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Contextualizing transformation of healthcare sector in Asia-Pacific in the post-COVID-19 era
Get PDFThe paper lays out a broad framework to reimagine healthcare systems using the digital technologies as one of the core pillars in the Asia-pacific countries. It argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed serious flaws in the design of traditional healthcare systems in both advanced and developing countries of the Asia Pacific. The experiences of the past two years with COVID-19 have proven that any highly infectious disease which make many people sick, will quickly overrun hospitals and lead to the collapse of the health system and economic ruin. Thus, it is clear that the healthcare systems in their present conditions are not able to withstand the pandemic. However, COVID-19 has also triggered a great pivot towards the use of digital technologies, AI, and big data in health industries across the Asia-Pacific region. The emergence such digital innovations have enabled policymakers and innovators to imagine the era of the “hybridtact” healthcare industry, where the traditional “contact” hospital and healthcare systems are “married” with digital and online systems (untact healthcare) to revolutionize how bio-health and healthcare services are delivered to millions of users. This paper lays out a strategic framework for stakeholders in healthcare, and highlights some of the key issues to consider in implementing hybridtact healthcare
Draft decisions. Seventeenth Session of the SPECA Governing Council
No full textThe Governing Council of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) will hold its 17th session on 18 November 2022 as hybrid session with in-person and online participation. Under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan, seven SPECA participating countries, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will discuss the outcomes of 2022 SPECA Economic Forum and adopt its conclusions and recommendations
Annotated provisional agenda. Seventeenth Session of the SPECA Governing Council
No full textThe Governing Council of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) will hold its 17th session on 18 November 2022 as hybrid session with in-person and online participation. Under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan, seven SPECA participating countries, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will discuss the outcomes of 2022 SPECA Economic Forum and adopt its conclusions and recommendations
Draft Almaty Declaration. 2022 SPECA Economic Forum, “Greener and Safer Future”, and Seventeenth Session of the SPECA Governing Council
No full textThe Governing Council of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) will hold its 17th session on 18 November 2022 as hybrid session with in-person and online participation. Under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan, seven SPECA participating countries, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will discuss the outcomes of 2022 SPECA Economic Forum and adopt its conclusions and recommendations
Report. Third Session of the SPECA Working Group on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development
No full textThe third session of the SPECA Working Group on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development (WG on ITSD) was jointly organized by ESCAP and UNECE, in hybrid format (in Almaty, Kazakhstan and online through Zoom), and chaired by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on 20 July 2022. Delegations and experts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the session, along with representatives of the ESCAP and UNECE secretariats. Representatives from other international and regional organizations, as well as business and academia, also participated
Ocean accounts Samoa : a study on sustainable tourism, the environment and the ocean
No full textThis brief summarizes activities and results of ocean accounting pilot in Samoa. The objective of this pilot was to develop tourism satellite accounts as a step towards assessing the full economic impact of tourism. The pilot looked at the linkages between the tourism satellite accounts and National Accounts, and the linkages to Water and Energy Accounts. This information helps policy makers and planners to consider the broader impacts and trade-offs of different policies thus, facilitating the sustainable planning and development of the tourism industry. An extension to the initial pilot focuses on land-based pollution and the link between waste generated by tourism and the impact on the ocean.Click here to read
additional ocean accounting pilots were conducted in Thailand, Viet Nam, Beihai, Guangxi, China, and Straits of Malacca
Understanding universal social protection
Get PDFThis is the ninth in a series of primers developed to support policymakers and practitioners in Asia and the Pacific in their efforts to strengthen social protection. The primer clarifies understanding around universality in social protection, what it entails and how it can be operationalised.
The first primer in this series explores why social protection is needed; the second explains how to design inclusive and robust social protection systems and focuses on tax-financed income security; the third focuses on its effective implementation; the fourth discusses options for financing; the fifth highlights key concepts and schemes required for disability-inclusive social protection; the sixth illustrates how the design of social protection systems can either exacerbate or mitigate the disadvantage women; the seventh highlights key design elements in developing an inclusive and comprehensive old age pension system; and the eighth outlines key strategies to ensure the right to maternity leave and maternity cash benefits.</p
Ocean accounts Malaysia : a study on the sustainability of fisheries of the Straits of Malacca
No full textThis brief summarizes activities and results of ocean accounting pilot in the Straits of Malacca. Due to the availability of data, the pilot focused on the sustainability of fisheries in the Straits of Malacca, and the effect of atmospheric and climatic phenomenon on fisheries.Click here to read
additional ocean accounting pilots were conducted in Thailand, Viet Nam, Beihai, Guangxi, China, and Samoa
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises' access to finance in Cambodia
Get PDFThis series presents the Framework along with national studies that were prepared following its guidelines. Each national study is expected to contribute, through policy analyses and recommendations, to policy discussions on how to improve access to finance by MSMEs. The preparation of national studies based on a common framework is also expected to facilitate comparisons across countries to share experiences, identify good practices, and understand common challenges.
This report was commissioned by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and was prepared by Sopheara Ek, Managing Partner at Business and Development Trusted Solutions (BDtruS), a business consultancy based in Phnom Penh.
The study was guided by ESCAP’s Framework for Country Studies on MSMEs Access to Finance in Asia and the Pacific, MSME Financing Series No. 1, Bangkok: United Nations, 2020. The analysis focused on three key aspects of financial access: the enabling environment, demand and supply perspectives, and priority activities to enhance the functioning and establishment of a vibrant financial ecosystem that offers MSMEs diverse pathways to funding. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to select financial institutions and MSMEs to interview. Consultations were conducted with 46 organizations, including government agencies, financial institutions (FIs), business membership associations, investment firms, FinTech firms, an angel investor network, the Credit Bureau of Cambodia (CBC), a business development service provider, and selected MSMEs. Primary and secondary data was first collected between mid-October and the end of December 2018 in Phnom Penh and information was updated based on the secondary data collected between November and December 2020