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Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan : transport connectivity, impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Euro-Asian linkages
Get PDFCountries of Central Asia are all landlocked and suffer from high transport and transit costs. However, Central Asia plays a vital role in the context of transport and logistics projects across Eurasia. Due to an important geostrategic significance, huge natural resources, high transit and transport potential, Central Asia has a potential of becoming one of the important land bridges between various regions. The main challenges for the development of the subregion today are associated with the need to implement structural reforms. In many respects, Central Asian economies still face numerous challenges related to them being resource-based economies.
The problem of finding a new model of economic growth is relevant to all countries in the subregion. The evidence shows that there is a widening gap in terms of economic development of the countries of the subregion. For example, the difference between the largest and the smallest GDP in the region is now more than 40 times. The share of trade with neighboring countries ranges from 3% to 7% in the export operations of the Central Asian countries. Central Asia is the least internally interconnected region, where countries are fragmented in many ways. This can be traced, among other things, in intraregional transport links: limited railway connections, which range from 3 to 5 routes between countries within the region.
Improving the efficiency of the supply chain and transit, as well as the development of transport sector are the drivers of the competitiveness of economy and integration into the world economy for the countries in Central Asia. They are also putting significant efforts to realize their potential of becoming the transit and logistics hub in the region, a "bridge" between Europe and Asia. The success of this endeavor directly depends on the development of transport and logistics as the main factor of stimulating industrial growth and the development of the competitive economic system. The further integration of the regional transport systems and the development of the multimodal transport and efficient supply chains require an integrated approach to the development of transport services, infrastructure and logistics.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan play an important role in Central Asia. They have some similarities like landlockiness, sharing border with China, being members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and some major differences like sizes of their economies, achievements in terms of using their transit potential and transport operations. Both countries would benefit greatly from building effective collaboration and further developing multimodal transport, eliminating non-physical barriers, and improving transport and transit management.</p
The future of work in the context of population ageing in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFThis paper is an update of an earlier version of the Working Paper (No. 2020/01) under the same title. It includes new indicators and improved explanations of the CART analysis methodology.The disruptions the COVID-19 pandemic has caused in people’s lives, labour markets and the regional economy have aggravated many existing challenges and reversed several development gains. At the same time, the pandemic has sped up ongoing developments when it comes, for example, to digitalization; moreover, there is the opportunity for a “green recovery”. This paper deals with the diverse landscape of demographic and labour market trends in the region, and puts them in context with emerging trends and developments – repercussions of COVID-19, the transition toward a green economy, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact of and responses to climate change and natural disasters. The paper concludes with lessons learned and recommendations on how to move forward toward more inclusive and sustainable labour markets that are prepared for further demographic, economic, technological and environmental changes
2022 : Leaving no one behind : Lao People's Democratic Republic country brief
No full textLeaving No One Behind (LNOB) tool helps discover how different circumstances interact to create unequal access to basic opportunities in Asia and the Pacific. The LNOB country brief for Lao People's Democratic Republic provides insights into which groups are further ahead and further behind in various SDG indicators and where the biggest gaps are found in terms of access to opportunities or prevalence of barriers between the furthest behind and the furthest ahead groups in Lao People's Democratic Republic. </p
2022 : Leaving no one behind : Bhutan country brief
No full textLeaving No One Behind (LNOB) tool helps discover how different circumstances interact to create unequal access to basic opportunities in Asia and the Pacific. The LNOB country brief for Bhutan provides insights into which groups are further ahead and further behind in various SDG indicators and where the biggest gaps are found in terms of access to opportunities or prevalence of barriers between the furthest behind and the furthest ahead groups in Bhutan. </p
Trade, investment and cooperation in health product and services in the Asia-Pacific region
Get PDFIn Asia-Pacific, over the last few decades, countries have focused on improving their healthcare sector and have been trying to achieve the targets set by SDG 3 – Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Wellbeing for All at All Ages, and SDG 17 – Partnership for the Goals. Yet there are still considerable gaps across the countries, in terms of access to healthcare services and per capita healthcare expenditure. The different levels of development among countries and across sub-regions have resulted in a fragmented marketplace, infrastructure gaps in developing and least developed countries (LDCs), limited government funding, multiple regulatory regimes and standards, limited public-private partnerships and shortages of key healthcare products and personnel - some of these issues can be addressed through trade, cross-border investment and collaborations.
In this context, the paper analyses the coverage and commitments in the health sector in existing regional and bilateral trade agreements, frameworks, forums and other arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region. It also aims to understand the current status of regional and bilateral cooperation in the health sector in the region.
The paper found that the coverage of the health sector, both products and services, in the existing regional and bilateral trade agreements, and other arrangements across Asia-Pacific countries, is limited. Developing countries and LDCs, especially, have high tariffs while developed countries have rigid standards and requirements, which restrict trade flow. There are limited commitments in healthcare in the trade agreements and limited private sector engagements. Certain facilitating measures like regulatory cooperation and mutual recognition agreements are few and even if they are signed, these are not implemented in a time-bound manner. The COVID-19 pandemic brought forth various new challenges, like sporadic bans, export restrictions of critical COVID-19 equipment, supply chain disruption and data sharing related regulatory issues.
Government-to-government sharing of information, best practices and regulatory cooperation and multi-stakeholder engagements and collaborations across multiple platforms, can enhance trade, investment and cooperation in this sector, and support the developing countries and LDCs in meeting their SDG goals. The paper presents policy recommendations for Asia-Pacific member countries to leverage existing trade and other arrangements to facilitate trade and investment flows and have mutually beneficial collaborations.</p
Using big data for official statistics : key considerations when using mobile phone data
No full textRapid technological advances and the recent COVID-19 pandemic are leading to new expectations from official data and statistics. National Statistics Offices (NSOs) are expected to respond to urgent data needs for timely, granular, and relevant data while preserving privacy. NSOs find themselves under pressure to incorporate new data sources which means building partnerships with new stakeholders, investing in new infrastructure and in new skills as well as updating their data governance arrangements so they are flexible and agile to respond to these new demands. ESCAP’s research, on the uses of big data for official statistics, across countries in Asia and the Pacific discovered many challenges the NSOs face when exploring the potential of big data for official statistics. In response to the outcomes of the research and the recommendations by the 2021 Expert Group Meeting on the Uses of Big Data for Official Statistics, ESCAP has produced this guide to offer some insights on navigating and addressing these challenges. In particular, the guide is aimed at supporting the NSOs in Asia and the Pacific that are actively exploring ways to incorporate big data into the statistical production process. Other members of the national statistical systems in and outside the region may also find this guidance useful.</p
Demographic dividend with a gender dimension in Malaysia
Get PDFThis policy brief is produced as part of the interregional project “Demographic Dividend with a Gender Dimension: Entry points for Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa and Asia and the Pacific” being implemented by ESCAP and ECA for capacity development among member States to achieve sustainable development through enhancing human capital, addressing structural inequalities and reducing gender disparities. The policy brief and related materials are part of knowledge products that can be found in the ESCAP Youth Policy Toolbox (https://yptoolbox.unescapsdd.org/)
2022 : Leaving no one behind : Papua New Guinea country brief
No full textLeaving No One Behind (LNOB) tool helps discover how different circumstances interact to create unequal access to basic opportunities in Asia and the Pacific. The LNOB country brief for Papua New Guinea provides insights into which groups are further ahead and further behind in various SDG indicators and where the biggest gaps are found in terms of access to opportunities or prevalence of barriers between the furthest behind and the furthest ahead groups in Papua New Guine
