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Presentation. Making trade work for the environment the 2030 Agenda. Third High-Level Seminar on Trade in Central Asia and Thirteenth Session of the SPECA Working Group on Trade
No full textPresentation. Transport and logistics in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. 2019 SPECA Economic Forum
No full textTheme: Connectivity: Trade and Transport Facilitation and Sustainable Development in the SPECA Regio
Presentation. UNECE activities for better transport connectivity. 2019 SPECA Economic Forum
No full textTheme: Connectivity: Trade and Transport Facilitation and Sustainable Development in the SPECA Regio
Presentation. Trade as an engine for sustainable development and inclusive growth in Central Asia. Fourteenth session of the SPECA Working Group on Trade
No full textTariff liberalization in the RCEP trade agreement and impact on India's automobile industry : an applied general equilibrium analysis
Get PDFAdequate attention has not been paid by researchers towards general equilibrium effects of trade liberalization particularly involving trade in global value chains (GVC) goods, in spite of its emergence being an established phenomenon among Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members including India. This paper contributes in that aspect by undertaking a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) simulation utilizing the GTAP 9 database updated to 2015, augmenting it to study the automobile sector of trade in GVC goods in the Indian context. In the case of automobile industry, ours is the first attempt to employ this tool in this context and this is one of the methodological/data contributions of this paper. The key here is to analyze the welfare effects for India, in a probable futuristic scenario of a full tariff liberalization (with and without any productivity improvement) as part of the ongoing RCEP negotiations, and the specific impact of this on output, prices and trade in the automobile and auto-parts industry, wherein GVC led trade assumes significance.
The results suggest that while there is a positive overall welfare impact due to RCEP on the Indian economy, and trade balance improves, the automobiles and auto-parts industry in India will specifically witness an adverse impact, unless an annual productivity growth of at least 2.5% is achieved. Imports of these goods are more likely to increase than exports from India to RCEP member countries, even in presence of a productivity improvement. The paper informs policymakers in India to focus on improving domestic productivity growth in face of increased foreign competition through mega-trade deals such as RCEP
SDG 6 Data and monitoring in Asia and the Pacific: existing initiatives, gaps, and recommendations
Get PDFSDG 6 Data and Monitoring in Asia and the Pacific: Existing Initiatives, Gaps, and Recommendations examines the current status of data monitoring for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on water and sanitation for all. This report identifies challenges and opportunities for monitoring, a key component of the 2030 Agenda.
Robust monitoring systems help decision makers set priorities for implementation, depict interlinkages between goals, and communicate on progress. Moreover, effective monitoring can spur investment and inspire political commitment and advocacy.
This report sets out to catalyse support for coordinated regional action on SDG 6 monitoring, with the ultimate goal of accelerating progress towards achieving SDG 6 and the overall 2030 Agenda. The urgency of coordinated action cannot be understated: based on the current trajectory, Asia and the Pacific will likely miss all 17 SDG targets by 2030. The region is regressing on SDG 6 targets, with overall progress on water and sanitation below 2000 levels.
While significant progress has already been made, further action is needed to integrate monitoring activities and reduce institutional fragmentation. This report is a call to action for all the Asia and the Pacific stakeholders involved in SDG 6 monitoring who play a crucial role in ensuring sustained progress towards the goals set forth in the 2030 Agenda.</p
e-Government and interoperability initiatives in the Philippines : new directions, challenges and opportunities
Get PDFAchieving interoperability is widely recognized as one of the major goals of any e-government effort. With shrinking budgets and the high cost of new technologies, government IT managers are optimizing the use of existing resources and leveraging the opportunities brought about by new technologies.
Generally defined as the ability of information systems, devices and organizations to access and process data, interoperability relies on a secure platform to ensure the integrity of transactions. For governments, interoperability requires access to services and information across agencies, while reducing costs as well as improving productivity.
As a tool to improve governance, it is also as a set of practices intended to promote transparency, ensure the efficient delivery of services, and foster accountability. Furthermore, interoperability can be a tool for inclusion and growth. It can encourage innovation and collaboration among public agencies, private sector and citizens by eliminating organizational (transactional) silos, and inspire openness.
On the technical side, interoperability is a complex endeavor that involves people, information, communication and technology usually driven by a sense of achieving the public good. It includes the development of standards, the building of capacities and the appropriate organizational culture.</p
Pathways to influence : promoting the role of women's transformative leadership to achieve the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFA key driver for progress is Sustainable Development Goal target 5.5 on promoting and strengthening equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. Women leaders are making an impact across Asia Pacific. Women’s presence in local, state and national levels of government has influenced higher female voter turnout, increased gender sensitive policies and a stronger focus on improving social, health and safety services. In business, evidence is emerging to show that a higher proportion of women managers is significantly associated with an increase in profit.
Nevertheless, leadership also remains out of reach for too many women across Asia and the Pacific.ESCAP, under the auspices of the UN Regional Coordination Mechanism Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, prepared a report on critical enablers for women’s leadership with a focus on its transformative impact on the societies. The report “Pathways to Influence: Promoting the Role of Women’s Transformative Leadership to Achieve the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific” highlights four key pathways to women’s transformative leadership, including growing consciousness and capabilities; accessing resources and opportunities; shaping and leveraging formal policies, laws and rules; transforming social norms and exclusionary practices. The report draws on research and data, as well as the journeys of 17 women leaders from 14 countries across the region to identify key factors that have enabled women leaders to inspire change in their diverse areas, ranging from disability, economic empowerment, grassroots community development, human rights and law, labour rights and trade unions, local governance, peace and security, public health, public sector reform, rural development and livelihoods, urban development and housing, women’s empowerment and youth
SDG14: life below water : navigating life below water in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFThe 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals provide a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The Agenda addresses global challenges including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. Goal 14, Life below Water, seeks to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. How are the ambitions of Goal 14 water going? Since its adoption in 2015, is the world on track to meet the ambitions of Goal 14? What are the challenges in measuring change? What are the current data and information challenges? This paper aims to provide an overview of progress made on data availability and reporting for Goal 14 in Asia and the Pacific, the home of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, illustrating challenges and new opportunities
Digital and sustainable trade facilitation in Pacific island developing economies : sub-regional report 2019
No full textBased on the United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade FacilitationThe UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation 2019 reveals that the average implementation of a common set of 31 Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation measures by PIDEs stand at 35.5% significantly lower than the Asia-Pacific regional average of 59.7%. Moreover, PIDEs have the lowest average level of implementation in the region, less than half of AUS-NZL (93%) and even lower than South and South-West Asia (55.4%). In general, more advanced or larger economies are at a higher level of trade facilitation than many other countries in the region, while small or less developed countries, such as LDCs or small Pacific countries, lag in the implementation of trade facilitation measures, particularly paperless and cross-border paperless trade measures.
Although trade facilitation implementation varies widely within each sub-regional grouping, differences in trade facilitation implementation levels are smallest in PIDEs. This can be explained by the strong emphasis on on-going economic cooperation initiatives in this sub-region on trade facilitation – but arguably more likely by the fact that these small and generally isolated economies all face relatively similar implementation constraints. Countries with special needs in the Asia-Pacific region face challenges in implementation of paperless trade and cross-border paperless trade measures, in particular.
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