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Synergistic design of climate policies
Get PDFThis paper discusses the concept of synergies within the context of Climate policies. It argues that synergistic policies are relevant both due to amplification of impact and enhancement of efficiency (lower cost to achieve same policy objective). Using simulations of cost and impact of climate policy packages, the paper provides quantitative evidence of policy synergies in three countries in Asia (China, India and Indonesia) using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS). It finds that synergistic design of policies can lead to significant reduction of policy cost by over 40% and notable increase in impact of policies over 20%. It underscores the need for policy makers to identify and harness policy synergies through working with coalition of stakeholders and institutional mechanisms for coordination that helps break down silos
Investment needs to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7: affordable and clean energy
No full textSustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 calls for affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. The Goal is particularly relevant to the Asia-Pacific region where rapid and sustained economic growth, an increasing population, expanding industrialisation and rapid urbanisation have driven strong growth in energy demand. Ensuring sufficient energy supply while moving to more sustainable energy resources is critical for sustainable development in the region
Measuring the digital divide in the Asia-Pacific region for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
No full textThis report’s findings suggest that the best way to measure the digital divide in the Asia-Pacific region is to use a multidimensional approach that captures the economic, social, political and cultural complexities of the digital divide, and reflects on their impact on individuals, businesses and governments.
The advent of the “fourth industrial revolution” has brought advanced digitalization into the global economy, with increasing access to information and connectivity. While this revolution plays a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 50 per cent of the world’s population remain unconnected, posing the danger of groups being left behind. This gap, between and within countries, needs to be addressed in order to ensure the gains from digitalization can be obtained by all.
The importance of this endeavour was made apparent when the United Nations designated access to the Internet and information and communications technologies (ICTs) as a target of SDG 9c in 2015. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) further accentuated its importance through the intergovernmental implementation of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) initiative in 2016. The AP-IS comprises of four pillars: connectivity, traffic and network management, e-resilience, and broadband for all.
It is important to recognize that the digital divide does not just manifest itself in infrastructure gaps. Any analysis needs to be cognizant of how the concept can perpetuate the effects of poverty, gender inequality and marginalization. By understanding the digital divide as the lack of access to digital opportunities to live the life one values (following Amartya Sen’s (2001) capabilities approach), even basic forms of digitalization, such as access and connectivity, provide major opportunities for social development and economic transformation towards knowledge economies. The academic literature illustrates that addressing the access gap is crucial but not sufficient towards closing the digital divide since the knowledge gap in utilizing digital resources must be tackled simultaneously.</p
50 years in Japan : with 25 years in ESCAP
No full textSIAP is a professional statistical training center for government officials from developing countries and a regional institution of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), located in Chiba city, Japan. It has been assisting developing countries in their human resource development through training of officials not only from the countries in Asia and Pacific region but also from other areas of the World. This 50th anniversary volume includes messages from related people and organizations. In addition, it tells the history of the Institute specially in terms of its activities and Its future aspiration
Guidelines for conversion of diesel buses to compressed natural gas
No full textDue to ever increasing demand for road transport, many countries of the region have to import more and more oil and oil products with resulting negative effect on the balance of payments, as well as air quality in urban areas and public health. Several countries in the region have, however, substantial resources of natural gas, offering the potential for the substitution of imported petroleum and refined petroleum products by this domestic and environment-friendly energy source. Substitution of diesel fuel by compressed natural gas (CNG) in urban buses offers a particular advantage in view of their high specific fuel consumption combined with high annual mileage. The publication provides policy makers, transport planning officials, and road transport operators with the general approach to as well as the conditions for a successful programme for conversion of diesel buses to CNG
DHS and Geo-covariates data integration case study on Bangladesh survey 2014 : report
No full textIn September 2015, heads of Member States at UN agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to full implementation of the agenda by year 2030. The SDGs include ending poverty and malnutrition, improving health and education, empower women and eliminate gender disparity, and building resilience to natural disasters and climate change.
To monitor the indicators in these areas, household survey data such as Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) (http://dhsprogram.com), Living Standard Measurement Surveys (LSMS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) (http://mics.unicef.org) have been used more extensively to estimate national level statistics of related indicators
Finteching remittances in paradise : a path to sustainable development
No full textRemittances are an important source of external finance for developing countries, and especially for the Pacific small island developing States (Pacific SIDS). The transaction costs of sending remittances to these countries are amongst the highest in the world. Tackling this issue is crucial not only for economic and social development, but also for improving financial inclusion. This paper is one of the first to analyse fintech adoption in remittance services in the Pacific SIDS, using an original framework to assess the current landscape of fintech in the remittance sector and draw tailored policy recommendations. The framework is conceptualized through a ladder with five rungs: availability, accessibility, awareness, literacy and trust. Based on this, the paper systematically analyses the fintech landscape in the Pacific SIDS and finds that most of these dimensions are still not observed, which results in strong preference for the more expensive traditional remittance services. It finds that among all the fintech-based remittance services, mobile money is the most prevalent and more readily accessible to individuals in the Pacific. Countries in the region are different in their stage of readiness for fintech adoption. While Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have shown almost all of the necessary conditions for adopting fintech-based remittances, other countries still lack behind, requiring extra efforts to encourage the digital transformation of remittance services.I. Introduction................................................................................................ 2 II. Remittances in the Pacific SIDS .................................................................. 3 III. Causes and solutions for high costs........................................................... 7 IV. Defining fintech in remittances................................................................. 9 A. Online platforms ............................................................................................... 9 B. Blockchain-based RSPs .................................................................................... 10 C. Mobile money providers ................................................................................. 11 V. The ladder of fintech-based remittance services...................................... 13 A. Fintech landscape in the Pacific SIDS .................................................................. 15 B. Policy implications ............................................................................................. 20 VI. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 24 References ................................................................................................. 25 Appendix 1: List of UN-Member SIDS by region............................................ 3
Presentation. how to propel inclusive and sustainable growth in the SPECA subregion? 2019 SPECA Economic Forum
No full textTheme: Connectivity: Trade and Transport Facilitation and Sustainable Development in the SPECA Regio
