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Strengthening connectivity for the implementation of the Asia Pacific Information Superhighway
Get PDFCommissioned by ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, ESCAPThis report outlines the evaluation of the project on ‘Strengthening connectivity for the implementation of the Asia Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) which was implemented by the Information and Communications Technology and Development Section (IDS) of the Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division (IDD) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
The objective of the project was to enhance regional broadband connectivity through improved capacity, regional dialogue and cooperation in support of the achievement of the SDGs through the AP-IS and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................................2
List of Acronyms .............................................................................................................................3
Executive summary ........................................................................................................................4
Background, Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................7
Methodology................................................................................................................................9
Limitations of the Methodology, Scope and Problems Encountered ................................12
Findings ......................................................................................................................................13
Conclusions................................................................................................................................22
Recommendations.....................................................................................................................24
Annexes ..........................................................................................................................................25
Annex 1: Management Response...........................................................................................25
Annex 2: Terms of Reference..................................................................................................26
Annex 3: List of Documents Reviewed.................................................................................31
Annex 4: List of Government Officials who responded to online survey (19 out of 30).33
Annex 5: List of ESCAP Officials Consulted.........................................................................35
Annex 6: Results of Online Survey Questionnaire ...............................................................36</p
Older women and men as providers and recipients of unpaid care work in the Asia-Pacific region
Get PDFUsing the National Time Transfer Accounts (NTTA) methodology, the paper analyses time spent by women and men of different age groups in six countries of the Asia-Pacific region on market work and unpaid care work. The analysis concludes that there are common trends across all countries, which include: (a) older persons are net producers of care, which means they produce more unpaid care work than they consume, (b) older women provide much of the care consumed by older persons, and (c) women of all ages produce the majority of unpaid care work. The paper further provides a policy agenda to recognize and value unpaid care work and provides policy examples from the Asia-Pacific region and other countries in the world. This includes increasing access to paid care; creating incentives to men to provide unpaid care; and social protection to unpaid care workers
COVID-19 in North and Central Asia : impacts, responses & strategies to build back better
Get PDFThe impacts of COVID-19 threaten to put a hold on progress for the sustainable development agenda and erase gains
made thus far in the North and Central Asian subregion. By recognizing that it is not a zero-sum game between enacting
COVID-19 recovery measures and achieving the 2030 Agenda, countries can align recovery packages with the principles
of sustainable development. This will help countries get through this crisis better and prepare the subregion to handle
other impending crises more efficiently.
Countries in the subregion have quickly implemented strict measures to curtail the spread of the pandemic. The rising
numbers of infected patients exposed the limited capacity of public health systems in the subregion to accommodate
such an upsurge in demand for health-care services. Governments scrambled to overcome the bottlenecks of limited
hospital beds, insufficient protective equipment and overstretched health-care personnel, and to procure testing
facilities. Existing social protection facilities were built upon to provide support to affected social groups in normal
conditions.
However, the rapidly changing pandemic situation and incomplete structural economic transformation increased the
challenge of effectively targeting these measures. Inequalities and poverty levels are expected to increase, which will
especially impact vulnerable population groups. The average gross domestic product growth rate of the subregion is
estimated to be -3.2 per cent for 2020. Vulnerabilities in the economic structure, which is dependent on commodity
exports, migrant labour and remittances, and the prevalence of employment in the informal sector, pose challenges for
post COVID-19 economic recovery. Trade and transport connectivity, which are essential for the landlocked countries in
the subregion, were majorly affected by measures put in place.
The recovery measures and packages have reduced the available fiscal space. Substantial fiscal deficits have already
been recorded and are expected to widen further in 2021, adding to sovereign debt which was already a concern for some
countries. On a positive note, there was a temporary improvement in air quality in major cities in the subregion as
socioeconomic activities were scaled down.
In order for countries to recover effectively from the crisis, this policy brief recommends three areas of subregional
cooperation.
Protect people and facilitate inclusivity in social services –The pandemic highlights the vulnerabilities in social
systems across the subregion. Emphasis needs to be placed on public health-care funding, targeting vulnerable
population groups and ensuring access to quality education.
Digital transformationcan contribute to the double bottom line of economic transformation and achievement of
social inclusivity. Digitalisation efforts to facilitate connectivity needs to be preceded by equally accessible ICT
infrastructures in rural and urban areas. Matters on online privacy and rights require thorough multistakeholder
consultations to uphold the fundamental human right of personal privacy.
Green economy strategies need to be embedded in recovery efforts to ensure long term sustainability. Low carbon
systems and infrastructure ought to be prioritized for investments with supporting policies and financing strategies
to shape sustainable economies in North and Central Asia.</p
Foreign direct investment trends and outlook in Asia and the Pacific 2020/2021
No full textGlobally, both FDI inflows and outflows started to recover in 2019, with the former growing 30% to 1.3 billion. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused global FDI flows to drop by 49% in the first two quarters of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
Asia-Pacific’s share in global FDI inflows dropped from 45% in 2018 to 35% in 2019, and its share in global FDI outflows decelerated from 52% to 41%. Nonetheless, the region remained the largest source of global outflows for the second year running.
In 2019, China and Hong Kong, China were the largest FDI recipients attracting 38% of total FDI inflows to the region. Japan was the largest source of investment from the region in 2019, responsible for 42% of regional outward FDI.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the downward trend already recorded in recent years in greenfield FDI with the value of announced inbound greenfield investment projects from January to August 2020 dropping by 40% from the
average over the same period in 2019. Likewise, outbound greenfield investment project values declined 48% over the same period in 2019.
Intraregional greenfield investments as a whole have slowed in 2020 due to the pandemic, with announced intraregional greenfield investment values dropping 45% to $35 billion in the January-August 2020 period compared to the same period in 2019.
FDI is expected to remain low and below pre-crisis levels throughout 2021. The outlook beyond 2021 is highly uncertain and dependent on the duration of the crisis, the effectiveness of policy interventions to stimulate investment and navigate the economic effects of the pandemic, as well as geo-economic tensions. FDI recovery rates are challenging to predict at this stage because they are dependent on the rate of overall socio-economic recovery, and consequently investment levels, within the region and socio-economic rate of recovery from countries outside of the region.
On the bright side, the recent signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is expected to strengthen flows and lift investment prospects, especially for smaller and least developed countries in the group.
Beyond this, restoring and increasing FDI in the medium and long-term in the region as whole requires swift, coherent and appropriately sequenced action from policymakers to, inter alia, review, revise and revamp FDI strategies to make them more fit-for-purpose, develop green growth recovery plans with a robust role for FDI, operationalize policy measures to support value-chain linked FDI and boost FDI in the digital economy
Resilient infrastructure planning in Central Asia : pilot of sub-national average annual loss in infrastructure in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic
Get PDFStretching from the Caspian Sea in the west to China and in the east, the terrain of central Asia is very diverse. The vast steppes grassland of Kazakhstan, desert of Turkmenistan, Aral Sea drainage basin, mountain ranges of the Tianshan and Karakoram are just a few features that highlight the diversity in region’s terrain. Yet the region experiences similarities in the risks from natural disasters. Droughts, earthquakes, glacier lake outburst floods, landslides, and floods constitute key hazards in the region disrupting economic growth, damaging infrastructure and stalling progress on economic and social indicators. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic, for example, are located on major earthquake fault lines. Being a landlocked region, the adverse impact of disasters on connectivity has serious implications on the economic performance of the countries. Under these circumstances, central Asian countries must ensure that infrastructure assets are resilient and can withstand impacts of climate change and disasters.
Resilience of critical infrastructure like transportation, energy and ICTis crucial for sustainable development within central Asia. This report provides an in depth analysis of the disaster risks to energy, transport and ICT infrastructure assets in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic. The objectives of the report are to provide policymakers with: a) a sub-national methodology to examine the cost of future disaster risks on infrastructure, b) locate current infrastructure at risk from multiple natural hazards, and c) present an overall direction for establishing long term resilience approaches.
The report is divided eight sections. The following section provides an overview of concepts of risks, damage and loss, and addressing the need to estimate risks in terms of losses. This section also includes a sub-section on incorporating climate perspective to the infrastructure planning approach. Sections five and six summarize the risk assessment methodology used to develop sub-national risk estimates. Sections seven to nine present the risk estimates within the central Asia region followed by results for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, respectively.</p
Plastic waste in Southeast Asia urban case studies : closing the loop
No full textUnmanaged plastic waste poses a major socio-economic, environmental and health risk to urban and marine environments in the Asia Pacific. Each year South-east Asian countries produce 11.7 million metric tonnes of plastic waste, of which over 60% is derived from urban areas. Therefore a focus on effective city governance will be vital to tackle the plastic waste crisis. Plastic pollution is transboundary and requires a multidisciplinary response that considers both urban development, environmental and waste management policy sectors.
Closing the Loop, a project implemented by ESCAP in partnership with the Government of Japan, aims to reduce the environmental impact of four cities in ASEAN by tackling plastic pollution. This report was developed in support of the second broad objective 'to work with partner cities and develop action plans, policies and investment strategies to address marine plastic litter'. In detail it compiles verified baseline data; key socio-economic, waste sector and governance indicators; and environmental and stakeholder mapping for each partner city. It highlights ambitious city, national and international initiatives to manage plastic waste and covers a diverse range of urban environments. Each chapter addresses a different city: Da Nang, Viet Nam; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Surabaya, Indonesia; Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.
This publication is targeted at local and regional stakeholders looking for a greater understanding of urban plastic waste and will inform Closing the Loop's upcoming baseline activities and action planning process. ESCAP would like to thank the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and all our country level focal points for their valuable contributions
Inequality of opportunity : who are those left behind in Viet Nam?
Get PDFA new policy paper explores available data from Viet nam to identify those groups that have been left furthest behind in a range of indicators. Using innovative methodologies and analytical tools, the paper reveals gaps between those who have access to basic opportunities and services, and those who don't
ICT for development education for digital inclusion in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFThe objective of this research is to provide a national-level, gender-sensitive analysis of current planning processes, policies and initiatives on information and communications technology for development (ICTD) in institutions of higher learning (IHLs) in five surveyed countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It is intended to help prepare future ICTD leaders in the countries
Energy transition pathways for the 2030 agenda : SDG7 roadmap for Georgia
Get PDFDeveloped using National Expert SDG 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. ESCAP has designed the National Expert SDG Tool for Energy Planning (NEXSTEP) which enables policymakers to make informed policy decisions to support the achievement of the SDG7 targets as well as emission reduction targets (NDCs). ESCAP has been fortunate to have Georgia as one of the three pilot countries in this initiative, The roadmap has now been developed based on several scenarios by using the NEXSTEP tool. The final set of scenarios and recommendations have been reviewed and agreed upon in the stakeholder consultation workshop held on 8 October 2020. All comments and suggestions have been incorporated. Finally, the roadmap has been reviewed by stakeholders and national experts as nominated by Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development
Trade facilitation in times of pandemic : practices from North and Central Asia
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated attempts to contain its spread have created unprecedented hurdles to international trade. This paper reviews trade facilitation measures implemented in North and Central Asia (NCA), including transport and trade finance facilitation. All NCA countries have sought to protect the public health by restricting movement of people (including across borders) and applying special sanitary regulations at border crossings. These have included requirements to sanitize trucks, protect customs officials, change drivers, and requiring COVID-19 tests from drivers. Such requirements continue to create significant logistical issues, with often insufficient facilities for drivers. Sanitary requirements have proved simpler to implement for rail freight, creating an advantage for countries with well-developed rail networks. A number of common patterns emerge from the efforts of NCA countries to facilitate trade and transit. First, all governments have formed intragovernmental bodies to coordinate their COVID-19 responses. However, these bodies often lack the competency, mandate or reach to implement effective trade facilitation measures. Second, countries have simplified customs procedures for essential goods, typically food and medical supplies. Some countries initially implemented restrictions on the export of essential goods, but these have since been lifted. Third, countries have attempted to compensate for logistical and border transit issues caused by special sanitary requirements by expanding infrastructure; and simplifying and digitizing procedures on both road and rail. Fourth, all NCA countries have created online outreach portals and attempted to digitize various government services. However, their success varies greatly depending on the existing state of their paperless trade systems and infrastructure. Trade digitalization can support social distancing, while increasing trade efficiency, and inform businesses (especially SMEs) on the rapidly evolving regulatory environment under COVID-19. It is therefore recommended for countries to accelerate trade digitalization efforts, including by joining the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific