The UN Regional Commissions » LATEST PUBLICATIONS

Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2013

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:56:02 +0000

The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific is the oldest and most comprehensive annual review of economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific. This flagship publication of ESCAP outlines policies to sustain dynamic growth and to make it inclusive such as boosting internal demand, enhancing connectivity to create a seamless and region-wide market, and building productive capacities in the least developed countries.

The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2013 is released by Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, in Beijing, China on April 18. Simultaneous launches took place in 37 locations in Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

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UNECE Report on achieving the Millenium Development Goals in Europe and Central Asia

admin — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:29:18 +0000

While the international community has already started discussing the development agenda that will build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) after 2015, it is all the more important to
accelerate efforts at all levels for achieving the MDGs by the target date.
This report documents the degree to which the eight goals based upon eighteen targets are on track to be fulfilled by 2015 in the Pan-European region.
The focus of the report is on the former transition economies of Eastern Europe and Central Asia,
but it also examines progress in all of the UNECE economies for several goals which still have not
been achieved in the advanced economies of Western Europe and North America. Generally the
report finds that significant progress was being made in almost every area prior to the global
financial crisis of 2008-2009, but the severe downturn during the crisis and sluggish recovery since 2009 has resulted in slower improvement. The crisis increased unemployment and poverty in much of the region and has significantly weakened government finances so that less is available for improving the educational and health infrastructure and in providing income maintenance for low income families. The deteriorating sovereign debt situation in the advanced economies has resulted in a scaling back of official development assistance which is desperately needed in much of the developing world to close the financing gap for achieving the targets. Unfortunately the economic outlook for the coming year for the UNECE region is quite subdued, and some of the goals may not be achieved without a more focused effort by our member States.

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Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the ESCWA Region 2011-2012

admin — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:48:36 +0000

While the attention of the international community is focused on the political instability and social unrest, the socioeconomic situation in the Arab region is advancing. Economic and social issues in the region have often been highlighted as the underlying cause of the Arab Spring. The unemployment rate in the ESCWA region – which consists of Arab countries and Palestine – is one of the highest in the world. Looking back, we see that political frameworks, which suddenly became a target of political and social unrest during the Arab Spring, had once stood for people’s aspiration for upward social mobility. In recent years, however, the younger generations’ economic and social aspirations increasingly result in disappointment. Rigid social stratification made them unable to find upward social mobility when entering domestic labour markets. Wasta, which implies ‘connections’ in Arabic, was often cited as the most important factor in landing a decent job in times of such limited opportunity. If the Arab Spring stands for the Arab transition
of economic and social affairs, it carries high hope for a new society which fulfils people’s aspirations for upward social mobility. However, the Survey of Economic and Social
Developments in the ESCWA Region 2011-2012 (hereinafter referred to as the Survey)
found that the economic and social reality remains deeply uncertain.

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Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2012

admin — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:46:59 +0000

The Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean seeks to respond to the demands of users who require reliable and sound statistical information in order to analyse the economic, social and environmental situation of the region. This year’s edition includes information available up to mid-December 2012.

This edition of the Statistical Yearbook is similar in structure to the 2011 edition as no significant changes have been made in terms of content or design. The Yearbook comprises four chapters. The first covers demographic and social indicators and continues to reflect special efforts to mainstream the gender perspective in statistical information and to encompass poverty-related topics. The second chapter presents economic statistics relating to trade, the balance of payments and domestic prices, as well as national accounts. The statistical series are expressed in domestic currency and constant dollars. The third chapter provides the quantitative information available on the environment. Here, priority is given to data from international sources. The electronic version also includes the data available and compiled by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for this chapter.

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Disability at a Glance 2012: Strengthening the Evidence Base in Asia and the Pacific

admin — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:12:13 +0000

The Disability at a Glance series, which started in 2006, serves as a companion for policymakers, statisticians and representatives of organizations of, and for, persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. These publications aim to provide a regional overview of disability policies and practices, as well as relevant country data and information.

The fourth edition, Disability at a Glance 2012: Strengthening the Evidence Base in Asia and the Pacific continues this tradition. It highlights the complexity of interpreting disability data and stresses the urgent need to work towards a greater common understanding of disability, related data and data collection practices.

This edition consists of an introduction, two analytical chapters and subregional and country snapshots. The introduction provides an overview of disability prevalence in the region and raises questions about interpreting this data. Chapter 1 analyzes some possible sources of variance in disability prevalence and implications for data interpretation. Chapter 2 examines selected key factors that affect people’s health and may have a bearing on disability prevalence in the long-term.

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Green Growth and Sustainable Development: Regional Perspectives

admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:23:37 +0000

Development in today’s context is at a critical juncture, with multiple crises (financial, food and energy) forcing us to re-assess the economic paradigm of our time and evaluate how to better address the unfulfilled promises that we are currently leaving to future generations in areas of employment, social progress, quality of life and respect for nature.
While the integration of the pillars of sustainable development is of utmost importance, the implementation of the concept has proved challenging in practice. In its simplest form, integration of the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development implies the implementation of coordinated and complimentary actions in the different sectors which results in economic growth that also achieves social objectives, without compromising the limited resources of the planet. The effective integration of the pillars requires the implementation of a set of focused and specific actions within the three pillars, which are complimentary and fit within an overarching sustainable development framework.
As part of this side event, Member States and the Regional Commissions are focusing on key areas for sustainable development in their respective regions. Specific examples and approaches, ranging from norms and standards to economic instruments and overarching sustainable development frameworks, are being highlighted as contributing to the integration of the pillars of sustainable development. These areas serve to highlight the pivotal role that has been played by the Regional Commissions in promoting and implementing an integrated approach to sustainable development at the regional level.

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Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2012

admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:31:53 +0000

Global economic uncertainty coupled with weakening demand and limited progress in reducing trade barriers has led to a fall in export and import growth in the region during 2012. Regional trade issues, performance indicators and up-to-date statistics are outlined in the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2012

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Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2012

admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:14:36 +0000

Download the online 2012 Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific. The Yearbook contains the latest country-level data on population, migration, education, health, poverty, gender, employment, economy, employment, transport, and the environment. The online edition includes new country profiles, comparisons, 20 year trends and online tools.

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The Regional Dimension of Development and the UN System

admin — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:53:25 +0000

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ENGLISH

CHINESE

RUSSIAN

Executive Summary (in French)

The United States and Latin America and the Caribbean Highlights of economics and trade

admin — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:43:53 +0000

SUMMARY

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This publication is a contribution by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the analysis of trade and investment relations between the United States of America and Latin America and the Caribbean, on the occasion of the visit of President Barack Obama to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador in March 2011.

The early years of this new decade have brought good news for Latin America and the Caribbean. The region weathered the international crisis with unprecedented resilience and emerged from it sooner and more strongly than the developed economies. It grew by 6% in 2010, and is expected to grow by over 4% in 2011. The region’s economic reforms of past decades, its fiscal and macroeconomic prudence and its sound financial supervision, together with ever closer commercial ties with China and other emerging economies, have allowed it not only to successfully navigate through the worst international crisis of the past 80 years but also to enter the new decade with a promising outlook for growth and advances in quality of life. For the first time in its history, the region achieved during the past decade a combination of high growth, macroeconomic stability, poverty reduction and improvement in income distribution. On the strength of the foregoing and of its privileged endowment in natural resources, energy, water and biodiversity, the Latin American and Caribbean region will be called upon to assume an increasingly larger role in the global economy. At Davos and other specialized forums, it has been said that this could be the decade of the Latin American and Caribbean region and that, with regard to global economic recovery, the region is today firmly part of the solution.

The region’s resilience to, and strong recovery from, the international financial crisis have renewed the interest of the European Union in strengthening linkages with it. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region ?particularly the People’s Republic of China? has become a privileged trading partner for Latin America and the Caribbean. These closer trade and investment links have been both a cause for and a result of the increasing number of trade agreements already in force or under negotiation that link various countries of the region with the European Union and Asia-Pacific.

In this context of special opportunities and diversification of trading partners, the share of the United States of America in the region’s trade has been shrinking. More importantly, there is a perception in Latin America and the Caribbean that the United States lacks strategic vision vis-à-vis the region. In past decades, the Alliance for Progress, the Initiative for the Americas and, later, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (with which ECLAC, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Organization of American States collaborated through the Tripartite Committee) were all ambitious United States initiatives for regional cooperation. Today no such initiatives exist.

Despite recent improvements on many fronts, the Latin American and Caribbean region faces some formidable structural challenges. It still has the highest indices of inequality in the world, as well as serious lags in technology, innovation and competitiveness. Nevertheless, the region, together with its main partners, is approaching these challenges as opportunities for new partnerships that promote growth and development through increased trade and investment. The United States can and should be an active partner of the region in this endeavour.

The visit of President Obama to three Latin American countries provides the United States with a unique opportunity to revitalize hemispheric relations. It could do so by presenting proposals for a strategic dialogue and for new hemispheric initiatives in trade and investment to strengthen cooperation between the United States and the region.