Social Development

Despite Asia-Pacific’s impressive growth, some 400 million people remain trapped in extreme poverty at $1.90 a day with 1.2 billion people remaining in vulnerable situation ($3.20 a day). Disparities in income and wealth, as well as those related to basic services are persisting and preventing a future of shared prosperity. ESCAP is conducting evidence-based policy analysis to assist policymakers to reduce poverty and inequality for leaving no-one behind.

When guaranteed through equal opportunity, choice and access to resources, women’s full participation in society and the economy multiplies the capacity of all for sustainable growth and social development. ESCAP is currently focusing its efforts on: enhancing women’s economic empowerment, including through entrepreneurship; championing the integration of gender concerns into national planning and budgetary processes; as well as promoting the value of women’s transformative leadership.

Empowering youth in order to harness their potential is key to sustainably manage the demographic transition towards an ageing society that is taking place in the region. ESCAP assists governments to develop comprehensive national youth policies and promotes youth participation in development, including through its Youth Policy Toolbox focusing on school-to-work transitions.

International migration is a structural feature of an interconnected Asia-Pacific region and has profound socioeconomic impacts on the composition of populations, labour force and societies. Ensuring safe, orderly and regular migration is a key priority of the region in tune with the 2030 Agenda. ESCAP is assisting the region to articulate its perspective on migration and feed this into the global negotiations on the Global Compact on safe orderly and regular migration, with a view to reform policies to ensure that migration benefits all.

Against the backdrop of persisting poverty and widening inequalities, ESCAP supports national and regional efforts by functioning as a knowledge platform for social protection, including through its Social Protection Toolbox (http://socialprotection-toolbox.org). ESCAP advocates for inclusive social protection along the Social Protection Floor and works to strengthen the capacity of policymakers in the Asia-Pacific region to design, implement and finance inclusive social protection as a tool for achieving the 2030 Agenda.

Accounting for 60 per cent of the world’s population with countries at various stages of the demographic transition, ESCAP supports member States in implementing the 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the 2013 Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development. ESCAP also conducts regular reviews of implementation of these frameworks, and works with diverse stakeholders to ensure equitable development.

Asia and the Pacific is home to 690 million persons with disabilities, many of whom are excluded from leading a fulfilling and productive life. ESCAP assists member States in implementing the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific — the world’s first regionally agreed action plan on disability-inclusive development in line with the 2030 Agenda and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Asian and Pacific region is experiencing rapid population ageing, with the number of older persons expected to more than double by 2050. ESCAP supports member States in implementing the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) through periodic reviews that aim to strengthen regional cooperation and enhance government capacity to design and implement policy measures that empower older persons, and promote and protect their rights.

As set out in the 2030 Agenda which endeavours to “reach the furthest behind first”, protecting and promoting the rights of vulnerable and marginalized groups is fundamental towards realizing an inclusive, prosperous and sustainable Asia-Pacific. In this regard, ESCAP focuses its efforts on women and girls, youth, persons with disabilities, older persons and migrants. In addition, ESCAP also supports its member States in addressing the needs of key populations at higher risk of exposure to HIV and AIDS.