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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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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Growing Together: Economic Integration for an Inclusive and Sustainable Asia-Pacific Century

Author(s):   UNESCAP

Economic Sector(s): (1) Economic statistics; (2) Energy planning, management and conservation; (3) agriculture, forestry and fisheries policies and planning; (4) Industry policies and planning; (5) Transport policies and planning; (6) Road transport; (7) Rail transport; (8) Air transport; (9) Information and communication technologies; (10) Global trade policies; (11) Trade in commodities and manufactures; (12) Trade in services, including tourism; (13) Trade expansion, trade promotion and export development; (14) Nutrition and household food security; (15) Social Policies; (16) Policies, planning and legislation

UNESCAP Reference No.: ST/ESCAP/2629

Division: Macroeconomic Policy and Development

Published Date: May 2012

Country: {Non-country Specific Publication}

Hard Copy Price: Free

The Asia-Pacific region’s rapid growth since the 1950s had been supported by a favourable external economic environment and opportunities arising from globalization. This, however, has changed dramatically in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. In the new global environment, sustaining the region’s growth and realizing the Asia-Pacific century critically depends on its ability to harness the potential of regional economic integration. In light of the many complementarities arising from its diversity, the region, a late starter in regionalism, has many underexploited opportunities for mutually beneficial regional integration. Regional economic integration can also assist in making regional development more balanced, with the lagging economies receiving a boost through stronger connectivity and integration with economic growth poles, such as China and India. Besides fostering peace, such cooperation could also help the region address shared vulnerabilities and risks and exercise its influence in global economic governance in a way commensurate to its rising economic weight. To harness the potential of regional economic integration, the study recommends a four-pronged scheme with a long-term vision of building an economic community of Asia and the Pacific: • Coalescing the numerous bilateral and subregional trading arrangements of the region into a broader regional trading and economic cooperation arrangement with built-in safeguards and flexibilities for poorer countries. • Seamless physical connectivity across the region to spread the benefits of economic integration to lagging subregions through transport, energy and ICT links, and the adoption of best practices in trade and transport facilitation. • Financial cooperation for closing development gaps and to ensure the optimal use of the region’s resources for mutual benefit. • Economic cooperation for addressing shared vulnerabilities and risks, such as energy and food insecurity, natural disasters, pressures on natural resources, social exclusion and rising inequalities – towards an inclusive and sustainable Asia-Pacific century.