Regional Bureau for Asia & the Pacific (RBAP): Director's Corner

"In the past decade, Asia was able to lift some 300 million people out of extreme poverty. But now, all these gains are under threat from the current crisis. Given that almost 900 million people still live in extreme poverty in Asia - living on less than $1.25 per day - the current turmoil has the potential to become a social disaster and increase political tensions."

Ajay Chhibber assumed the position of Director of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in July 2008. Prior to that, he worked at the World Bank for almost 25 years on a range of development issues, managing its programs in Vietnam, Turkey, Indonesia and the Pacific. He was the lead author of the seminal work on Governance at the World Bank and the 1997 World Development Report on the Role of the State. He has published widely including five books on economic development and many articles in international journals and major newspapers. He has a PhD from Stanford University and a Masters from the Delhi School of Economics. He has also taught economics at Georgetown University and the University of Delhi.