ESCAP Repository (United Nations ESCAP)
Not a member yet
8868 research outputs found
Sort by
Challenges and best practices for the operationalization of the green and SDG finance taxonomy in Mongolia
No full textThis discussion paper evaluates the implementation of Mongolia's green finance and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) taxonomy, identifying key challenges and opportunities. Based on survey responses from eight commercial banks, the paper assesses institutional readiness, classification practices, and monitoring processes. The findings reveal that while awareness and initial adoption of the taxonomy are widespread, inconsistencies in classification, limited data availability, and the lack of detailed technical screening criteria hinder its effective use. Additionally, banks and regulators face challenges in reporting, verification, and accessing international climate finance. The paper highlights the need for coordinated action among financial institutions, regulators, and government agencies, recommending improved disclosure guidance, comprehensive monitoring frameworks, capacity building, and targeted regulatory incentives to align financial flows with national sustainability goals.The Partnership Action fund of the NDC PartnershipDisclaimer 2
About this report 3
Acknowledgment 4
List of Figures and Tables 6
Acronyms and Abbreviations 9
Executive Summary 10
1. Introduction 13
2.Taxonomy Principles and Overview 17
3. State of Implementation of the Mongolian Green Taxonomy 25
4. Monitoring, Reporting and Verification 39
5. Recommendations 4
Programme. Policy Dialogue on Creative Industries : New Frontiers of Growth, 15 July 2025, Florence, Italy
No full textPresentation. National Office for implementation innovation and technology transfer. Subregional Workshop on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development with a focus on Digital Public Services for SMEs in North and Central Asia, and Fifth session of the SPECA Working Group on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development
No full textAsia-Pacific Disaster Report 2025
No full textThe sun’s rays strike the Earth without regard for national borders. In Asia and the Pacific, rising temperatures are impacting all, everywhere. Disaster risks are expanding and intensifying as temperatures rise with serious consequences not only for human health but also for socio-economic-environmental systems. The frequency and scale of weather events resulting from rising temperatures can range from extensive floods to intense storms, to prolonged drought, expanding desertification and giving rise to new corridors of sand and dust storms. In fact, the fastest growing climate hazards are from rising temperatures.
Rising Heat, Rising Risk assesses recent as well as long-term trends. Based on the latest projections, it distills cascading impacts for multiple infrastructures, and interrelated food, water and energy systems. It identifies troubling impacts on health systems, labour productivity, livelihoods and human well-being, with vulnerable people among those disproportionately impacted by these projections. Furthermore, the report identifies important opportunities for solutions and policy actions. In this regard, countries will have to plan strategically for heat resilience at both local and national levels, while also taking full advantage of opportunities for regional cooperation. The report underlines that as climate change, rising temperatures and risk is a global phenomenon, policy coordination at the regional level will be key to advancing multilateral cooperation for human resilience to disasters. Towards this end, the report finds that dedicated funding may not be needed. Instead financing for heat resilience requires strategic integration into existing adaptation plans, development funding and policy streams, and guided by advances in science, technology, innovation and data-sharing at national, regional and global levels.Contents
Foreword iii
Acknowledgements iv
Executive summary v
Acronyms and abbreviations xiii
Chapter 1: The Asia-Pacific disaster riskscape 1
Disaster trends 1970–2024 2
Disaster events in 2024–2025 4
Future heat risk hotspots 8
Possible climate futures and temperature increases with GHG emissions 9
Endnotes 15
Chapter 2: Extreme heat – disrupting lives, economies and ecosystems 16
Hotter cities 17
Vulnerabilities in energy 20
People at risk 22
Health hazards 24
Economic impacts 25
Food system vulnerabilities 28
Beyond the thermometer 30
Endnotes 31
Chapter 3: Warming oceans, land, glaciers and atmosphere 32
Oceans 33
Land 33
Glaciers 34
Atmosphere 34
Interactions between oceans, land, glaciers and atmosphere 35
Projections for oceans – sea level rise 36
Projections for land – greater aridity 38
Projections for glaciers – glacier ice mass 40
Projections for atmosphere – extreme precipitation 41
Projections for composite risks for oceans, land, glaciers and atmosphere 42
Endnotes 43
Chapter 4: Planning for heat resilience 44
The transformation toward heat resilience systems 45
Component 1 of heat resilient systems: Heat Action Plans 47
Component 2 of heat resilient systems: Heat early warning systems 47
Component 3 of heat resilient systems: Inclusive cooling for urban areas 48
Component 4 of heat resilient systems: Integrating technologies 52
Smart and heat-resilient cities 52
Rates of return on adaptation by sector 54
Mainstreaming heat resilience in agriculture: A model for systemic integration 55
New measurements for estimating agricultural loss and damage 55
Cross-sectoral implications for agriculture 55
Digital tools for climate-smart agriculture 56
The triple development dividend of transformative adaptation 56
First dividend: Avoiding losses through risk management 56
Second dividend: Resource management and optimization 56
Third dividend: Unlocking development co-benefits and stimulating economic activity 57
Financing heat adaptation 57
Endnotes 58
Chapter 5: Regional collaboration for action in Asia and the Pacific 59
Heat-ready multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) 60
Regional collaboration on heat health 62
Regional collaboration on oceans and glaciers 63
A strategic framework to strengthen regional solutions 66
Endnotes 67
Bibliography 6
Guide to the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032
No full textThis is an Easy Read version of information to help countries follow the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023 to 2032
Investing for climate action : Opportunities for expanding the medium-scale rooftop solar photovoltaic sector in Cambodia
No full textThe report analyses the economic performance of the medium-scale rooftop solar PV segment in Cambodia. It studies three typical applications: a garment factory, a private hospital and an office building in Phnom Penh. This analysis considers the current Cambodian rooftop solar (RTS) regulation and its monetary penalties in order to understand the role it plays in the financial returns of medium-scale solar PV projects. This enables conclusions to be drawn about the impact of different regulatory approaches on the investment attractiveness of medium-scale solar power.List of figures ....................................................................................................iii
List of tables ..................................................................................................... iv
Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... v
Executive summary ............................................................................................1
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................3
2. Overview of energy sector in Cambodia.........................................................4
3. Cambodian energy agencies and energy policies...........................................9
4. Energy consumers in Cambodia ..................................................................13
Industrial sector................................................................................................................................................ 14
Commercial sector........................................................................................................................................... 15
Residential sector............................................................................................................................................. 16
5. Solar PV market..........................................................................................17
6. Solar PV financing models ..........................................................................22
7. Deploying rooftop solar in Cambodia...........................................................24
Garment factory ............................................................................................................................................... 24
Private hospital................................................................................................................................................. 27
Office building .................................................................................................................................................. 29
8. Options to strategically unlock rooftop solar ...............................................32
9. Conclusions ................................................................................................33
Annexes
I. Other policies in Cambodia’s energy sector.................................................................................................. 34
II. Garment factory - simulation and financial model of the PV system .......................................................... 35
III. Private hospital - simulation and financial model of PV system................................................................. 38
IV. Office building - simulation and financial model of PV system................................................................... 4
Evaluation of the project on towards the Incheon strategy to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific
No full textThe project “Towards the Incheon Strategy to Ensure the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (Phase II) was implemented between October 2019 and December 2024. The project supported the implementation of the Incheon Strategy - a part of ESCAP’s intergovernmental
commitments made in 2012 and Resolution 69/13 - for promoting disability-inclusive development in Asian and the Pacific. One of the main components of the project was to conduct a survey on the Final Review of the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022 to track progress toward achieving the Incheon Strategy Goals through disability data collection. The purpose of this Final Review Survey was to take stock of progress made in the implementation of the Decade (2013-2022) and for charting a path forward for the coming decade, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Additional activities were conducted that were designed to build national capacity for disability statistics collection and reporting, as well as technical support for national disability policy and program development. This was provided at the request of national stakeholders for improving disability programs, policies and legislation
Taxing the digital economy : a discussion on strategy and policy options
No full textThis paper examines strategies and policy options for taxing the digital economy. For Asia-Pacific countries, strategic considerations include balancing revenue potential, administrative capacity, and investment attractiveness. While the OECD “Pillar Two” offers immediate benefits, “Pillar One” requires cautious engagement due to uncertain revenue outcomes and high compliance costs. Countries may also consider unilateral measures such as digital services taxes (DSTs), withholding taxes (Article 12B of the UN Model Convention), diverted profits taxes, and VAT on digital services. DSTs provide immediate revenue but risk trade conflicts and double taxation.
The paper emphasizes forming national strategies based on country-specific conditions—such as market size, administrative capacity, and reliance on foreign direct investment. It highlights the importance of collective action to reduce trade risks and compliance burdens. Ultimately, while supporting multilateral solutions to avoid harmful tax fragmentation, countries must evaluate whether the benefits of participating outweigh administrative and economic costs. They should also prepare fallback options if global consensus on Pillar One fails.
In conclusion, the paper recommends adopting Pillar Two where possible and taking a cautious, strategic approach to Pillar One and unilateral measures, to ensure fair tax collection without undermining investment or creating excessive administrative burdens.Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ 4
I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 5
II. THE MULTILATERAL FRAMEWORK: STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR JOINING THE "TWO-PILLAR" SOLUTION ........................................................................................................ 6
2.1 What is the multilateral framework?................................................................................... 6
2.2 Strategic considerations for participating in the multilateral framework ................................ 9
2.3 Implications for Asia-Pacific regarding the two-pillar solution ........................................... 14
III. ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES TO THE MULTILATERAL FRAMEWORK (INCLUDING UNILATERAL/ INTERIM SOLUTIONS) ........................................................................................................... 16
3.1 Digital services taxes (DSTs) .......................................................................................... 16
3.2 Withholding taxes ......................................................................................................... 18
3.3 Other income tax solutions ............................................................................................. 19
3.4 VAT or GST solutions .................................................................................................... 19
3.5 Other indirect tax measures ........................................................................................... 20
3.6 Strategic considerations and issues in adopting unilateral solutions ................................... 20
IV. FORMING A NATIONAL STRATEGY.......................................................................................... 21
4.1 Steps and main considerations in formulating a national strategy ....................................... 21
4.2 Examining the position for different groups of Asia-Pacific developing countries ................ 24
V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 2
Evaluation of the project on building resilient agricultural practices by integrating geospatial information for agricultural monitoring in the Lower Mekong basin : an emphasis on rice condition
No full textThe evaluation aimed to ensure accountability while extracting lessons, challenges, and opportunities to inform ESCAP’s IDD, LMC agriculture ministries, partners, and academia for future space and geospatial interventions. It applied a three-pronged approach— summative, formative, and participatory—anchored in the project’s theory of change. Conducted in three phases, the methodology included desk reviews, an inception meeting with the Evaluation Reference Group, 20 key informant interviews (30% women), a survey analysis of capacity-building events, and a final synthesis. The report presents evidence-based findings, conclusions, and actionable recommendations to guide future geospatial and agricultural resilience initiatives.Table of contents
Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................... 2
List of acronyms...................................................................................................................................... 3
Executive summary................................................................................................................................. 4
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 6
2. Description of the Project............................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Project theory of change........................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Project strategies ...................................................................................................................... 9
2.4 Innovative elements ................................................................................................................. 9
2.5 Beneficiaries, target countries, and key partners...................................................................10
2.6 Resources................................................................................................................................ 10
3. Evaluation Scope and Methodology .............................................................................................11
3.1 Evaluation scope ..................................................................................................................... 11
3.2 Evaluation approach ............................................................................................................... 12
3.3 Data collection and analysis.................................................................................................... 12
3.4 Stakeholder analysis ............................................................................................................... 14
3.5 Sampling.................................................................................................................................. 14
3.6 Risks and limitations ............................................................................................................... 14
4. Evaluation Findings....................................................................................................................... 15
4.1 Impact ..................................................................................................................................... 15
4.2 Effectiveness........................................................................................................................... 17
4.3 Relevance................................................................................................................................ 20
4.4 Efficiency................................................................................................................................. 22
4.5 Sustainability........................................................................................................................... 23
4.6 Cross-cutting issues................................................................................................................. 24
5. Conclusion..................................................................................................................................... 26
Table 3: Rating .............................................................................................................................. 27
6. Good Practices and Lessons Learned............................................................................................28
6.1 Good Practices........................................................................................................................ 28
6.2 Lessons learned....................................................................................................................... 28
7. Recommendations........................................................................................................................ 30
ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Annex 1: Project’s theory of change............................................................................................33
Annex 2: Interview guide............................................................................................................. 34
Annex 3: Evaluation matrix.......................................................................................................... 36
Annex 4: Terms of reference........................................................................................................ 40
Annex 5: List of documents reviewed .........................................................................................45
Annex 6: List of KIIs...................................................................................................................... 46
Annex 7: Stakeholder Analysis .................................................................................................... 47
Annex 8: Key partners of the project ..........................................................................................4