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Are countries in the Asia-Pacific region initiating a 'Green Recovery'? what more can be done?
No full textThe direct and indirect impacts of the "COVID-19 Shock" on the Asia-Pacific region have unfolded rapidly, varied widely by country and continue to affect economies. In some countries rises in poverty are expected, while in others an initial fall in carbon emissions has been observed.
Asia-Pacific countries' fiscal responses have been constrained by their GDP, but even in poorer countries Asia-Pacific governments have taken strong and innovative covid-19 response measures to support their poorest, especially in job creation.
Overall, 111 measures have been introduced by Asia Pacific countries that are in line with a green recovery. The policy brief provides six inspirational "sweet spot" case studies from countries at all income levels from the region doing so.
However, 56% of these measures are entirely unplanned, and there are a further 93 measures countries in the region have committed to take under the Paris agreement that could be in line with a green recovery that are not yet being implemented. there are also to date few "role model" examples of Asian and pacific countries implementing an economy-wide "build-forward" policy, and there are major gaps in the energy, transport and tourism and land-use sectors.
Yet financial resources are limited. only one country in the region -Singapore - estimates its climate change costs as similar to its COVID-19 response cost to date. there is therefore an urgent, significant need to align Asia-Pacific countries' covid-19 responses now to stimulate both poverty reduction and sustainable development, especially to avoid "spending twice" on the covid19 and climate change "Grey Rhino's"
Ocean accounts : the icing on the cake
Get PDFEnvironmental-Economic Accounts are increasingly a mainstream tool for measuring the condition of the environment, the contribution of the environment to the economy and the impact of the economy on the environment. Water Accounts, Land Accounts, Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounts and Energy Accounts are just some of the more commonly available environmental-economic accounts. However, ecosystems are of increasing national, regional and global importance and countries are asking: why invest in ocean accounts? The purpose of this brief is to share details of a Global Dialogue on Ocean Accounting co-hosted by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the University of New South Wales, Australia which explored this question. The brief exchanges knowledge and presents insights shared by participants.Refereneces
Global Dialogue on Ocean Accounting and First Annual Meeting of the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership, Sydney, Australia, 12-15 November 2019.
The Global Ocean Accounts Partnership.</a
SUTI report for Thimphu city
Get PDFBhutan is a small landlocked mountainous country situated between India and China, lying between 27.3 N – 28.2 N latitudes and 89 E - 92.3E longitudes, covering a surface area of 38,394 square kilometres. In 2018, Bhutan’s population was 727,145, 62% of its population residing in the rural areas, and the capital city Thimphu alone accounted for 114,551 people, amounting to 15.7% of the total population (RGoB, 2017).
During the process of planned economic development Bhutanese economy underwent structural transformation in terms of shift away from agricultural sector towards nonagricultural sectors. Such structural transformation was also accompanied by rapid urbanisation, the share of urban population in Bhutan increased from about 8% in 1981 to about 38% in 2017. Urbanisation in Bhutan is characterised by primate city modeli - growth of a dominant urban centre, Thimphu. Rapid urbanisation is accompanied by a new set of challenges, such as, waste management, mounting pressure on infrastructure, growth of slum areas and critical shortage of essential public services such as water supply, sanitation and hygiene. One of the challenges related to urbanisation is to provide a sustainable urban transportation system for continually rising population. For additional reports or materials on Sustainable urban transport index, please click here
Learning materials on transport corridors
Get PDFThe learning materials were developed for capacity building activities to strengthen subregional connectivity in East and North-East Asia through effective economic corridor management. ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office worked with René Meeuws (Partner, STC-NESTRA Consulting) in developing the learning materials.</p
Strengthening the capacity of ESCAP member states to harmonize standards on weights, dimensions and emissions of road vehicles for facilitation of transport along the Asian highway network : study report
Get PDFDifferences in national standards in the design and construction of road infrastructure as well as vehicles’ permissible
weight, dimensions and emissions pose various challenges in international road transport. For example,
overloaded/oversized foreign vehicles may not be compatible with the design of road network can therefore lead to
serious impact on road infrastructure maintenance and safety. In addition, countries may have different emission
standards applicable to the road vehicles. These factors could act as deterrent for countries to open their domestic roads
for international transport and deny access of foreign vehicles to national roads.
In line with its objective to make cross-border and transit road freight transport more seamless and efficient for countries
along the Asian Highway network and beyond, ESCAP undertook a study to develop recommendations that will facilitate
the harmonization of national and sub-regional standards on weights, dimensions and emissions of road freight vehicles
under the project of “Strengthening the capacity of ESCAP member States to harmonize standards on weights,
dimensions and emissions of road vehicles for facilitation of transport along the Asian Highway network.”
The study report includes overview of existing applicable standards on weights, dimensions and emissions in countries
along the Asian Highway network, as well as recommended harmonized standards for dimensions and weights of road
freight vehicles taking into consideration various technical criteria, including the AH road design standards etc.
Recommended standards on emission is also provided. In addition, the study report contains collections of regional
experiences, best practices and recommendations on institutional steps on the implementations of the recommended
standards.
For more information, please contact Mr. Edouard Chong (e-mail: [email protected]), Economic Affairs Officer of the ESCAP Transport Division
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the framework agreement on facilitation of crossborder paperless trade in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific
Sustainable agriculture transformation in North and Central Asia
No full textThe paper examines the impact of sectoral transformation in agriculture on sustainable development in North and Central Asia. It discusses trends and developments of agriculture and structural transformation, as well as its effects on sustainable development in the subregion.
Since the breakdown of Soviet-Union, the subregion underwent economic and political transformation and recorded positive growth after eight years. In the course of transition, all countries in the subregion experienced constantly declining shares of agriculture in gross domestic product. However, the agriculture sector still employs a large share of the population, especially in rural areas. Potential gains from intrasectoral transformation in agriculture should not be underestimated. Increasing sectoral productivity, and hence profitability, bears the prospective to lift millions of people out of poverty while optimizing resource efficiency.
Sustainable agriculture transformation needs to be mainstreamed across the subregion. This can be facilitated by customization of national sustainable agriculture transformation plans, reassessment of current agriculture subsidies structure to target more efficient production inputs, leveraging private sector investment for agriculture modernisation, promote agricultural water use efficiency to combat water stress and strengthen regional cooperation to ensure supply chain resilience. These efforts to support the agriculture sector will in turn contribute to achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Turning the COVID-19 pandemic crisis into collective SDG actions in North-East Asia
Get PDFPrepared as part of the ESCAP Framework on Socio-Economic Response to COVID-19, and also the background document for the North-East Asia Multistakeholder Forum on Sustainable Development Goals 2020, this report analyses the COVID-19 impact and national responses in North-East Asia as well as provides recommendations on a transformative recovery to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda. The report is organized as follows: Session 1 gives a brief introduction of the aim and scope of the report. Session 2 discusses the SDG progress and the preparedness of North-East Asian countries for handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Session 3 analyzes the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the subregion. Session 4 highlights the priorities and approaches of national responses to COVID-19. Session 5 concludes with recommendations on stronger subregional cooperation, with the aim of supporting member States to build back better
Pathways to manage cascading risks and protect people in South Asia : key takeaways for stakeholders
Get PDFIn South Asia, against a backdrop of existing critical socioeconomic vulnerabilities, the deluge of weather events starting from cyclones, to floods to the related outbreaks of water/vector-borne diseases demonstrate how disaster impacts cascade and converge and threaten the very chains that hold economic and social systems together. South Asian countries have always been highly vulnerable to natural disasters. But for the first time in living memory, these natural disasters have hit amid a global pandemic. At present, South Asia presents three cascading risk scenarios – 1) climate extremes – floods, cyclone, landslides, and drought given critical socio-economic vulnerabilities, 2) its intersection with rapidly spreading COVID -19, and 3) the nexus with water/vector borne diseases emanating from the climate extremes amid the rapidly spreading COVID-19.
To address these issues and to provide concrete support to build back better efforts, this policy study on COVID-19 will discuss the pathways available to countries to build back better and articulate the operational mechanisms that can be used to address cascading risk scenarios, protect the people and opportunities, and provide policy guidance to shape the future management of cascading hazards
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises' access to finance in Samoa
Get PDFThis study analyses the supply and demand of financial services for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Samoa, as well as the policy and regulatory frameworks in place and/or needed to better enable MSMEs to access and use financial services. The study also undertakes a gender lens analysis to determine the gender-specific constraints faced by Samoan entrepreneurs to access and use financial services. The main recommendations of the study are (i) an integrated training program for MSMEs, (ii) a collateral shortfall partial guarantee scheme; and (iii) technical assistance to the Development Bank of Samoa