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State of play of transport targets in nationally determined contributions and beyond in Asia and the Pacific
Get PDFThe policy brief State of Play of Transport Targets in Nationally Determined Contributions and Beyond in Asia and the Pacific was developed following the Regional Cooperation Mechanism on Low Carbon Transport: Establishment and Implementation of Low Carbon Transport Targets and Timelines in Asia and the Pacific regional meeting.
This policy brief provides an assessment of transport targets and measures in nationally determined contributions and national transport policies of ESCAP member States. It examines the way forward for the sector to further enhance its climate action in the next round of the nationally determined contributions revision process, also known as NDC 3.0, and presents 10 recommendations for countries in Asia and the Pacific that can support the transition to low-carbon transport. The policy brief was developed by ESCAP and the SLOCAT Partnership, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and Asian Transport Outlook. It was funded by the United Kingdom International Development through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under the High Volume Transport Applied Research Programme.Funded by the United Kingdom International Development through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under the High Volume Transport Applied Research Programme
Evaluation of the project on "Support implementation of the outcomes of the Second Asian and Pacific Energy Forum"
No full textLeading Division: Energy Divisio
Combating climate change and poverty in Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries : a call for integrated approaches
Get PDFClimate change and poverty are the two greatest challenges affecting Asia-Pacific least developed countries (LDCs). As climate change escalates globally, these countries find themselves the most exposed and vulnerable to its impacts. Over the past decade, LDCs experienced around 13 per cent of the total disasters, accounting for nearly 17 per cent of deaths and 9 per cent of the affected population in the region, although these countries occupy only 4 per cent of the region’s land surface and host less than 7 per cent of its population.
Meanwhile, the high prevalence of poverty, widespread inequality and other structural socioeconomic issues in LDCs magnify their vulnerabilities to climate change impacts. A larger proportion of people living in poverty and the lack of insurance mechanisms, combined with long-standing infrastructure deficits and weak institutional capacity, constrain their ability to respond to and recover from disasters. Together with low domestic resource mobilization and significant development gaps, LDCs lack adequate fiscal space to fulfill multiple pressing development needs, including building resilience to climate risks and lifting people out of poverty.
Against this background, there is a pressing need for more effective development approaches that integrate climate action and poverty alleviation activities, recognizing the intricate interconnection between these issues and their impacts on each other. Integrated approaches provide opportunities to pool resources and foster greater alignment, coherence, efficiency and synergy across policies to address multiple objectives and enable transformative change. This policy brief discusses the intertwined challenges of climate change and poverty in Asia-Pacific LDCs and highlights the crucial need for integrated approaches to policy design and implementation that can support accelerated climate action and poverty alleviation efforts in these countries.</p
Study on the challenges and opportunities of EV development in three Cities of the Philippines : the case of cities of Cauayan, Borongan and Ormoc
No full textTo support the Government of the Philippines with an in-depth assessment of challenges and
opportunities to introduce EVs in the public transport system, this analytical study on EVs in the three cities was undertaken.
The specific objectives of the study are to:
● Review and analyze the overall structure of EVs in public transport in the selected cities,
infrastructure, challenges, and barriers to develop EVs;
● Identify potential areas in these cities for further development for EV promotion; and
● Propose recommendations to promote EVs; and identify pathways for moving forward
towards greater adoption of EVs in public transport.</p
Legal implementation guide for cross-border paperless trade
Get PDFCreating a legal framework for cross-border paperless trade requires consideration of traditional practices such as harmonization of laws and mutual recognition of legal regimes. It also requires appreciation of widely-accepted principles of laws of electronic commerce, notably those underlying the UNCITRAL Model Laws on these matters, namely functional equivalence; non-discrimination; technology neutrality; and interoperability. Moreover, promoting cross-border paperless trade should rely on existing legal and technical standards, to facilitate interoperation with other systems and to reduce the effort needed to set such standards.
This document will serve as a guide to the legal issues arising in cross-border paperless trade, indicate the most commonly accepted solutions to those issues, and suggest approaches for countries to implement or adapt those solutions to facilitate their participation in that trade. It will do so with particular reference to the United Nations treaty, the Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (CPTA). The guide elaborates on key principles and instruments for harmonizing laws related to paperless trade, including trade agreements. For each topic, implementation issues and good practices are highlighted.
The guide also sets out the challenges of mutual recognition of digital data with a description of best practices to optimize such recognition. The bases for trust and reliability are mentioned, though judging either is complex. The reasons that digital trade can function regardless of this state are explored. Furthermore, the Guide examines digital trading platforms that organize countries’ approaches to digital documents and the ways in which they can communicate across borders. Finally, the Guide reviews how a country might set priorities for developing its own domestic laws and for facilitating relations with other countries.
A series of appendices provide lists of key international laws and standards that implementing countries should keep in mind. They also include a description of major preferential trade agreements involving ESCAP member States. Finally, they include an examination of what would be needed for an international agreement on technical legal standards, and a deeper look into mutual recognition.</p
Advancing cross-border paperless of Mongolia : reviewing selected documents and exploring pilot projects
No full textMongolia has been advancing significantly in economic liberalisation, trade facilitation, and
foreign investment since transitioning from a centrally planned to a market economy in 1990.
In 2022, Mongolia's trade turnover reached US$ 21.2 billion, signalling the nation's growing
role in global trade. The accession to the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-
border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific in July 2022 marks a critical step for
Mongolia’s efforts in advancing cross-border paperless trade.In this connection, this study evaluates Mongolia's current practices in cross-border
paperless trade and discusses the possible pilot projects between Mongolia and its trading
partners. The study shows that Mongolia has made substantial progress in developing the
Customs Automated Information System (CAIS) and Customs External Portal System
(CEPS). The electronic exchange of export declarations and X-ray images with the Russian
Federation is a model for successful cross-border information exchange, reducing fraud and
expediting customs processes.Still, Mongolia primarily relies on traditional paper-based methods for exchanging
Certificates of Origin (COO) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) Certificates, although
digital options are becoming increasingly feasibleThis report reviews the selected trade-related documents for cross-border paperless trade of Mongolia and preliminarily proposes possible pilot projects.The support from the Government of the Republic of Kore
Non-tariff measures in the context of LDC graduation : Cambodia, Lao PDR and Timor-Leste
Get PDFThe paper explores the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), and Timor-Leste as they prepare for graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status. NTMs, which include sanitary measures, technical barriers, and regulatory requirements, pose significant challenges for LDCs. These countries face increased difficulties complying with complex NTMs, especially given their limited capacity. While tariffs have decreased globally, NTMs have become a more significant barrier, particularly for agricultural exports.
Graduation from LDC status will exacerbate these challenges as countries lose access to special trade preferences, including relaxed rules of origin and other LDC-specific support mechanisms. The paper assesses the specific impacts on each country, highlighting Cambodia's challenges in complying with stricter rules of origin, Lao PDR's issues with intellectual property and NTMs, and Timor-Leste's reliance on oil exports and WTO accession. Finally, it offers recommendations for mitigating the negative impacts of NTM compliance, focusing on capacity building and institutional strengthening to support sustainable trade development post-graduation
Timor-Leste : structural transformation and economic diversification towards a sustainable graduation from LDC category
Get PDFAlthough Timor-Leste met the least LDC graduation criteria of GNI per-capita and the human assets index during the 2018 and 2021 triennial reviews and was found eligible for graduation, it was recommended that graduation be deferred to 2024, owing to continued concerns about the sustainability of the country’s development progress.Pathways towards LDC graduation and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals are broadly defined in the country’s strategic development plan and the sustainable development framework, which are being implemented through the SDG road map and the Government’s short- and medium-term plan.Timor-Leste has made substantial economic progress over the past 20 years but graduating from LDC remains challenging and fully achieving any of the SDGs by 2030 is unlikely under the current development pace. Noted progress in development gains has been in the benchmarks related to school attendance, child and maternal health, and electricity access. Timor-Leste, however, is lagging with regard to poverty reduction and equality of access to quality services and opportunities. Prospects for the country’s sustainable development is uncertain in view of a significant decline of oil revenue, limited economic diversification and a recent slowdown in economic development.Tangible and more practical actions are needed to prepare for LDC graduation and progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Timor-Leste needs toenhance the implementation of the development framework by integrating strategies for graduation into the planning framework, building institutional capacities, including the establishment of a national committee for LDC graduation, and promoting good cooperation and partnerships with development partners to efficiently deliver services at all levels of governance.A conducive macroeconomic and business environment and prudent fiscal policy must underpin the economic diversification process and private sector development in order to attain vibrant and inclusive growth, which are paramount for the country’s preparation to graduate from LDC status as well as for it to build a resilient economy. The Government needs to immediately restore macroeconomic stability and quickly recover from recent economic recessions. Prudent fiscal policy grounded in fiscal sustainability and rationalization of expenditure are necessary to build sustainable infrastructure, as well as for human capital development, facilitation and promotion of private sector investment, and economic diversification based on the development the following there sectors: agriculture; tourism; and manufacturing. Creating more market opportunities for investment and trade through economic integration are important – mobilizing resources under the Belt and Road Initiative for infrastructure development and accelerating the country’s accessions to WTO and ASEAN needs to be promoted. It is also critical for Timor-Leste to ensure the sustainability of the Petroleum Fund, mobilize more tax and domestic resources through efficient tax administration and policy, enhance implementation of the “Foreign Aid Policy” for efficient management of ODA, mobilize more external concessional borrowings, and encourage mobilization of private sector resources through PPP, equity participation, and the development of institutions and legislation for the creation of a bond market.</p
Regional Digital Trade Integration Index (RDTII) 2.0 economy profile 2024
No full textESCAP-ECA-ECLAC Initiative on Digital Trade Regulatory IntegrationThis ESCAP publication provides digital trade policy profiles of 21 Asia-Pacific economies, included in the ESCAP-ECA-ECLAC Regional Digital Trade Integration Index, version 2 (RDTII 2.0). The report offers an overview of the policy landscape, outlining both enabling policies and challenges to digital trade integration. Additionally, it highlights new policy measures, proposals related to digital trade, and the participation of the concerned economies in trade negotiations involving digital trade.
For more information, please visit Initiative on Digital Trade Regulatory Integration.Australia.....................................................1
Brunei Darussalam...............................................8
Cambodia...............................................................14
India.......................................................................20
Indonesia...............................................................27
Japan......................................................................34
Kazakhstan.................................................................40
Lao PDR.......................................................................47
Malaysia......................................................................53
Nepal...........................................................................59
New Zealand...............................................................65
Pakistan......................................................................71
Philippines..................................................................77
Republic of Korea.......................................................83
Russian Federation....................................................90
Singapore....................................................................97
Thailand....................................................................104
Türkiye......................................................................111
Vanuatu.....................................................................117
Viet Nam...................................................................123
Hong Kong, China....................................................12