The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
With global population increasingly concentrating in urban areas, cities are driving national economic growth, while also grappling with challenges such as inequalities, affordable housing shortages, extreme weather events, pollution, and loss of green space. National Urban Policies (NUPs) can play a key role in managing these challenges and unlocking the …
This legal study is based on Legal Dimensions of Sea Level Rise: Pacific Perspectives which was published on June 29, 2021. The original version provided an assessment of key legal frameworks and policy questions that are relevant in the context of sea level rise in the Pacific region. This work, …
Weather-related disasters and climate change impacts are unravelling the fabric of society in the South-West Pacific. Sea level rise threatens the future of low-lying islands whilst increasing ocean heat and acidification harms vital and vulnerable marine ecosystems, according to this new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The State …
The Regional Action Framework for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control provides a unified vision of objectives and recommended actions to combat the noncommunicable disease (NCD) epidemic in the Western Pacific Region. Implementation should be supported by cross-sectoral coordination, sustainable financing, evidence-based policy, and community engagement, tailored to each Member State’s …
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is projected to cause substantial morbidity and mortality in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region over the next decade, at significant economic cost. By endangering people’s health, AMR poses a threat to health security and has implications for overall development, particularly in Member States that …
Digital transformation is under way in the Pacific and presents both opportunities and challenges for the region. Improvements in digital connectivity across the region are converging with growing opportunities for e-commerce, digital payments and digital trade. For some businesses, electronic commerce is opening access to new domestic, regional and international …
The Pacific region is at a crossroads. The advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals aspirations across all sectors are facing the test of international solidarity. The Pacific Small Island Developing States(PSIDS) contribute less than 0.03 per cent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions but are amongst the most vulnerable …
Sea surface temperatures and ocean heat in parts of the South-West Pacific are increasing at more than three times the global average and harming vital ecosystems, whilst sea level rise poses an existential threat to low-lying islands and their people, according to this new report from the World Meteorological Organization …
Pathways to Adaptation and Resilience in the Pacific takes forward analysis of the Asia Pacific Disaster Report 2021 and showcases how the subregion is being affected by various risk parameters, and where new hotspots of exposure and vulnerability to climate-induced, cascading multi-hazard scenarios are being created. Moving forward, ESCAP recommends …
This publication highlights lessons from 26 case studies in the Cook Islands and Tonga. It provides recommendations on improving the implementation of battery energy storage and renewable energy-based hybrid electricity systems. Small island developing states in the Pacific are urgently seeking to address the challenges of climate change, energy security, …
This report reviews the evidence to establish which sources of sea-level rise projections are credible for the Pacific islands region. It examines the strengths, weaknesses, and uncertainties associated with various sources of information on sea-level rise in the Pacific. It aims to provide advisory standards for the planning, testing, and …
Sea surface temperatures and ocean heat in parts of the South-West Pacific are increasing at more than three times the global average rate, with marine heatwaves bleaching once vibrant coral reefs and threatening vital ecosystems upon which the region depends. On land, storms and floods routinely trigger death, destruction and …
Pacific island countries (PICs) are globally among the most exposed and vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters and are also among the least equipped to adapt, putting their economic development and macroeconomic stability at risk. Climate adaptation efforts in the Pacific are critical, but costs are substantial. Debt levels …
his legal study has been developed as a part of the World Bank’s work on ‘Building Resilience in Pacific Atoll Island Countries’ which aims to strengthen the capacity of selected Pacific atoll island countries to cope with the long-term adverse impacts of climate change and boost their resilience. The goal …
This legal study has been developed as a part of the World Bank’s work on ‘Building Resilience in Pacific Atoll Island Countries’ which aims to strengthen the capacity of selected Pacific atoll island countries to cope with the long-term adverse impacts of climate change and boost their resilience. The goal …
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has developed a State of the Environment (SoE) report for the Pacific islands, the first of its kind. It reveals areas of progress as a result of conservation efforts, as well outstanding and newly emerging issues. The report focuses on 31 …
The COVID-19 Pandemic calls for a multi-sectoral response in Asia and the Pacific to protect people and enhance resilience, support economic recovery and restore supply chains and support SMEs. Shipping and ports are a major part of such a response. For most countries in Asia and the Pacific, shipping represents …
The Population Data Sheet, published annually by ESCAP, features a range of key indicators on population dynamics- including population size and growth rates, fertility rate, life expectancy and age structure, at country, sub-regional and regional levels. It is a useful tool for reference by researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders active …
COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world to its core. Asia-Pacific leaders are simultaneously struggling to save lives and livelihoods. Working from home, online pedagogy and telemedicine are the new normal. This has exposed the region’s urban-rural digital fault line and fragility of its digital networks. Optical fiber cable (OFC) is …
