A/HRC/13/48 96. The Special Rapporteur recalls that it is the duty of the Government of Myanmar to expend available resources to address the realization of basic economic, social and cultural rights. The denial of economic, social and cultural rights has had devastating effects in Myanmar, affecting an immense proportion of the population. Serious investment in the public service sector is urgently needed in order to make available affordable and accessible heath care, education, and social security coverage. 97. Infant mortality remains high, with an estimated 1 in 10 births resulting in the death of the infant. More than 25 per cent of the population lacks access to safe drinking water. Approximately half of the malaria deaths in South-East Asia occur in Myanmar. More than 30 per cent of Myanmar’s children are chronically malnourished. The national prevalence of underweight and stunting among children under 5 years is 32 per cent. 98. The Government of Myanmar spends 0.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) on health, and 0.9 per cent of GDP on education, while the military and State-owned enterprises together account for 80 per cent of total State spending. 99. Regional disparities in poverty remain alarming. While the figure for people below the official food poverty line is 10 per cent countrywide, it is 40 per cent in Chin, 21 per cent in northern Shan State, and 20 per cent in eastern Shan State, according to estimates. 100. In Chin State, the evolving food crisis remains of great concern. According to information received, up to 100,000 people in more than 200 villages are in need of food aid, most urgently in the southern townships of Matupi and Paletwa. 101. Scarcity of food is also reported in Northern Rakhine State, Kayin State, North and East Shan State, and the cyclone-affected areas. According to reliable sources, nearly 5 million people are in need of food aid. 102. Myanmar’s earnings from natural gas are recorded at the official exchange rate for the kyat, which overvalues the currency by 150 to 200 times its market value. According to reliable sources, it is estimated that in 2009 the Government of Myanmar earned almost $3 billion in revenues from sales of oil and natural gas. Since 2000, $4.8 billion of $4.83 billion of the Government’s revenues on the Yadana Project appears not to have been included in the national budget. 103. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, during his participation in a forum in Yangon in December 2009 sponsored by the Government and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, noted that revenues from oil and gas provided an opportunity for the Government to “open up a new era if used well”. In fact, the Government of Myanmar is obligated by international treaties to which it is a State party to expend these available resources to the furtherance of the economic, social and cultural rights of the people of Myanmar. The Government’s compliance with the obligation to take appropriate measures is assessed in the light of available resources. Article 4 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states: “With regard to economic, social and cultural rights, States Parties shall undertake such measures to the maximum extent of their available resources and, where needed, within the framework of international co-operation.” 104. With regard to the health sector, the Special Rapporteur notes that the right to health remains an obligation of the Government of Myanmar. Vulnerable groups, including widows and orphans, need special attention and protection as laid down in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 105. An estimated 240,000 people are thought to be living with HIV/AIDS in Myanmar. Among them, 76,000 are in urgent need of antiretroviral treatment, yet less than 20 per cent of them currently have access to it. In 2008, about 25,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses. 18 GE.10-11915