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Independent, comprehensive review of the establishment of the Asian and Pacific Center for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM)
Get PDFIn resolution 71/11, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) decided to assess the performance of the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management at its seventy-sixth session and to determine the continuation of its operations as a regional institution of the Commission thereafter. In line with that decision, the secretariat commissioned an independent and comprehensive review of the Centre, conducted from October 2019 to February 2020, to inform the Commission’s assessment of the performance of the Centre.
The aim of the review was to inform the Commission’s assessment of the continued substantive relevance and financial viability of the Centre and provide recommendations to ESCAP management and the Commission on how to improve the substantive relevance and financial viability of the Centre, in particular in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and on improving the results-orientation and performance of the Centre.
The review was conducted in accordance with the norms, standards and procedures as set out in the ESCAP monitoring and evaluation policy and guidelines to ensure that the review would be independent, objective and of high quality. It was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020 by Ms. Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu, a senior expert in disaster risk reduction with extensive knowledge of and experience in the Asia-Pacific region.
The review included a desk review of relevant documents; consultations with relevant senior government officials and stakeholders of the host country; and consultations with the members of the Governing Council and participating member States, as well as with the national focal points for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 of the members of the Governing Council. The consultant also sought the views of national, regional and global centres relevant to the Centre’s partnership strategy. The review consultant conducted a mission to Bangkok in October 2019, and in December 2019 she conducted a mission to Tehran, where she consulted with officials from the Plan and Budget Organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Iran Meteorological Organization.</p
Employment of persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific : trends, strategies and policy recommendations
Get PDFThis policy paper seeks to equip ESCAP members and associate members with updated information and insights on promoting productive employment and decent work for persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, through snapshots of the latest figures, trends, policy developments and strategies, including interesting practices
East Asia study (2) infrastructure sharing
Get PDFEast Asian countries, including China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, have over the past half century experienced a remarkable pace of growth in the ICT sector, experiencing technological development with advanced broadband networks and widespread broadband access
ESCAP Environmental Performance Report 2019
Get PDFThe 2019 edition of the Greening the Blue Report, detailing the UN System's environmental footprint and efforts to reduce it
Energy transition pathways for the 2030 agenda : SDG7 roadmap for Indonesia
No full textDeveloped using National Expert SDG7 Tool for Energy Planning (NEXSTEP).Transitioning the energy sector to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the objectives of the Paris Agreement presents a complex and difficult task for policymakers. It needs to ensure sustained economic growth as well as respond to increasing energy demand, reduce emissions and, more importantly, consider and capitalize on the interlinkages between Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) and other SDGs. In this connection, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has developed the National Expert SDG Tool for Energy Planning (NEXSTEP).
This tool enables policymakers to make informed policy decisions to support the achievement of the SDG 7 targets as well as emission reduction targets (NDCs). The initiative has been undertaken in response to the Ministerial Declaration of the Second Asian and Pacific Energy Forum (April 2018, Bangkok) and Commission Resolution 74/9, which endorsed its outcomes. NEXSTEP also garnered the support of the Committee on Energy in its Second Session, with recommendations to expand the number of countries being supported by this tool.
The first SDG 7 roadmap under this initiative has been developed for Indonesia, one of the three pilot countries. The key objective of this SDG 7 roadmap is to assist the Government of Indonesia develop enabling policy measures to achieve the targets of SDG 7. This roadmap contains a matrix of technological options and enabling policy measures for the Government to consider. It presents several scenarios that have been developed using national data, considering existing energy policies and strategies, and reflecting on other development plans. These scenarios are expected to enable the Government to make an informed decision to develop and implement a set of policies to achieve SDG 7 by 2030, together with NDC
E-resilience through e-government
Get PDFE-government has been growing in a rapid pace over the past 19 years. The UN E-Government Survey, with the overall theme “gearing e-government to support transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies” underscores a persistent positive global trend towards higher levels of e-government development. According to this survey, 40 countries scored “Very-High”, with E-Government Development Index (EDGI) values in the range of 0.75 to 1.00, as compared to only 10 countries in 2003, and 29 countries in 2016. The average world EGDI has been increased in 2018 over four years
Adaptation and resilience to drought : from know how to do how
Get PDFA guidebook for the practitioners. [Based on the case studies from South East Asia]The Ready for the Dry Years publication series has been a part of joint efforts between ESCAP and ASEAN to support Member States to prepare for intensifying drought risk, by assessing patterns of drought hazard exposure and vulnerability, highlighting drought impacts, and assessing future drought risks in the decades ahead. The second edition of the Report was launched at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management, which was held virtually on 27th November 2020. This edition was designed to usher in a paradigm shift towards more proactive and adaptive drought management across South-East Asia. The Report provided the evidence base for these interventions, including the recently adopted ASEAN Declaration on the Strengthening of Adaptation to Drought. Further, the Report presented three policy tracks: i) reduce and prevent; ii) prepare and respond; and iii) restore and recover. The methodology presented in the second edition of the Report can be used for the implementation of the policies and interventions related to the adaptation and resilience to drought. It’s in this context that ‘Adaptation and resilience to drought: From know how to do how’ – a guidebook for the practitioners has been developed that aims to operationalize the policy track to reduce and prevent the negative impacts of drought through cross-sectoral initiatives of addressing the water-food-energy nexus. ESCAP is a part of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought (IWG), established in September 2019 during UNCCD COP14. This guidebook contributes to the UNCCD Drought Toolbox that provides tools and methods to reduce drought risk, be better prepared and effectively respond to drough
Mechanization solutions for improved livestock management and prevention and control of zoonotic diseases
Get PDFAnimal husbandry plays an important role in the agricultural industry. However, since the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which has become a global crisis affecting human health and economic and social development, increased attention has been devoted to zoonotic diseases and measures for their prevention and control. Due to various factors such as weaknesses in anti-epidemic measures and social and cultural contexts, the Asia-Pacific region has always been an area with a high incidence of zoonotic diseases, causing huge losses to the livestock farming industry, and threatening human health and safety as well as people’s livelihood and food security.
About 60% of human infectious diseases originate from animals. The mechanization of livestock farming can play an important role in the prevention and control of zoonosis. Owing to its outstanding characteristics on procedural and standardized operation, mechanical equipment has better execution functionality in biological prevention and control, which can avoid failure of prevention and control caused by human factors to a great extent. Mechanized equipment kills pathogens more reliably and is more effective in blocking transmission routes. Mechanized prevention and control solutions thus offer key advantages. At the same time, many mechanical equipment used in production chains of large-scale livestock farming can improve the management of the livestock farming industry, improve labor productivity, increase farming efficiency, improve the quality of livestock products, and reduce the load on the environment. Its role is also vital to improve food and nutrition security and animal welfare. Overall, it has high relevance for various Sustainable Development Goals including Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), and Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12).
The paper points out that the main factors restricting the mechanized prevention and control include insufficient prevention and control capacity of epidemic diseases in overall dimensions, inadequate disease prevention and control in small-scale and individual smallholder farms, inadequate research and application system of mechanized disease prevention and control, and insufficient role of specialized service organizations in livestock farming industry. Meanwhile, apart from challenges, mechanized prevention and control is also looking at a new range of opportunities. With the rapid development of the agricultural machinery industry and information technology, mechanization can play a greater role in prevention and control. In response to the African swine fever and COVID-19 outbreaks, lessons have been learned with regard to inadequate prevention and control measures, and a great deal of experience has been accumulated in the Asia-Pacific region. There is consensus on the need to improve both the software and hardware facilities for epidemic prevention and control in the livestock industry. Moreover, large-scale livestock farming and individual smallholder farming will continue to co-exist for the foreseeable future and therefore efforts need to be undertaken for the overall scale development of the livestock farming industry. In addition, attention needs to be accorded to the integration of mechanization with farming technologies and medical 2 technologies in the process of disease prevention and control.prevention and control.
Countries in the Asia-Pacific should draw lessons from each other's development experience based on their national conditions, formulate development plans and practical action plans, and endeavor to improve the scale, mechanization and intelligence level of livestock farming industry on an ongoing basis. This study puts forward the following six suggestions at the technical and policy level for the development of livestock farming mechanization in the Asia-Pacific region：
Firstly, it is necessary to strengthen scientific and technological innovation and new technology extension; improve the supply of green, safe and efficient animal husbandry machinery; and accelerate the application of new technologies such as automation, informatization, and intelligent equipment.
Secondly, it is important to encourage appropriate-scale of livestock farming and standardized construction of livestock farms, achieve sound development of livestock farming and planting industries in a harmonized way, and encourage the proper disposal of farming wastes locally or in nearby areas. It is critical to promote innovative modes, scientific planning, and mechanizationoriented design of livestock farming facilities, and strengthen technical guidance efforts on integrated large-scale as well as small scale farming facilities and equipment.
Thirdly, scientific prevention and control and the application of mechanization should be given more priority. Provisions for prevention and control of epidemic diseases should be enacted into laws and regulations in livestock farming management; guidelines on technical specifications for mechanized disinfection in livestock farms should be issued; and large scale farms (zones) as well as small scale farms should be equipped with facilities for resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure and appropriate and safe treatment of dead livestock and poultry.
Fourthly, greater importance should be attached to the role of market-oriented, socialized and specialized service organizations to promote the ‘company plus smallholder farmer (family farm)’ model and encourage social service organizations to carry out specialized services in the areas of resource utilization of manure, storage and transportation of livestock products, safety and decontamination, and epidemic prevention.
Fifthly, government support and financial insurance support should be upscaled. Governments should establish an incentive mechanism for the construction of large-scale farms, increase support for farms and farmers’ households to purchase livestock machinery and equipment; encourage financial institutions to carry out mortgage loans for procurement of livestock machinery and equipment; offer temporary loan discounts for investors; and improve the coverage of policy-driven insurance schemes.
Finally, it is imperative to implement training and education programmes for practitioners to engage in extensive international exchanges and cooperation; increase training opportunities for farm employees and improve the competency of practitioners in the livestock farming industry; strengthen the cooperation with relevant sectors/departments such as animal health, epidemic 3 control and environmental protection; and strengthen experience sharing and knowledge exchanges via close cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other international organizations.</p