In The News
- 6 Jun 2011
Asia and the Pacific, more than any other region in the world, will experience greater transformation and change in the coming years, as the region's economic strength plays a greater role in the global economy and as its population centers struggle to overcome the burdens of poverty, hunger, natural disasters and social inequalities. The region's economic growth figures, recently released in the UN ESCAP Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2011, indicate just how powerful Asia's economy is for the world already.
- 21 May 2011
It is widely agreed that crises create opportunities of sorts. As the Asia-Pacific region slowly emerges from the recession of 2008 and attempts to cope with the after-effects of a food crisis and natural disasters - including that which took place in highly-prepared Japan - governments are looking anew at ways to mitigate the rising insecurity and heightened social risks experienced by millions of people across the region, especially those living in or close to poverty.
- 9 May 2011
For the people of Asia's least developed countries - the 14 poorest Asian countries and Pacific small island states - the past decade was marked by multiple global economic crises and setbacks that prevented governments in each of the countries from succeeding in bringing their people out of extreme poverty. Despite some progress since 2001, the international development agenda for these neediest states remains unfinished. The 4th United Nations Conference on LDCs (UN LDC-IV) being held in Istanbul this week, brings together government leaders and international donors urgently seeking to establish a new course of action for this decade.
- 11 Nov 2010
The G-20 Summit in Seoul is the first time that the G20 Summit has been held in the Asia Pacific region, now the emerging center of gravity for the world economy, where the dynamic economies of China and India are leading the global recovery. The Seoul Summit is also to be recognised for placing development on the G20 agenda. The Summit's discussion on development will include the opinions of those countries - and the voices of billions of the world's population -- not represented by the G20 leaders at this critical forum. Under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, economists and representatives of 26 Asian countries gathered last week in Bangkok to reflect on the agenda of the Seoul Summit from the perspective of excluded poorer countries.
- 1 Oct 2010
Reports in Asia-Pacific have begun to emerge of very old persons who died in their homes without anyone realizing for a long while. Facing infirmed old age in penury. Dying all alone. These are fears that may be more real than many would care to admit. The Asian and Pacific region is home to over half of the world's population aged 60 years and over. Thus, today's observance of the International Day of Older Persons has a special significance for our region. Asia-Pacific is at the forefront of the global phenomenon of population ageing: its number of older persons is rising at a pace unprecedented and a scale unmatched by that of any other region in the world.