UNESCAP: Growing Together
The UNESCAP has published a report titled Growing Together:Economic Integration for an Inclusive and Sustainable Asia-Pacific Century.
Growing Together articulates a number of proposals that can help the region exploit its huge untapped potential for regional economic integration.
Though the economic rise of Asia and the Pacific may seem to be a modern phenomenon, it is in fact a re-emergence. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for 56 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) up to 1820, but its share declined to 16 per cent by 1950.
Subsequently, it started to regain its position in the world economy, first through Japan’s rapid growth, later through the rise of East and South-East Asia’s newly industrializing economies, and more recently by the rise of its two most populous countries, China and India. As a result of this dynamism, long-term projections suggest that the region’s share in the global economy could exceed 50 per cent by 2050, as it was until 200 years ago.
ESCAP Report
The publication aims to assist countries in addressing the non-physical barriers in international trade and transport in a sustainable way through establishing or strengthening of national facilitation mechanisms. It lays down broad principles, salient aspects and main requirements for national coordination mechanisms to be successful.It is a joint work of Transport Division and Trade and Investment Division of ESCAP.
Asia-Pacific Regional MDG Report 2011/12
This report, Asia-Pacific Regional MDG Report 2011/12 underlines the extent of disparities across the region, looking especially at the wide gaps in the goals related to health and nutrition where the region is particularly under-performing.Even countries that have been making rapid economic progress still lose shocking numbers of children before their fifth birthday as well as thousands of mothers who die unnecessarily, as a consequence of the natural process of childbirth.
The report also reveals many opportunities for improving health outcomes, highlighting the policies and programmes which, when backed by commitment and adequate resources, could help make the Asia-Pacific region a driving forcebehind the global achievement of all the MDGs.
