50 children die each day

10,000 children do not reach their fifth birthday

1,100 women die from birth-related problems each year

1.4 million adults cannot read nor write—the majority of these are women

40 per cent of children have less than 8 years of schooling

there are growing inequalities, poverty and human distress

the region’s rainforests will be gone in less than 20 years

massive depletion of reef, lagoon and ocean resources is taking place

the population of the region will double in 20 years, urban populations will reach 43 per cent

an extra 3 million wage-earning jobs will be needed in the next 20 years.