Social Development
About
Fostering sustainable socioeconomic transformation in Asia and the Pacific
ESCAP’s work on social development is driven by the call of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “leave no-one behind”. Asia and the Pacific’s impressive economic growth and achievements in poverty reduction have not succeeded in closing gaps in income between the rich and poor, nor unequal access to basic services. These gaps disproportionately affect the most vulnerable members of society, as well as hamper inclusive growth, stymie social cohesion, and contribute to unsustainable production and consumption patterns. In short, these social development gaps undermine efforts to achieving the 2030 Agenda.
The Social Development Division (SDD) presents evidence-based policy analysis on poverty and inequality reduction, and works to promote social protection and decent job creation, foster gender equality, and strengthen social inclusion of persons with disabilities, older persons, youth and migrants, among other vulnerable groups.
SDD also co-chairs two Thematic Working Groups of the UN Asia-Pacific Regional Coordination Mechanism: namely on Sustainable Societies , and Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.
ESCAP provides the following services with a view to advancing social development in the region:
1. Policy analysis and technical assistance on inclusive development
- - Evidence-based analytical studies on people-centered development
- - Regional sharing of good practices on social development
- - Demand-driven technical assistance to support the implementation of the SDGs
2. Capacity development programmes on social development policy
- - Online policy toolkits on social protection, youth policy, and e-government for women’s empowerment
- - Tailored capacity building programmes on gender-responsive budgeting, social protection including income security for older persons, disability-inclusive development and related statistics
3. Normative work on building inclusive societies
- - Development of regional norms and standards for social inclusion
- - Regional reviews of progress in achieving internationally agreed social development goals
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