Far from widening the gap between rich and poor, globalization has helped to bring about unprecedented improvements in the living conditions of many of the world's poorest people, International Chamber of Commerce analysts report. An ICC paper quotes new research as showing that "contrary to popular belief, it is precisely during the recent period of increased globalization of the world economy that poverty rates and global income inequality have most diminished." Entitled "New Facts On Globalization, Poverty And Income Distribution," the ICC paper takes the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to task for highlighting failures to reduce world poverty in its annual reports and downplaying improvements. The paper points out that, according to World Bank researchers, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Uganda and Vietnam have all succeeded in sharply reducing poverty over the last decade. The latest UN report on Africa says that since 1970, the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day decreased in 13 African countries. Most African countries achieved economic growth of 3 percent in 2001, although from a very low base. "Global integration is crucial for the recovery of African countries. Globalization must therefore not be seen as a threat to welfare but rather as an opportunity to achieve higher economic growth and rising incomes." The ICC paper says that UNDP's Human Development Report 1999-widely cited by anti-globalization activists-used faulty methodology and took an unduly pessimistic view of recent globalization and its consequences, claiming that the process is concentrating power and marginalizing the poor. ICC goes on to cite Professor Xavier Sala-I-Martin of Columbia University, who has observed that the UNDP report computed its poverty ratios using current exchange rates, ignoring the lower cost of living in developing countries. Once these figures have been adjusted for purchasing power parity, Prof. Sala-I-Martin finds that the poverty ratio of the richest 20 percent to the poorest 20 percent has actually started to diminish over the last two decades. Quoting several different authorities, ICC says their evidence shows that, overall, quality of life has improved in the developing world.