Economic Survey of the Pacific 2008
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific will publish an Economic Survey of the Pacific in 2008
- to review developments in 12 countries and 7 territories in the Pacific in 2007/2008 in depth; and
- to highlight issues, as seen from a variety of perspectives, which could provide explanations for these developments.
The Survey will bring issues faced by these countries to the attention of academics, civil society and policy-makers, especially to those outside of the Pacific. The publication, which follows a recent meeting of leaders from the Pacific, is a step taken by the Commission to strengthen its presence in the Pacific and to strengthen links between Asia and the Pacific.
Objective
To prepare a 3000-4000 word commentary on one issue which has had a significant impact on the 19 members and associate members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific located in the Pacific and to explain how this issue has affected developments in the region in 2007/2008. The commentary should identify:
- Issue: one issue faced in the Pacific and its impact on development;
- Causes: economic, political and social factors which led to this issue;
- Implemented measures: existing policies and programmes by governments, civil society, private sector as well as development partners to address the challenge; and
- Recommended measures: recommendations for regional and national action by all partners.
Outline
- Section I: Introduction: The section will provide a general background of the issue in the Pacific.
- Section II: The challenge in the Pacific: The section will identify (1) the specific issue, (2) the magnitude of the challenge and (3) the economic, political and social factors which led to this challenge.
- Section III: Existing policies and programmes: The section will assess how existing policies and programmes -by national and local governments, civil society and the private sector as well as development partners entrusted with the responsibility to address this issue- actually address this issue. The section should also consider how these programmes are financed and whether they are sustainable given their human and financial resources. The section will also provide an overview of best practices beyond the Pacific and possible ways to adapt these practices to the Pacific.
- Section IV: Conclusion and recommendations: The section will summarize the author’s conclusions and propose recommendations for action by all partners. The recommendations should form a coherent strategy to address both the key challenge and its causes. The strategy should be formulated so that it can be mainstreamed into the existing programmes of governments, civil society organizations and development partners.
Timeframe and contact
A first draft of the study should be submitted to the ESCAP Pacific Operations Centre (epoc@un.org) by 31 May 2008. Written comments will be made by the secretariat and returned to the author. A revised version of the study should be submitted no later than 15 July 2008.
