MANILA: The global economic downturn could push 21 million people in the Asia-Pacific region into extreme poverty, a UN-led study showed yesterday, urging governments to add social protection measures in their stimulus programs.

"There's been too much focus on just economic growth, and not enough on how that growth is being distributed and what are the other parts of society that need to be developed like health insurance, pension, social protection systems," said Ajay Chhibber, the regional director for the United Nations Development Program.

The study by the UNDP and the Asian Development Bank is aimed at assessing progress in achieving targets set under the 2000 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) program such as poverty eradication and greater access to education.