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1. No Poverty
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2. Zero Hunger
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3. Good Health and Well-Being
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4. Quality Education
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5. Gender Equality
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6. Clean Water and Sanitation
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7. Affordable and Clean Energy
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8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
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9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
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10. Reduced Inequalities
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11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
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12. Responsible Consumption and Production
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13. Climate Action
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14. Life Below Water
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15. Life on Land
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16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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17. Partnerships for the Goals
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Countries in Special Situations
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Office of the Executive Secretary
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Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development
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Trade, Investment & Innovation
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Transport
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Environment and Development
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ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction
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Social Development
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Statistics
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Energy
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Strategy and Programme Management Division
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Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia
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Subregional Office for North and Central Asia
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Subregional Office for South-East Asia
Expert Opinions & Stories
Accelerating the transition towards electrification of public transport in Asia and the Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a rapid increase in demand for passenger transport driven by high population and economic growth rates. While the crucial role of transport for economic and…
With a population of around 4.9 billion people, the Asia-Pacific region is home to 63 per cent of the world’s inhabitants. As of 2021, the region accounts for around 37 per cent of global GDP (USD 35…
Cities are key players in combatting climate change and its effects. They are responsible for 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and consume 80 per cent of global energy. Thus, without…
The inauguration of 414 km electrified standard gauge Lao-China railway line has a potential to change the dynamics of international transport among the ASEAN member States and beyond.
The railway…
The recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021, or COP26, in Glasgow, recognized that rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2, are…
Green recovery policies are still possible
In theory, the pandemic created an opportunity for policymakers to recalibrate existing policies and develop new, innovative strategies to mobilize financial resources and drive a green, inclusive,…
As the world enters its second year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus has shifted from containing the spread of the disease towards recovering from socio-economic disruptions. COVID-19…
Resilient economies are possible
Economic and non-economic shocks such as financial crises, natural disasters, and pandemics leave behind permanent scars in economies and societies and result in major setbacks to development gains…
Time and tide wait for no man
“We have to learn from COVID… We can’t wish away systemic risk. It’s much much cheaper, much more effective to invest upfront in order to avoid disaster and so it is with climate change – a crisis…
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our lives and its impact will be felt for a long time to come. The transport sector has also been hit hard by reduced demand for transport services as…
“We have a rare and short window of opportunity to rebuild our world for the better”
- António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
Not undermining the challenges posed by COVID-19, there…
The current COVID-19 crisis has shown that governments can act quickly and decisively if needed and collaborate to work collectively. So, why are governments not acting as quickly and decisively in…
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a deep impact on transport connectivity in the region as documented in the recent ESCAP Policy Brief on Policy Reponses to Covid-19: Transport Connectivity in Asia and…
The destruction caused by natural disasters, which is becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, is graphic and frightening. However, there is a significant impact on the financial…
On the frontlines of the battle to contain the public health and economic fallouts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia-Pacific region faces crucial policy choices as it tries to balance short…
In 1814, George Stephenson constructed the first steam locomotive that led to the Industrial Revolution. Nearly 200 years later, railways are at a critical juncture in its evolution as means of…
The planet is the only limit
Is the current economic growth ‘purposeful”? And how do we define ‘purposefulness’?
While this may seem a profound philosophical query, there is no questioning that growth that undermines…
SDGs for less than a dollar per person per day
Less than a dollar per person per day. That is all it will cost developing countries in Asia and the Pacific to realize their ambitions for an inclusive and sustainable future, according to a study…
Asia’s Landlocked: Tackling Development Challenges through Structural Transformation and Trade
Structural economic transformation and the expansion of international trade are among the most pressing issues to be addressed, if Asia’s landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are to overcome the…
