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Economic and social survey of Asia and the Pacific 2019 : ambitions beyond growth
Get PDFThe relatively stable economic performance of Asia and the Pacific conceals increasing downside risks to regional progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In an era of uncertainty, bold and wise policies are needed to make growth inclusive and sustainable, i.e., “putting people and planet first.”
A comprehensive assessment of the investment needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals in the region by 2030 estimates an additional $1.5 trillion per year to end poverty and hunger, provide basic health care, a quality education, enabling infrastructure and clean energy for all, and for climate action and living in harmony with nature. These “ambitions beyond growth” are largely affordable for most countries in the region, given available public and private resources. Strong development partnerships and regional cooperation are essential to ensure that all countries complete this important journey.
MPFD Policy Briefs
No. 83: Investing in social protection floors
No. 84: Ending hunger and malnutrition - how much would it cost?
No. 85: Investment needs for ambitiously moving towards universal health coverage
No. 86: Providing quality education for every child and youth - how much would it cost?
No. 87: Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls
No. 88: Investment needs to achieve affordable and clean energy
No. 89: Costing the transport infrastructure component of SDGs in Asia and the Pacific
No. 90: Increasing access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
No. 91: Investment in climate action
No. 92: Investing in sustainable infrastructure for all
No. 93: Mind the gaps - SDG progress and SDG investment needs
No. 94: Fiscal space and national budgets for SDGs
No. 95: Investing in biodiversity and ecosystems
No. 96: Universal access to safe water and sanitation - how much would it cost
No. 101: Maintaining financial stability in Asia and the Pacific
No. 102: Asia and the Pacific - Shaping future tax policies in a digital era</a
Unpaid work in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFWomen in Asia and the Pacific work the longest hours in the world. On average, women in the region worked 7.7 hours daily, of which only 3.3 hours are paid, and the rest are dedicated to unpaid care work. If included in measurement of GDP, unpaid care work undertaken by women in Asia Pacific would add 3.8 trillion USD to the regional total GDP (Woetzel et al. n.d.).
It is well-known that how households in general, and women in particular, decide to spend use their time, has implications for women’s economic participation.80 per cent of the unpaid care work in the region is done by women. Therefore, it is no surprise that the labour force participation rate of women in the region is only 46 per cent. Furthermore, ILO (2018b) reports that 64 per cent of women workers in the region are in informal employment. The need for flexible arrangements between home and work drive women to look for jobs that are accommodating and therefore, become employed in the informal sector which offer flexibility, but at the cost of vulnerable conditions of work and pay. Furthermore, the unpaid work done by women has implications on outcomes such as gender earnings gap, gender gaps in political representation and decision-making. It is agreed in policy and research circles that women’s engagement in unpaid work is one of the main causes for their economic and social disempowerment (UN Women 2018)
Tackling industrial water pollution : lessons from China
Get PDFThough the manufacturing sector has been a key driver of growth across Asia, it is also the source of critical environmental problems, including the surge of water resource use and water pollution. Further, estimates suggest that the industrial sector of the region will see the largest increase (of 65 per cent) in water use by 2030 compared to any other sector in the economy.1 Combining with projected population growth this can exacerbate water-access problems in Asia.2 Within this context and given the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) prominent position as a global industrial hub, the PRC offers a valuable case study in managing and enforcing environmental controls in the face of rapid industrialisation. This is especially relevant for countries in the region seeking to undergo similar structural change in terms of industrial development but with lower impact on the environment. This policy brief outlines the context of the PRC, the PRC’s key policies, case studies from the city of Shaoxing and Shandong Province (the PRC’s hub for the textile industry and paper and pulp industry respectively), and some key policy recommendations. This policy brief is a key input for work carried out by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with Tsinghua University,3 to strengthen the capacity of regional governments to implement policy for improving water and resource use in key industrial sectors
Philippine (Metro Manila) case study on municipal financing
No full textThis study aims to understand how public financing is carried out in Metropolitan (Metro) Manila by examining governance structures and institutional mandates in revenue mobilization. Metro Manila, also known as the National Capital Region (NCR), is the center of economic, political and educational power (Department of Trade and Industry n.d.) and is comprised of 16 cities and 1 municipality. These local government units (LGUs) have revenue raising and spending authority and autonomy as provided in the 1991 Local Government Code (LGC). At the same time these LGUs are under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). This metropolitan governance structure is a public corporation that coordinates development plans, policies and reforms across all the member sub-national governments. The last chapter of this paper analyzes current local public finance reform efforts as well as explores other possible options.Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 3 I. Decentralization in the Philippines................................................................................. 3 A.The evolution of the Philippine local government institution........................................4 B.Current structure of Philippine decentralization............................................................6 II. Metropolitan Manila: introduction and profile...................................................... 14 III. Fiscal Performance of Metro Manila local governments: revenues, expenditures, intergovernmental fiscal transfers and debt servicing........ 17 IV. Governance in Metro Manila, National Capital Region....................................... 23 V. Analysis of reform options................................................................................................ 27 A. Jurisdictional fragmentation and metropolitan governance........................................27 B. Debt financing...............................................................................................................29 C. Local government revenue mobilization and the ‘headquarters problem’ .................30 VI. Summary and ways forward ........................................................................................... 30 References....................................................................................................................................... 3
Integrated resource management in Asian cities : the urban nexus
Get PDFThe urban nexus approach aims at integrated planning and management of the key resources of energy, water and food, and this can contribute substantially to the long-term sustainable development of rapidly growing cities and their regions. In supporting integrated approaches it is essential to engage municipal, provincial and national actors towards collaborative planning and management in order to fully utilise the synergies and co-benefits arising from policies which integrate water, energy and food resources.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was developed with an emphasis on synergies and innovative approaches so that achieving a goal would not be at the expense of another and that co-benefits could be found in integrated approaches. Natural resources remain as one of the cross-cutting issues fundamental to the achievement of sustainability in cities and across sustainable development goals and targets. The urban nexus can be a vehicle for new forms of thinking, leadership and commitment to close the gaps that exist between how we manage those resources today and where we need to be in the future and thereby address the urban challenges.The 1-pager flyer on the partner cities attempt to provide an overview of the progress in the cities in terms of issues addressed and the impacts created
Investing in accessibility in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFThis policy brief focuses on an investment approach to improving accessibility in Asia and the Pacific so as to narrow gaps and build an inclusive Asia and Pacific for all
Industrial policy for structural transformation to reduce poverty in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS
Get PDFIndustrial policy is once again becoming a favoured tool to address countries’ development challenges. As the Asia-Pacific Countries with Special Needs Development Report: Structural Transformation and its Role in Reducing Poverty1 highlights, industrial policy is particularly relevant for effective structural economic transformation in least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS), a group collectively refered to as ‘countries with special needs’, and one that is characterised by various vulnerabilities and significant challenges to reduce poverty. Indeed, the report demonstrates that poverty cannot be reduced sustainably without productivity enhancing structural transformation. It also shows that structural transformation in Asia-Pacific LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS has been sluggish and thus the poverty reduction has been slow. Despite some evident successes, particularly in reducing extreme poverty, 2 out of 5 people still live for less than $3.20 a day in these economies, compared to 1 out of 15 among other developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region
Strategies to tackle the issue of impaired driving for road safety in the Asia-Pacific region : implementation framework
No full textWhile several ESCAP member countries have made progress in reducing drink-driving, much more work needs to be accomplished to make a significant impact. Drink-driving laws and serious enforcement have been effective in most countries and have had an immediate effect. A general deterrent effect, namely all drivers want to avoid drink-driving, gives the “biggest bang for the buck” in countermeasures and is cost effective. That involves laws, enforcement, reasonable sanctions, publicity and institutional development. Specific deterrence (only drivers arrested for drink-driving and sanctioned have the desire to not repeat the behaviour) works to some extent, but it is not as effective, as a general deterrent strategy.
It will most likely take a combination of strategies for drink-driving to be reduced in ESCAP member countries. For this to happen, key country officials must give some priority to deterring drink-driving. Data collection and analysis is key for applying any strategy. Attaining data on the blood alcohol concentrations of drivers involved in fatal crashes and of drivers seriously injured on the roads would be extremely informative. Data on arrests and convictions for drink-driving would also provide important information. Most ESCAP countries lack consistent and quality data that can be used to assess progress in reducing drink-driving