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Asia-Pacific Population and Development Report 2023
Get PDFThe Asia-Pacific Population and Development Report 2023 has been prepared in conjunction with the Seventh Asian and Pacific Population Conference, held in Bangkok and online from 15 to 17 November 2023.
The report brings together the latest evidence on the priority actions of Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development (APMD), with a particular focus on SDG indicators. There are also good practices and lessons learned by member States and civil society organizations, based on responses to the voluntary national Asian and Pacific Population Conference survey and research findings on key population and development issues.
Furthermore, it provides specific forward-looking recommendations to guide the continuing implementation of APMD and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development in Asia and the Pacific.
The report is intended as a resource and guide to support countries in developing future inclusive and sustainable population and development policies.
The report is structured according to the following 11 priority actions identified in APMD:
• Poverty eradication and employment
• Health
• Sexual and reproductive health, services and rights
• Education
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Adolescents and young people
• Ageing
• International migration
• Urbanization and internal migration
• Population and sustainable development
• Data and statistics</p
Transport and communications bulletin for Asia and the Pacific, No. 93 : low carbon transport
No full textThe volume starts off with an Op-Ed by Duan, discussing mobility trends that are shaping Asia-Pacific cities. This piece aims to draw attention to increasing automation, connected capabilities and the decarbonization potential of alternative zero emission fuels in urban transport. The author also discusses the uncertainties and risks that come with the changing landscape in urban mobility and raises topical questions that policy makers can consider for navigating the new transport environment.
The Bulletin continues with three peer reviewed papers. The first article by Park and Jung, presents recent research that lends additional insight to the efforts for transition to Electric Vehicles (EV). The vii Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific No. 93 Low Carbon Transport paper focuses on understanding the physical, functional, and social dimensions of urbanization and considers the interrelationships and impacts of factors surrounding cities. Therefrom, the paper suggests the key factors to be considered in formulating policies meant to incentivize EV adoption and argues that these factors would allow for customized approaches that would be more effective in shifting consumer preferences than fiscal incentives and subsidies alone.
The second article by Chaivongvilan and Sathitkunarat brings up topical questions about climate technologies and how policy priorities can impact technology prioritization. In this connection, the authors draw from the experience of Thailand, namely the initial prioritization of second and third generation biofuels as a viable climate technology in 2012, and the unforeseen implementation barriers that have arisen since then. In particular, the article argues that the rapid advancements in electric vehicle batteries have made electric vehicles more affordable and have extended driving ranges, posing a challenge to biofuels, whose link to low-carbon transport is pathway-specific and whose production is not competitive as compared other technologies. The paper suggests that prioritization of climate technologies should be undertaken once more, in the light of lessons learned, and proposes a methodology for effective Technology Needs Assessments.
The third article by Lee discusses the decarbonization of the shipping sector through the Green Shipping Corridors concept, aimed at establishing zero-emissions shipping routes connecting multiple ports, which has gained prominence in recent years. The paper makes a case that some of the main challenges are how shipping companies can build zero-emission ships and run their fleets at competitive cost levels, as well as how sufficient green energy and fuels for the ships can be produced and deployed on the shipping routes. Against this background, the paper concludes that governance and institutional measures will be key in unlocking the potential of Green Shipping Corridors as a decarbonization pathway for shipping.
The increase of modal share of rail transport as a low carbon mode for freight transport is discussed in an interview with Thailand’s Rail Technology Research and Development Agency, which conducted a practical case study for the transport of rolled steel products. The case study demonstrates the challenges to effective modal shift and multimodal transport and the policy measures needed to reduce the logistics cost of multimodal transport as compared to “road-only” transport.
Finally, this 93rd edition also features an exhibition piece, compiled from a survey undertaken in six countries, to assess the availability of low-carbon transport options for commuters, the public awareness of such options and the incentives for their use. It is hoped that this 2023 edition will provide a well-rounded overview of low carbon transport issues in the region and stimulate innovative thinking and ideas on this topic. For the 93rd issue, the Bulletin focuses on the theme of “Low Carbon Transport”.
Among all the factors directly influencing the capacity of Asia and the Pacific to deliver on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, transport stands out as a continuous challenge and a tremendous opportunity for the transition to economic, social and environmental sustainability. The demand for transport and mobility, as compounded by the emergence and continued development of geographically dispersed supply chains, while already consuming a major part of the region’s natural resources, is continually on the brink of exceeding capacity. Since 2010, the transport sector’s emissions have increased faster than any other end-use sector. It represents the largest energy consuming sector in 40 per cent of countries worldwide, and is the second largest in most of the remaining countries.
Increasing pressures arising from the fact that transport remains a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and a major consumer of fossil fuels, as well as from emerging and potentially disruptive technologies, indicate that traditional thinking around transport policies and actions need to be reassessed. The understanding of how low-carbon transport and energy technologies will evolve is still not well developed, and assessing this gap remains challenging for the transport sector. Climate change and the growing frequency of extreme weather events also increase the vulnerability of transport networks and call for leaps in the quality and reliability of transport connectivity across the region. The adoption of low carbon transport strategies; the development of mass transit systems in cities; the shift to renewable energy sources, including the transition towards electric mobility, as well as prioritizing active mobility are maturing in the region. However, the pace is not fast enough to decarbonize transport by mid-century as committed by many countries.
This year, on 26 November 2023, the United Nations celebrated the inaugural World Sustainable Transport Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in resolution A/RES/77/286. Among others, the resolution invited organizations of the United Nations system to enhance the knowledge of the public on sustainable transport issues. In that spirit, this year’s issue of the Bulletin features the traditional peer-reviewed papers as well as additional content on Low Carbon Transport, such as opinion pieces, interviews and surveys.</p
Pacific perspectives 2023 : advocating the aspirations of Small Islands Developing States
Get PDFPacific Small Island Developing States are going through a unique socio-economic transformation. Shaped by their geographical locations and climate -induced vulnerabilities, development indicators like income per capita disguise their true status. As the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action, or SAMOA Pathway, the current overarching UN framework for guiding global, regional and national development efforts to achieve the development aspirations of SIDS, comes to an end in 2024, Pacific members and associate members of ESCAP are coming together to amplify the Pacific voice in the Fourth International SIDS conference in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024.The Pacific regional preparatory meeting for the 10-year review of the SAMOA Pathway in Nuku’alofa, Tonga from 16 to 18 August 2023, reaffirmed Pacific SIDS as a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique, inherent and particular vulnerabilities, and identified a set of new opportunities. In view of this, Pacific Perspectives 2023: Advocating the aspirations of Small Island Developing States provides another opportunity to highlight some of the key socioeconomic and climate change features of the Pacific, while highlighting several regional and national initiatives that could be scaled up across the region. The publication covers Advance Pacific priorities (Chapter 1); Synergise strategic regional and national approaches (Chapter 2); Harness cooperation potential (Chapter 3) and The Way Forward (Chapter 4).,It hopes that the findings, analyses, regional and national experiences, and policy ideas contained in the publication will help Pacific member States and other stakeholders to effectively enhance the aspirations of Pacific communities</p
Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2023/24 : unleashing digital trade and investment for sustainable development
No full textThe Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) is a biennial publication prepared by the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to provide insights into the impact of recent emerging developments in trade and foreign direct investment on countries’ abilities to meet the challenges of achieving sustainable development.
The theme of APTIR 2023/24 is “Unleashing digital trade and investment for sustainable development.” Prepared in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the report explores the roles of digital trade and investment in guiding the Asia-Pacific region towards sustainable development. It examines digital trade and investment patterns in the region and provides an overview of the digital trade and investment policy environment, viewed through a sustainable development lens. The report also assesses the potential of unilateral policies on trade and investment, as well as the impact of multilateral and regional cooperation, in maximizing the benefits of digital trade and investment while focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Incorporating a quantitative assessment, this study evaluates the role of digital trade in archiving the SDGs and examines the impact of various policy scenarios. Building on this understanding, the report concludes by offering a series of action-oriented policy recommendations, specifically targeting the trade and investment domains, to ensure that digital and investment policies effectively unlock the potential of digital trade and investment for sustainable development.</p
Energy transition pathways for the 2030 Agenda : sustainable energy transition road map for the City of Borongan, the Philippines
Get PDFThe Road Map presents three core scenarios (business as usual, current policy and SDG scenarios) and one ambitious scenario (towards net zero carbon by 2050 scenario) that have been developed using local data, which consider existing energy policies and strategies and reflect on other development plans. The net zero carbon scenario by 2050 offers policymakers a strategic viewpoint on how Borongan could plan for a carbon-free energy pathway in alignment with the global race to achieve zero carbon emissions. These scenarios are expected to enable the city authority to make an informed decision to develop and implement a set of policies to navigate through the sustainable energy transition pathway
Asia-Pacific trade and investment trends brief 2022/2023 : Kyrgyzstan
No full textThis brief covers recent trends and developments in trade and investment. It has been produced as an accompaniment to the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Trends 2022/2023.</p
Advancing SDG7 in Asia and the Pacific : policy briefs in support of the UN High-level political forum 2023
No full textThis document is part of a series of policy briefs compiled by the multistakeholder SDG7 Technical Advisory Group (SDG7 TAG) in support of the review of SDG7 at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) 2023. Convened by UN DESA, the SDG7 TAG is composed of over 40 experts from governments, UN organizations, international organizations and other stakeholders.
Energy is also intertwined with many other SDGs, including poverty reduction, food security, health, education, gender equality and water access. Indeed, energy is linked to two-thirds of the 169 SDG targets, underlining the crucial role it plays in sustainable development. Expanding access to clean energy in line with SDG7, for example, can deliver improved health outcomes, create jobs and reduce poverty and inequality. The latest data shows, however, that despite significant progress, the pace of transition to clean energy is uneven and incremental across the Asia and the Pacific region, highlighting the need for scaled-up technical and financial support. </p
Asia-Pacific trade and investment trends brief 2022/2023 : Hong Kong, China
No full textThis brief covers recent trends and developments in trade and investment. It has been produced as an accompaniment to the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Trends 2022/2023.</p
Quotable quotes from UNESCAP
No full textThe present selection from the speeches, statements and editorials of the Executive Secretary Mr Kim Hak-Su has been compiled by the UN Information Services to provide a useful guide to topics of current concern in the region.</p
Asia-Pacific trade and investment trends brief 2022/2023 : Nepal
No full textThis brief covers recent trends and developments in trade and investment. It has been produced as an accompaniment to the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Trends 2022/2023.</p