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Tapping into administrative data in census-taking : an emerging trend in Asia and the Pacific
No full textAn increasing number of countries in Asia and the Pacific are exploring the use of administrative data sources as an addition or alternative to full field enumeration in censuses. While some are aiming to eliminate field enumeration altogether, others are using administrative data to improve the quality and efficiency of a traditional census approach. This Stats Brief overviews how some of the National Statistical Offices in Asia and the Pacific are integrating administrative data into their censusThis Brief is part of the ESCAP’s work on population registers and censuses under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative (D4H) Project: “Supporting improvements to civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems in Asia and the Pacific (Phase I)
Review of alignment between roadmap for accelerated implementation of VPoA and national development strategies of five LLDCs in Asia (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Lao PDR, Mongolia and Nepal)
No full textConference paper prepared for the Euro-Asian final review of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014-2024The Vienna Program of Action was adopted at the Second UN Conference on LLDCs in Vienna in November 2014. The program was developed for the period 2014-2024 to address some of the unique challenges faced by landlocked developing countries. To address these unique challenges faced by LLDCs concerning lack of direct territorial access to the sea and limited connectivity with the global market resulting in high cost of trade, the program identified six priority areas for action to be taken by the LLDCs and international community - fundamental transit policy issues, infrastructure development, international trade and trade facilitation, regional integration, structural economic transformation and means of implementation. In December 2019, a high-level mid-term review on the implementation of VPoA was carried out to take stock of the progress made, identify challenges and constraints encountered, and chart out a renewed course of action to accelerate the implementation of the program. The report of the high-level mid-term review identified several challenges faced by the LLDCs since the adoption of the VPoA, and provided recommendations to enable these countries to accelerate achievement of the VPoA objectives. While the review recognized that tangible progress has been made in some areas, it highlighted the critical areas where further action was required from all the parties including the international community, transit developing countries, private sector, and development financial institutions, to enable LLDCs to transform their economies and realize further integration with the global market. Furthermore, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and its socio-economic impacts raised greater urgency for the need to support LLDCs.
The high-level mid-term review resulted in the adoption of the ‘Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the Vienna Program of Action for LLDCs in the Remaining Five Years’ - a visionary document with practical steps to accelerate the implementation of VPoA. The roadmap identified six priority areas and 24 action areas: Priority area 1: Transit, trade and transport facilitation Priority area 2: Energy and ICT Priority area 3: Structural Economic Transformation Priority area 4: Cooperation between LLDCs and transit countries Priority area 5: Means of implementation and international support Priority area 6: Other areas
This paper seeks to assess the level of alignment of national development strategies of five LLDCs in Asia, namely Afghanistan, Bhutan, Lao PDR, Mongolia, and Nepal, with the roadmap's priority areas and action areas. Based on the assessment it will identify gaps and issues for consideration for the next program of action for LLDCs, and areas to strengthen regional cooperation. A further impetus is given to regional transport and energy connectivity in view of their urgency in response to the lessons learnt from Covid-19 pandemic and in response to challenges posed by climate change. The assessment is mainly based on the VPoA Roadmap and national development strategies of the respective countries. The paper is organized as follows. Section II provides an overview of the national development strategies of the five countries, and examines their level of alignment with the roadmap’s priority areas and action areas based on the mapping analysis carried out. Section III identifies the gaps that need to be addressed in implementing the roadmap based on the previous section. Added emphasis on transport and energy connectivity is highlighted in this section. Section IV discusses the issues for consideration in the next program of action and provides possible areas to strengthen regional and multilateral cooperation in particular, mainly in the areas of trade facilitation, financing/aid for trade, and technical support with the development partners. </p
Resource mobilization for sustainable LDC graduation of Nepal in the context of emerging challenges to development financing
No full textThis paper evaluates Nepal’s challenges related to resource mobilization for sustainable graduation in the aftermath of COVID-19 and potential avenues to overcome them. Nepal’s graduation is scheduled to become effective in 2026, and the country also aims to become an upper middle-income country by 2030. With the lowest per capita income among graduating LDCs, the continued developmental challenges faced by Nepal include premature de-industrialization, low productive capacity and low rate of job creation. While the country already faces substantial gaps in development financing, resource mobilization for implementing transitional strategies is being challenged by additional resource demands in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.
Against this backdrop, the paper examines the structure of development finance landscape of Nepal, projected investment needs and resource gaps faced by the country in the current context. Domestic fiscal space is assessed in detail, considering the potential for improving both revenue and expenditure sides of public finance. The paper calls for a reassessment of additional investment needs and gaps in the post-COVID-19 context, and proposes ways to revitalize domestic financing and to capitalize on potentials for tapping external sources such as foreign aid, FDI and remittances
Ocean accounts Viet Nam : a case study in Quang Ninh
No full textThis brief summarizes activities and results of ocean accounting pilot in Viet Nam. Ultimately, the key objectives of the study were: identification and estimation of main sources of pollution; ecosystem mapping, including change over time; estimation of tourism impacts on ecosystems and the presentation of findings at local and regional ocean accounts workshops. The coastal region of Quang Ninh in the north-east of Viet Nam was selected as the study area..Click here to read
additional ocean accounting pilots were conducted in Thailand, Straits of Malacca, Beihai, Guangxi, China, and Samoa
Mind the gender gap in workforce, including transport and logistics : the perspective from Sri Lanka and beyond
Get PDFESCAP is taking steps to mainstream gender in all its activities, to ensure that gender equality is addressed holistically in order to develop forward-looking strategies and contribute to efforts towards gender equality, poverty reduction and economic growth in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Against this background, ESCAP undertook a study project aimed to assess both opportunities and challenges of women workforce, including the transport and logistics sector; analyze initiatives and national policies; drawing good practices and national experiences to mainstream gender issues and promote gender inclusiveness in employment. The study findings are published as a Working Paper, titled “Mind the Gender Gap in workforce, including transport and logistics: the perspective from Sri Lanka and beyond.”</p
Increasing the use of smart mobility approaches to improve traffic conditions in urban areas of South-East Asia : policy guidelines
Get PDFSouth-East Asia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with a total population of more than 600 million. In 2019, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the subregion was more than US$3 trillion, representing 6.25 per cent of global GDP. The rate of urbanization in South-East Asia reached 49 per cent in 2018 and is projected to reach 56 per cent in 2030. Such rapid urbanization has brought heavy traffic congestion, serious safety issues and growing urban inequality. Further, the transport sector in South-East Asia consumes more than 25 per cent of the country’s total energy, which is directly related to an increase in CO2 emissions. As a result, there have been various notable attempts to address such concerns and provide cost-effective mobility options in South-East Asia through the adoption of smart transport systems. An example of this approach is the “ASEAN Smart Cities Network”, where smart mobility is an intrinsic element in the smart cities concept.
To further the scope of smart transport systems, this report details the concept of “smart mobility” which can be interpreted as transport systems and services that use advanced information and communications technology which increase users’ convenience in their trips. Taking into consideration such characteristics and the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, smart mobility is inclusively defined herein as: “The integrated user-oriented transport systems and services that can make travelling safer, smarter and greener using innovative technologies.” The concept differs from “transport”, which relates to the movement of people and goods utilizing a vehicle, whereas “mobility” is the ability to move freely and easily. Smart mobility, under the umbrella of the wider notion of smart transport systems, is a result of the evolution of mobility delivered as an output from the fourth industrial revolution through the advent of smart devices.
The study was conducted as part of the project titled Increasing the Use of Smart Mobility Approaches to Improve Traffic Conditions in Urban Areas of the South-East Asia Subregion, which is funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Republic of Korea.
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