflation. The Reserve Bank of Australia increased borrowing costs a total of 75 basis points at its last three meetings and Vietnam raised its benchmark rate by one percentage point to 8 percent in November.

Confidence in the world economy dipped last month as central banks' actions to withdraw some emergency measures sparked concern about the strength of the recovery. The deleveraging cycle is still in its early years, and if households in developed countries, particularly the US, save more than expected to repair their balance sheets, then weaker consumer demand will delay recovery in these economies."

"Vietnam this year has attracted $21.48 billion in foreign direct investment. Although it was just 30 percent of last year's FDI, it wasn't bad given the economic crisis. The hospitality sector accounted for most of the investment, followed by real estate and processing industries.

Foreign investment inflows, along with overseas remittances, are a key source of foreign exchange helping Vietnam offset its trade deficit. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said last week that Vietnam's economy grew 5.2 percent this year, but economic stability had not been sustained because of the trade deficit and lower foreign reserves following falls in foreign investment, exports and remittances."

"Overseas migration plays an important role in the economic prosperity of individuals as well as of nations -- both for countries of origin and destination. The economic contribution of migration, especially towards poverty reduction, employment generation and women's empowerment is extensive. It is also an effective mechanism of transferring new skills to labor when they migrate to other nations. The importance of migration is gaining new 'heights' under the current socio-economic situation.

Indeed, on return the migrants bring knowledge and skills as well as social capital to their countries. The remittances sent by migrants, not only provide livelihood to their families but the much needed funds for the development policies and programs. Pakistan's labor force is growing by about 2 percent annually. A renewed focus on tapping employment opportunities overseas would be an important factor in not only tackling unemployment and poverty in the country, but also in raising the levels of remittances."

"Bangladesh intends to import gas and electricity from Myanmar as it looks to boost energy supplies to help spur faster economic growth. Bangladesh needs to increase power and gas supplies from sources within and outside the country to spur development, fight poverty and push economic growth beyond a figure of around 6 percent.

Bangladesh now produces up to 3,800 megawatts (MW) of electricity daily, leaving a shortfall of between 1,200 and 1,500 MW, energy officials said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, which took office in January vowing to address these issues, is hopeful of substantially adding power to the national grid over the coming years."

"Indonesia can expect up to $3.57 billion in investment in mining and geothermal energy next year, which would represent an increase by more than 90 percent of realized investment this year, a senior official says. For this year, the government predicted investment in the sector would reach $2.33 billion, but only about 80 percent of that target has been achieved so far.

Next year will be another important year for the country's mining industry as four long awaited implementation regulations to the new mining law are expected to be issued in January. The implementation regulations, covering mining areas, coal and mineral businesses, mining supervision, reclamation and postmining issues, are expected to provide legal certainty and boost investors' confidence in developing the country's mining and geothermal reserves."

"Dalits live in so called 'colonies,' deprived or excluded from adequate housing, healthcare, sanitation, and transport as well as being excluded from participating in public spaces or places of worship. Dalits often have difficulty accessing schools and hospitals, and approximately 96% are illiterate. They are expected to take on the dirtiest and and lowest paid jobs such as street sweeping, collecting waste, etc. In a country where 84% of its 137 million people live on less than $2 a day, Dalit women, excluded both by caste and gender, are the poorest of the poor.

There are an estimated 5.5 million Dalits (formerly known as 'untouchables') living in Bangladesh. Many of them were brought over during the British colonial period to perform menial work. Today they continue to suffer from discrimination and abuse by virtue of their caste. In the face of entrenched oppression and extreme poverty, a small but powerful group of Dalit women have found the courage and strength to organise their communities and to demand change, founding the Dalit Women's Forum."

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