This paper examines the progress made so far in achieving the trade targets of Millennium Development Goal 8 (“Building a Global Partnership for Development”) with respect to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of Asia and the Pacific. The paper uses data from the OECD, WTO and UNDP, among others, to measure the MDG indicators 8.6, 8.7 and 8.9 with respect to these countries, thereby quantifying some of the impacts in these countries of recent global and national policy changes in the areas of market access, tariff preferences for LDCs and Aid for Trade.
After the first global economic contraction in recent history, a rebound began to take shape among Asian and Pacific countries. The regional rebound remains fragile and uneven with a number of downside risks. Turning it into a sustained recovery will make 2010 a year of complex policymaking, far exceeding that of emergency crisis management in 2009, with rising inflationary tendencies and asset bubbles.
The Asia-Pacific region has made considerable progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The rapid economic growth achieved in many countries of the region has helped lift millions of people out of poverty. Governments have made substantial investments in education and health services and in protecting their most vulnerable people. Nevertheless, the region is still off track on many crucial MDG indicators, including child and maternal mortality. In many countries, economic achievements have also had environmental costs.
This paper was commissioned by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asian and the Pacific (hereafter ESCAP) as part of a global project entitled “Strengthening National Mechanisms for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women”. The project is a joint project between the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women and the five United Nations Regional Commissions. It aims to strengthen collaborations and synergies between different mechanisms at national level to facilitate the goals of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
A listing of ESCAP meeting papers and official documents produced by substantive divisions in the year 2009. Wherever possible, in the Document Symbol Index, the document symbols link directly to the Official Document System of the United Nations (ODS).
Since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, there has been progress in some areas towards achieving gender equality in the Asia and Pacific region. Despite the progress made, however, women in the region continue to face discrimination and persistent constraints to achieving gender equality and empowerment.
The Asia-Pacific High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Review Regional Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and Its Regional and Global Outcomes was held in Bangkok from 16 - 18 November 2009 to review implementation of the Platform for Action fifteen years after its adoption.
The purpose of this publication is to disseminate the findings of the report on “Older-age parents and the AIDS epidemic in Thailand:Changing impacts in the era of Antiretroviral Therapy” to assist policymakers addressing similar contextual environments to further understand the epidemic and its impact on elderly caregivers.
The Asia-Pacific Development Journal (APDJ) is published twice a year by the Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
The primary objective of the APDJ is to provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge, experience, ideas, information and data on all aspects of economic and social development issues and concerns facing the region and to stimulate policy debate and assist in the formulation of policy.
The Review of Developments in Transport in Asia and the Pacific is a biennial publication of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
