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Data collection and mobility assessment report on sustainable urban transport index and impacts of COVID-19 on mobility : Pekanbaru City, Indonesia
Get PDFPekanbaru, the capital of Riau Province, is located about 950 Kilometers Northwest of Jakarta, and the third largest city in Sumatra Island. Economic structure of the city is dominated by three major fields. They are whole sales, retail trade, repair of vehicle and motorcycle (31.41%), construction (30.16%), and manufacturing (19.24%) of Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of the city. Based on the data of Pekanbaru City Statistic Central Agency, in 2019 the population of the city was 1,149,359 with population growth rate of 4.2%. The city has a density of 1,818/km2. Around 29.5% of the population are in the age of 15 to 29 years old. For additional reports or materials on Sustainable urban transport index, please click here
Digital trade integration of the Philippines with Asia and the Pacific
No full textThis study assessed the Philippines' readiness for regional digital trade integration with the Asia-Pacific by using the Regional Digital Trade Integration Index (RDTII) framework to provide an analytical overview of the Philippines' digital trade policy and regulatory environment. Using the RDTII framework, the Philippines reported an overall RDTII score of 0.342 in 2020, which rates the country as having a relatively open digital trade environment. In the same year, the Philippines performed best in three pillars, particularly: pillar 1 (tariffs and trade defense measures); pillar 6 (cross-border data policies); and, pillar 8 (intermediary liability and content access). All of these three pillars scored less than 0.200, thus, indicating a non-restrictive policy and regulatory environment. In contrast, the Philippines performed worst in three pillars, namely: pillar 2 (public procurement); pillar 3 (foreign direct investment); and, pillar 5 (telecommunications infrastructure and competition). These three pillars reported a score of above 0.610, so these pillars were characterized with having a strongly restrictive policy and regulatory environment. Meanwhile, the Philippines was found to be slightly restrictive in intellectual property rights (pillar 4), domestic policies on the use of data (pillar 7), quantitative trade restrictions (pillar 9), standards (pillar 10), and online sales and transactions (pillar 11), which all received a score ranging from 0.210-0.400. This study finds that the Philippines generally has an open policy environment for digital trade, which suggests that it is ready for digital trade integration with the region. However, the proper implementation of some of these policies has not been fully achieved, and this could be a great obstacle or challenge to regional integration
Proposals for crisis-response provisions in regional and bilateral transport agreements of the ESCAP member states
No full textThe United Nations inter-agency project "Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: Contactless, seamless and collaborative UN solutions" project responds to a call to action, for the immediate health response required to suppress transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
From the transport perspective, COVID-19 not only poses a severe global health threat, it also represents a supply and a demand shock. Different measures were undertaken by countries in Asia Pacific to contain the pandemic pose operational challenges of movement of goods on both national and international level, adversely disrupting international transport connectivity and logistics supply chain network.
The fragmented policy responses immediately following the outbreak suggest that there may not be sufficient cooperation mechanisms in place in Asia and the Pacific to ensure that cross-border trade and transport take place as smoothly as possible in times of pandemic or other similar cross-border emergencies.
Having faced the pandemic crisis in 2020, most of ESCAP member States had to urgently issue ad-hoc policies and domestic regulations in attempts to prevent or limit the spread of COVID-19 disease through their borders, often without warning or consulting their counterparts. These measures and policies were introduced and implemented often in breach of the rules for international transportation established under international legal instruments.
This situation showcased that existing legal instruments covering international carriage of goods and passengers may lack provisions on cooperation while dealing with critical situations such as the current crisis or other potential extraordinary situations which may be disrupting the usual way of operation of international supply and logistics chains.
In this context, with a view to elaborate recommendations on coordinated response for potential future crises, the UNESCAP secretariat, under the above-mentioned project, took stock of the current bilateral and multilateral agreements on international road transport in Asia and the Pacific Region, analyzing, in particular, the availability of clauses related to crisis response and mutual assistance in emergency situations in those agreements. of information and may be subsequently updated.
The key findings of this analysis are summarized in this study. They were presented at a regional webinar organized in January 2021 to discuss this matter, collect feedback, and identify way forward in terms of modification of the existing agreements on road transport in the Asia-Pacific region and formulation of new agreements, taking into account the necessity of elaborating clauses on mutual assistance in the event of future potential external shocks and emergencies affecting international road transport operations.
The recommendations, based on the feedback from the regional webinar, namely the proposed Model Annex on force majeure clause, are also included into this study report. </p
Sustainable and clean energy in North and Central Asia
Get PDFNorth and Central Asia countries are rich with energy sources. Energy was a key driver of economic growth in the subregion for several years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In the years after independence, the expansion of conventional energy sources and the initiation of market reforms allowed countries in the subregion to establish a stable energy supply and benefit from energy trade. These efforts created favourable conditions and a conducive environment for restructuring the socioeconomic order. However, challenges remain in terms of energy efficiency, energy security and diversification.
In the past decade, energy transition plans have been set in the national strategies of North and Central Asian countries. Sustainable energy development is imperative in these plans. It must be just and suited to the differing contexts of countries in the subregion. Technological innovation and advancements in energy that drive down renewable energy costs also make sustainable energy development a logical national priority. Countries in the subregion have made efforts to realign their economies to sustainable development principles, and they need to accelerate the current trajectory towards carbon neutrality. As of 2018, renewable energy adoption in the subregion is very low, amounting to approximately 3 per cent of the total energy supply
This paper examines the current energy landscape in North and Central Asia and proposes clean energy as a driver to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The interlinkages between clean energy and other SDGs are mapped out, and an analysis aims to ascertain the determinants of clean energy and its relationship to selected SDG indicators. Based on the findings, the paper elaborates on five policy considerations for sustainable and clean energy in North and Central Asia.</div
VATIS update : ozone layer protection. Vol. 4, No. 59, Jul-Aug 2003
No full textVATIS Update Ozone Layer Protection is published 6 times a year to keep the readers up to date of most of the relevant and latest technological developments and events in the field of Ozone Layer Protection. The Update is tailored to policy-makers, industries and technology transfer intermediaries
South and South-West Asia Development Monitor No. 9
No full textSouth and South-West Asia Development Monitor Number 9, 22 October 2012
The Development Monitor is a bimonthly electronic newsletter, launched in early 2012 (issued on a monthly basis initially), which provides an overview of the work and activities undertaken by the ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office and conferences and knowledge products of relevance to the subregion. The newsletter also provides a compilation of news and articles on themes covered by the ESCAP SSWA work programme.
Government policymakers, advisors and development experts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey attended the 18-19 October “High-Level Policy Dialogue on Regional Cooperation and Inclusive Development in South and South-West Asia” organized in New Delhi by the South and South-West Asia Office of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Mongolia : strengthening statistical capacity of member states to address data availability challenges for environmental-related SDGs under RPTC funding : project report
Get PDFThis is a report on how Mongolia developed the national compilation methodologies for the Water and Waste Accounts by applying the System of environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA); the generation of solid and hazardous waste for 2018 and 2019 and the preliminary result of the physical supply and use tables, water accounts for 2019. This technical assistance (TA) project was implemented by the National Statistics Office of Mongolia with support from the UNESCAP under the Strengthening statistical capacity of member states to address data availability challenges for environment-related SDGs under the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation (RPTC).</p