The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
The Survey, published annually since 1947, is a flagship publication produced by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It provides analyses to guide policy discussion on the current and emerging socio-economic issues and policy challenges to support sustainable development in Asia and the …
As countries in Asia face growing disaster and climate risks, governments are coming under increased pressure to strengthen disaster preparedness and response capacity. One important and often overlooked aspect of this is the need to consider and respond to gender inequality and human-rights based issues in the context of disasters …
Global and national policy discourse and agendas are moving beyond traditional silos of agriculture, nutrition, health, and climate change to address the challenges facing agrifood systems (AFS). In this paper, use international labour force statistics to provide the first systematic and documented global estimate quantifying the total number of people …
This policy brief has been prepared as an input into the G20 Energy Transition Working Group’s deliberations on the role of transnational power system connectivity in the energy transition, and how to best support the development of existing or new connectivity efforts. It details the Road Map’s vision, guiding principles, …
This publication highlights brighter economic prospects for Asia and the Pacific amid ongoing challenges. It forecasts growth across the region’s developing economies of 4.8% this year and in 2024, up from 4.2% in 2022. The reopening of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will boost regional economic growth through supply …
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Institute of Energy Economic, Japan (IEEJ) have developed and published long-term decarbonisation pathways for Southeast Asia and Indonesia. This paper provides a comparison of modelling approaches, quantitative drivers, and results from the IEA and IEEJ pathways, highlighting areas of agreement, as well as …
This report aims to provide an overview of the information related to the plastics value chain in the ASEAN region. It focuses on the availability of local and national data used for material flow analyses (MFAs) – instead of actual data content – as this information aims to be a …
Four independent research projects undertaken by researchers in Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Thailand, aimed to improve the state of knowledge on air pollution and workers’ exposures in southeast Asia, focusing on both informal and formal labour in certain occupations. To effectively mitigate emissions and reduce the health burden from …
Cooling has had a significant impact on global climate change. It is important to respond promptly and effectively to the climate challenges posed by the growing global demand for air-conditioning and refrigeration to achieve the Paris Agreement objectives and the mid-century carbon-neutral goals. Improving the energy efficiency of refrigeration and …
Transitioning towards a clean energy future is a mainstay of the global efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement’s climate goals. The energy transition implies a shift from a fuel-intensive system to a material-intensive energy system, and will create significant demand for critical raw materials (CRMs), including critical minerals, because the …
This new TRAFFIC study reveals Southeast Asia’s significant role in the legal and illicit trade of Madagascar’s rare and endemic wildlife and calls for intensified international co-operation to stem biodiversity loss. An assessment of wildlife trade between Madagascar and Southeast Asia showed that 30% of 121 seizure* incidents involving Madagascar …
This report analyses progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific as well as the availability of data. It shines a spotlight on countries that have demonstrated a commitment to achieve sustainable development. Their progress has highlighted the necessity of improving on collecting high quality data and …
This is the fifth edition of the Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition annual report. This publication is led by FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and jointly contributed to by United Nations' partner agencies (UNICEF, WFP, WHO), on the region’s progress …
This report presents the latest updates related to food security and nutrition in Europe and Central Asia, including estimates on the cost and affordability of healthy diets. It also explores how governments are supporting the food and agriculture sector and how to repurpose policies and incentives to make healthy diets …
The Asia-Pacific is the most vulnerable to climate-related shocks. This Seasonal Monitor provides a critical climate overview for WFP’s country offices in this region, with the aim of strengthening understanding, preparedness, and responses to these shocks. The reports cover the rainfall performance, vegetation and crop conditions, and climate outlook for …
This paper analyzes the uptake of electric vehicles in Asia and the Pacific and shows how the electrification of transport systems can speed up the transition to a low-carbon future. The paper shows how electric car, bus and motorcycle sales are growing, and highlights the benefits and barriers to greater …
Think20 (T20), the official think tank engagement group of the Group of Twenty (G20), was established in 2012 to provide research-based policy recommendations to help G20 countries and partners promote economic resilience and sustainable development. A World in Crisis, a World in Progress: Growing Better Together explores T20’s work and …
In the net-zero context, technology transfer plays a critical role in achieving the emission reduction and meeting the climate mitigation goals of countries. However, the extent of penetration of transferred technologies and their respective mitigation potential will depend on the scale of transfer among the source and recipient countries. This …
As the world contends with a slowdown in global economic activity, inflation and heightened geopolitical tensions, it is increasingly important to address energy security issues. For the fourth and final report, shift focus the ASEAN region. Countries in the ASEAN region are amongst the most affected globally by climate change, …
This publication explores how climate change adaptation can be integrated into decentralized governance processes to address root causes of vulnerability in Asia and the Pacific. The publication discusses how decentralized governance provides opportunities to improve delivery of public goods and services needed for resilience building and give poor and vulnerable …
