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Reform priorities for Pakistan's energy sector : perspectives in the backdrop of Paris Agreement
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This brief draws from the extensive workshops on the subject led by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) under the project ‘Evidence Based Policies for Sustainable Use of Energy Resources in Asia and the Pacific’. It also draws from an extended study by Dr. Jiang Kejun who was the Team Lead for this project and Ms. Qu Chenfei who supported the energy sector modelling.
This study attempts to provide future energy transition pathways in Pakistan towards 2030, considering determinants such as population growth, economic development and technological progress within the context of CO2 mitigation targets. The methodological framework and all modelling results have been derived from an extended study on ‘Power Sector Transition Towards Pakistan’s Commitment in Paris Agreement’ by Jiang & Chenfei, 2019. Simulations of future energy demand and supply in Pakistan have been conducted with a view to present key policy and technological optional to meet Pakistan’s NDC’s through an energy sector transition
Production of a vital statistics report : guide
Get PDFRevision 1, 2020
With accompanying template and workbook
This guide is an output of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative (www. bloomberg.org).The purpose of this Guide and the files it accompanies, hereinafter referred to as the resource kit, is to enable the production of vital statistics reports, primarily using civil registration data.
The resource kit has three parts:1. Guide (this document): Part 1 consists of a brief introduction and background, followed byPart 2, which provides detailed guidance on how to complete the vital statistics Template document.2. Template: This document can be downloaded from the resource website and contains notes to assist in the completion of tables and figures for the vital statistics report.3. Workbook: The workbook can be downloaded from the resource website and can assist in the calculation of certain indicators and production of tables, graphs and figures to be included in the vital statistics report.
This guide is a revision of the “Guidelines and Template for Developing a Vital Statistics Report”
produced by Statistics Norway, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and UN Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).</p
Geospatial practices for sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific 2020 : a compendium
Get PDFGeospatial information has been providing far-reaching solutions to pressing issues facing humanity, ranging from health, education, food security, agriculture, to disaster risk reduction and resilience-building. The effective integration of geospatial data, existing statistics and ground-based information and exploiting new data sources, analytics, and tools has proven instrumental to deliver timely information necessary for governments, businesses, communities and citizens to make evidenced-based decisions. However, despite advances in the availability and quality of geospatial information, several gaps and challenges remain on the effective use of geospatial information.
To address this, this compendium demonstrates the diverse use for geospatial information and applications and the vital role that they will continue to play in the future. This compendium has been designed and devised for policy and decision makers working towards sustainable development as it shows clear linkages to both economic and social value. It showcases the benefits and importance of accessible, available, actionable and affordable geospatial data, tools and innovations to maximize its potential benefits to Asia-Pacific member States. It achieves this by highlighting relevant country situations and circumstances from across the region; these good practice examples cover the six priority areas identified in the Asia-Pacific plan of Action on Space Applications for Sustainable Development (2018-2030), including 1) disaster risk management; 2) natural resource management; 3) connectivity; 4) social development; 5) energy and 6) climate change.
This is the first time these country-based examples are available in one place, in an interactive, searchable digital publication and serve as a baseline for understanding and tracking future progress and initiatives. We hope that this multi-sectoral and cross-cutting compilation and analysis of country-based examples helps assess implementation Plan of Action while promoting peer learning and innovative thinking. As underlined in the Data Strategy of the UN Secretary General, data has become a strategic asset. Towards this end, ESCAP will continue to play a convening, knowledge exchange, and policy advising role in the implementation of the Plan of Action and COVID-19 geospatial data-driven responses.
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Nudges as a tool for promoting sustainable consumer behavior in Asia-Pacific
Get PDFMaking consumption more sustainable is particularly important in Asia-Pacific given the dramatic trends being witnessed in the region. The region is expected to be at the forefront of worldwide consumption by 2030, with consumer spending projected to reach $32 trillion and constitute about 42 per cent of global consumption, carrying with it implications for the environment.
Nudging can be part of the toolkit to support consumers in making sustainable purchasing decisions. It is particularly attractive because of its ability to predictably change behavior without forbidding any options or without the need to provide economic incentives. Nudges are positive reinforcements, small suggestions, or changes in choice architecture intended to influence the behavior of consumers
Connecting the last miles : accelerating inclusive broadband in Asia and the Pacific
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Asia and the Pacific has been going through a fundamental transformation induced by digital technology and connectivity. The region has been a driving force of such digital transformation - be it artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, cloud computing or blockchain. Mobile payment technologies have been accelerating financial inclusion deep into remote and rural areas, while AI, IoT and Big Data analytics have been revolutionizing healthcare, infrastructure and building maintenance, disaster risk mitigation and preparedness efforts while increasing agricultural productivity. They are also used for business analytics, new product development, industrial Internet, smart logistics among others, which are deemed to shape future competitiveness of economies across the globe.
Digital technology and connectivity have been proven effective in addressing some of the negative consequences of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemics. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has been causing cascading economic and social stress across the world. The production of goods and services has decreased in some countries, while an increasing number of economies are feared to go in recession, with rising unemployment rates. More schools are closed, and hospitals overcrowded with dwindling medical supplies. In combating the adverse effects of COVID-19 and enhancing societal and economic resilience, digital technology and connectivity have emerged as an essential tool and alternative to the physical equivalent.
Unsurprisingly, this resilience is observed mainly among the advanced economies where enabling digital infrastructure and ecosystem already exist. It has accentuated the fact that the multi-facetted digital gaps between advanced economies and developing countries are widening even further. What does this mean for developing countries which have been catching up with mobile and fixed broadband technologies, networks and access? What are the accelerated pathways for their digital transformation, while advancing digital inclusion to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the region? The answer may lie in how we expand connectivity to the unconnected and address the perennial issue of last mile connectivity
Third South Asia forum on the Sustainable Development Goals Dhaka, 8-9 December 2019
No full textThe Third South Asia Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals provided a unique opportunity to the subregion to feed its perspective into regional (the 7th APFSD scheduled in March 2020), and global (the HLPF 2020) processes on the proposed theme of ‘Accelerating action and delivery of the 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific’.4 In this context, the Third South Asia Forum on Sustainable Development Goals focused on national and sub-regional perspectives and taking stock of the lessons and best practices learned in implementation of SDGs, as well as forward-looking dialogue on partnership to accelerate the progress of SDGs.
The Forum brought together stakeholders from the governments, think-tanks and academia, international community, civil society and private sector representatives on a common platform to discuss how countries in South Asia can cooperate to address gaps and challenges in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to assess progress on the thematic SDGs for review by the HLPF 2020. To achieve this, the South Asia Forum for the SDGs aimed to:
1. Enhance awareness and understanding on key challenges and opportunities for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Regional Roadmap to support and complement the sub-regional agenda through sharing of experiences and knowledge.
2. Provide a platform for expert discussions and reflections on sub-regional perspectives and good practices which may accelerate SDG achievement along with challenges related to implementation of the entire Agenda.
3. Support capacity building for countries in the subregion ahead of their Voluntary National Review (VNR) presentations in 2020, building on presentations and experiences of VNR countries at the HLPF so far.
4. Identify ways, through expert discussions to strengthen implementation efforts, stakeholder engagement, follow-up and review, linking national, sub-regional, regional and global processes.
5. Identify needs and opportunities for regional cooperation and delivery by regional and subregional bodies and the United Nations Development System
Disaster-responsive social protection in the Pacific small island developing states
Get PDFSocial protection refers to a broad set of government transfers of income or services designed to reduce vulnerability and
build resilience of individuals, households, and communities. Making social protection disaster-responsive means that
current and future levels of disaster risk, projected intensity and frequency of hazards, the exposure of populations and
their coping capacities should be incorporated into the review and design of all social protection programmes.
This policy brief is the first of a series comprising ESCAP’s inputs to the implementation of the Strengthening Resilience
of Pacific Islands through Universal Social Protection Project. The aim of this series is to inform ongoing efforts in the
Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to review and design social protection systems. The focus of this issue is
on Samoa, and introduces the key issues that need to be considered across the five strategic interventions of the
Programme. Designed and implemented properly, disaster-responsive social protection has tremendous potential to help
address the most common causes of poverty in the Pacific SIDS.
The brief notes that effective design of disaster-responsive social protection programmes requires using data and
evidence to design targeted parameters that can accommodate and respond to dynamic changes in patterns of
vulnerability and exposure to hazards, as well as to the double burden imposed by disasters on people who are vulnerable.
This brief discusses how predictable and adequate finance is key to the credibility and success of DRSP, which may be
further bolstered by innovative measures, such as strengthening linkages with contingency reserves and insurance, and
aligning social protection with the priorities of climate finance. Successful DRSP initiatives comprise whole-of-society
undertakings that requires collaboration across various ministries, between development and humanitarian actors, and
between national and village authorities.</p
