They said the development of human resource should be focused more than that of the present trend of achieving higher economic growth in the Asia-Pacific, South Asia in particular, to attain sustainable development and arrest rural poverty.

“Human resource development should be the top agenda and the economic development should follow it,” Dr Quazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmed, a leading researcher of Bangladesh, said at a policy dialogue, marking the Executive Committee and Governing Council meetings of the Cirdap in the city.

The Center on Integrated Rural Development for the Asia and Pacific (Cirdap) organised the dialogue on Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation at its headquarters to redesign the present course of action to arrest poverty, a menace that keeps 66 percent population below poverty line in 14 Cirdap member states.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, agriculture and rural development ministries from nine countries, secretaries, diplomats and government officials spoke on the occasion.

Dr Ahmed, also president of Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad, said Japanese expenditures for human resource development after the World War-II was highest and it still spends 21 percent of its national budget for educational purposes. As a result, he said, Japan remained one of the top seven developed countries in the world.

Bhuiyan said the national development of any country in the region should be focused on rural areas, where around 70 percent people live. He said the strong local government institutions and local level institutions like cooperatives can play a key role for rapid rural development in the region.

In Malaysia, which is targeting to achieve MDG plus, has alleviated poverty through strong political commitment and adequate resource allocation to rural areas, said an official.