Representatives of the UN Development Program presented a report on 12 May detailing advances in the fight against poverty in Kazakhstan. The report is called \"Poverty in Kazakhstan: Causes and Ways to Overcome It.\" It notes that the country\'s growing economy, which created 300,000 new jobs in 2003, is helping to reduce poverty. Even so, 28 percent of the population still lives below the poverty line, and 45 percent are at risk of slipping into poverty, with monthly earnings of just over $70. Vyacheslav Bobkov, who headed the group that authored the study, noted that the country\'s booming energy sector could potentially have a greater effect on living standards than is currently the case. According to the study\'s authors, economic diversification is necessary to increase employment further. (KazInform)