News

• Cooling services account for 45 per cent of electricity use nationally.
• Heat stress in Cambodia leads to an annual GDP loss of at least US$1.12 billion.
• Sustainable cooling is key to protect vulnerable populations, keep food fresh, medicines viable, and workforces productive.

The government of Cambodia is launching today its first national strategic plan on cooling – one of the largest contributors to global warming – to lead the country to a greener, cleaner and low-carbon future.

Cambodia’s National Cooling Action Plan was developed with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), under the framework of the Cool Coalition – a global effort led by UNEP to drive action on sustainable cooling.

The plan seeks to reduce cooling demand, strengthen the access to cooling services such as cold chains for food and medicine, improve the energy efficiency of appliances, and encourage the use of low-Global Warming Potential refrigerants.

Sustainable approaches to cooling are critical to tackle climate change. Such approaches reduce food loss, enhance access to healthcare and medicines, enable productive work and protect against heat stress, especially important in a country where heat stress leads to an annual GDP loss of at least US$1.12 billion.

“If we are serious about reversing current climate trends, we cannot go about cooling our planet with a business-as-usual approach,” said Dechen Tsering, UNEP Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific. “As Cambodia’s demand for cooling grows, it has an important opportunity to adopt a new pathway on cooling, showing the possibility and potential of a system-wide approach to cooling that is equitable, efficient, and climate-friendly.”

With a hot and humid climate, demand for space cooling in Cambodia is set to double in the next 20 years. It already accounts for 45 per cent of electricity use nationally. Cambodia’s National Cooling Action Plan is, therefore, an important way to reduce the climate and economic impacts of increased demand for cooling.

“Cambodia is demonstrating her willingness to be a leader in delivering sustainable cooling with the development of a National Cooling Action Plan to help realize her Nationally Determined Contribution and Long-term Strategy for Carbon Neutrality of building a sustainable, green, clean and low-carbon economy,” said H.E. Say Samal, Minister of Environment, the Royal Government of Cambodia. “I invite Cambodian ministries and relevant stakeholders to join forces to implement this plan as laying the ground for climate-friendly cooling in Cambodia requires strong collaboration.” he added.

Cambodia’s National Cooling Action Plan provides recommendations to guide policymakers and partners to focus and collaborate on strategic actions to deliver sustainable cooling. It focuses on five areas: Building Space Cooling, Food Cold Chain, Health-care Cold Chain, Mobile Air Conditioning, and Process Cooling.

 “It is critical that the country mitigates rising cooling-related energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions while protecting the resilience of its energy systems, said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the ESCAP and Under-Secretary-General to the United Nations,

The plan is the outcome of national consultations with experts, and technical support from the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy and Sustainable Energy for All. The Danish International Development Agency and the Energy Foundation China provided financial support.

Cambodia’s National Cooling Action Plan was officially launched by the Cambodian Environment Deputy Minister and the Department of Climate Change, the General Directorate of Environmental Protection (EPA) of the Ministry of Environment, and the National Council for Sustainable Development.

In the run-up to COP 28,  which will take place from 30 November to 12 December in the United Arab Emirates in Dubai, it is crucial to drive global action on sustainable cooling in order to meet the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming well below 2°C.

Notes to Editors

About the Ministry of Environment Cambodia

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) is the key agency responsible for environmental protection and natural resources conservation. The MoE hosts the Department of Climate Change (DCC) of the General Directorate of Policy and Strategy and the General Directorate of Environmental Protection (EPA) of the Ministry of Environment.

About the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the most inclusive intergovernmental platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The Commission promotes cooperation among its 53 member States and 9 associate members in pursuit of solutions to sustainable development challenges. ESCAP is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations

About the UN Environment Programme

The UN Environment Programme is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:

Kavita Sukanandan, Public Information Officer, ESCAP ([email protected]) 

David Cole, Regional Information Officer, UNEP ROAP ([email protected])

Sophie Loran, Communications Officer, UNEP ([email protected])

Through the Women Enterprise Recovery Fund, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has supported innovative business models and digital solutions that address the challenges faced by women-owned businesses in South and South-East Asia and the Pacific. ESCAP is launching the Women Entrepreneur Growth Fund in Mongolia in partnership with for the first time, with the International Women's Federation of Commerce and Industry in Mongolia (IWFCI Mongolia) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia.

To date, ESCAP Challenge Funds for women entrepreneurs have provided grants to promote the development of digital and innovative projects and solutions aimed at women-owned businesses in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Nepal, Samoa and Vietnam that have suffered significantly from the economic shocks related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is clear that women entrepreneurs are a driving force for post-pandemic recovery. That is why ESCAP – over the past few years – has been implementing our Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship programme, which – to date – has directly supported over 100,000 women entrepreneurs and has unlocked over 60 million dollars of capital for women entrepreneurs,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

IWFCI Mongolia has been chosen as a National Focal Point to implement the program and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been one of the supporting pillars for the implementation process.

Proposed solutions under the fund must target women's businesses in order to aid in their recovery, growth and resilience. The winners of the fund, businesses who provided the best digital solutions within the program's criteria, will be awarded grants of up to US$10,000. Grant amounts for each project may differ depending on the type of the digital solution, the size of the project, and the required amount of investment.

AREAS OF FOCUS

• AgriTech
• Supply chain financing
• Investability
• Insurtech
• Digital tools for Women MSMEs
• Digital/Financial Literacy
• And others

Also present at the launch were Battushig Zanabazar, Deputy Director General, Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, and Baigali Ochkhuu, President of IWFCI Mongolia.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (SERC), signed a Memorandum of Agreement today to accelerate financing towards green, sustainable and net-zero projects in Cambodia.  As part of this partnership, the Cambodia Sustainable Bond Accelerator: Empowering Issuers through Technical Assistance programme was also launched, in collaboration with Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility (CGIF) and GuarantCo part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group.

Cambodia’s financing needs to address climate change impacts and meet Cambodia’s nationally determined contributions (NDC) are substantial. Without climate adaptation and mitigation investment, it is estimated that the impact of climate change could cost Cambodia 1 percent of GDP per year for the next decade and could potentially wipe out all economic gains by 2050. According to the latest NDCs, Cambodia’s climate mitigation and adaptation plans would require total funding of roughly $7.8 billion. Innovative financing instruments such as green and sustainable bonds have a strong potential to close this financing gap by driving institutional and private capital to prioritize the sustainability agenda.

“Green, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds have demonstrated to be transformative investment vehicles to channel financing towards green and sustainable initiatives,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP. “Through our partnership with SERC and GGGI we are proud to be working to accelerate financing towards climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives in Cambodia. We are also pleased that the initiative has generated collaboration and support from the CGIF and GuarantCo as key collaborators.”

The programme will support Cambodian companies planning to issue green, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds through addressing the challenges faced by bond issuers by enhancing issuers’ abilities to meet international thematic and sustainability-linked bond standards and by lowering the cost of issuance. Over the course of this year, the initiative will select up to four companies, which will receive technical advice and capacity building on the green bond issuance preparation, and investment support for roadshows, connecting to investors, and credit enhancement where feasible.

“Acknowledging the urgent need to combat climate change, SERC has taken serious action to support sustainable development through promoting the issuance of green, sustainability, and sustainability-linked bonds, and has been working closely with development partners to do so. I strongly believe that through this cooperation with ESCAP and GGGI, with the support of the CGIF and GuarantCo, we will be able to achieve our goal and bring Cambodia’s capital market to another level by promoting sustainable development. Fighting climate change is the responsibility of us all, so please join us in issuing and investing in green, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds in Cambodia,” said Sou Socheat, Director General of the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia.

"This collaborative initiative represents a significant commitment to support the issuance of green and sustainability bonds in Cambodia. GGGI is honored to support the Royal Government of Cambodia in maturing the thematic bond market through private sector participation and enhancing the country’s sustainable finance in the pursuit of a greener economy,” said Frank Rijsberman, Director-General of GGGI.

The Cambodia Sustainable Bond Accelerator initiative builds on the ESCAP, GGGI and SERC partnership, which aims to accelerate the development of Cambodia’s green and sustainable bond market and associated policies, tools and mechanisms to facilitate financing towards climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives. Through a series of targeted measures focusing on both issuance and post-issuance processes, the partnership will contribute to enhancing the ability and interest of issuers in Cambodia to move from traditional bond issuance to green, sustainability and sustainability-linked issuance, and ultimately expand climate-related investments in Cambodia.

Women and girls continue to be held back by persistent discrimination and outdated stereotypes, yet the digital revolution has substantial potential to generate great socio-economic benefits and contribute towards advancing gender equality in many ways.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), held from 8 to 9 February in Bangkok, focused on identifying and addressing these challenges, with the aim of fostering a more secure, inclusive and equitable digital sphere.

In the Asia-Pacific region a majority of women and girls continue to lack connectivity and basic digital literacy. Prevalent online gender-based violence, barriers to enter STEM-related industries, persistent gender norms and stereotypes such as “science is for boys,” as well as a severe lack of policy support to increase digital inclusion are further disempowering women and girls in this digital age.

“We must achieve meaningful and universal connectivity to narrow the gender digital divide and fulfill the commitment of leaving no one offline,” said Cai Cai, Officer-in-Charge of the Social Development Division at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), further emphasizing the widening gender digital gap in the region.

Participants from diverse backgrounds exchanged experiences, knowledge and good practices under the CSW67 priority theme “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”

While noting the challenges, they also shared abundant positive examples such as how e-commerce platforms are bringing women entrepreneurs and retailers new business opportunities, enabling them to enter traditionally male-dominated sectors all the while giving them flexibility to balance care responsibilities and paid work. Digital financial services are helping women avoid long journeys to banks and potentially increasing their access to financial services. Meanwhile, digital communication tools and channels are facilitating feminist collective actions and movements through the spread of information.

Sarah Knibbs, Regional Director a.i. of the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, stressed that “CSW67 provides a unique opportunity to advance a human-centered approach to digitalization, with feminist principles of inclusion, intersectionality and systemic change at the core.”

The two-day regional consultation resulted in a set of policy recommendations and actions, which includes:

• Strengthening multilateral cooperation, including at regional and sub-regional levels, in the development of inclusive digital technologies to advance universally, sustainable, meaningful, enriching, productive and empowering online experiences for women and girls.
• Enhancing meaningful connectivity that is safe, accessible and affordable for all.
• Including gender equality in the development of new technologies.
• Addressing and redressing the digital divide through monitoring and improving digital literacy.
• Taking steps to involve more women and girls in science and technology fields.
• Boosting gender equality in the labour force through digital inclusion.
• Enhancing social protection policies to support the most vulnerable and provide them with digital financial support.
• Supporting inclusive digital development and innovation.
• Addressing online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence and its consequences.
• Ensuring effective implementation of legislation and policies to respond to and prevent online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

The forum was jointly organized by ESCAP and UN Women, in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Recommendations from this regional session will contribute towards the deliberations of CSW67 that will take place from 6 to 17 March 2023 in New York.

The Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, and Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Vice President (Finance), Zamir Iqbal, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Joint Action Plan to enhance the strategic partnership between the two institutions and to provide adequate support to member countries in Asia and the Pacific region. 

The new comprehensive MoU with Joint Action Plan will facilitate sustainable transport connectivity and trade through digitalization; road safety awareness, knowledge sharing, and capacity building; low-carbon, climate change resilient development; science, technology, and innovation policy support and capacity building, including using space applications and GIS for decision making. It will also enhance the SDG implementation in cities, including urban sector policies; ICT, digital connectivity, technology applications, data management, and transformation; energy transition and cross-border power systems connectivity, including green and smart grids; leaving no one behind with a focus on women’s entrepreneurship; south-south and triangular cooperation; and economic research and statistical capacity development.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the IsDB Headquarters, ESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said she was pleased to be in Jeddah to physically sign the Memorandum of Understanding with a Joint Action Plan that will improve the standard of living of vulnerable communities and common member countries of both institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. She highlighted that the renewal of the MOU and its expanded scope of work brings hope that we can manage to move forward together, in spite of the multiple risks facing the region.

IsDB Vice President Zamir Iqbal expressed satisfaction on the preexisting cooperation between the two organizations. He said ‘’the two institutions have undertaken substantial work to provide platforms for sharing technical know-how and expertise to solve development challenges.’’

Ms. Alisjahbana also delivered a lecture entitled: “Regaining Momentum in Asia-Pacific SDG Implementation” to IsDB staff members. In her presentation, she emphasized how ESCAP is catalyzing sustainable development efforts by supporting countries in preparing for future crises, accelerating decarbonization of the economy, strengthening resilient connectivity and aligning public and private finance.

We, the Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions, at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (part two),

Recognizing the essential role and critical importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services, including in underpinning the fight against poverty, supporting inclusive sustainable economic growth, furthering "green" and "blue" economies, ensuring food security and food sovereignty, and supporting implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,

Expressing concern about the multiple global crises that have arisen due to the impacts of biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, conflicts and wars, among other things, on human well-being, peace, health, the environment and development,

Expressing concern also about the gap in efforts to address the loss of nature due to multiple drivers of change, and highlighting the need for transformative changes in our societies, economies and institutions,

1. Welcome the development of, and invite Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to adopt, the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, as well as the complementary strategies for resource mobilization, biodiversity mainstreaming, capacity-building and gender, as well as assessment and monitoring;
2. Convinced that progress on enhancing biodiversity for sustainable development will require work that builds on complementary capacities from across the United Nations system of global entities and regional commissions to unlock additional and new resources and partnerships for biodiversity;
3. Reaffirm the importance of enhancing at all levels, including the regional level, cooperation and synergies, coherence and coordination in the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other multilateral environmental agreements, including biodiversity-related instruments such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention to Combat Desertification and the Paris Agreement, as well as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, for much-needed integration and efficiency in implementing the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework;
4. Note that the regional level is a vital bridge to the global and national levels, and provides a platform to engage on the management of the global environmental commons, using regional mechanisms and forums, including the regional forums for sustainable development and the regional environmental ministers meetings, which can provide opportunities to: discuss -reflecting on differing regional approaches and recalling existing commitments - joint actions on biodiversity loss, including the design of, follow-up to and monitoring of regional plans and global agreements; and, leverage conditions for coordination and coherence with social, economic and financial sectors for development agendas;
5. Reaffirm the Secretary-General's Call to Action for Human Rights and its focus on the rights of future generations, climate justice and the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment;
6. Declare our determination to deliver on our commitments to the implementation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and other biodiversity-related agreements, as key instruments for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, the mainstreaming of biodiversity in policies, programmes and operations, and the creation of opportunities for collective action for nature;
7. Commit to the:

• Promotion of the mainstreaming of biodiversity, and to the fostering of transformative changes in our societies, economies and institutions;
• Promotion of the development of human rights-based legal, institutional and policy frameworks regulating and securing the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, encompassing the protection of biodiversity through the collection and analysis of relevant data on biodiversity, and facilitating access to said data as a strategic condition for engagement with society to support behavioural changes, including through strengthening environmental justice and facilitating effective public access to information;
• Fostering of collaboration and dialogues within and between regions and coordination with relevant conventions, United Nations organizations, other stakeholders and processes in order to address biodiversity-related challenges;
• Strengthening of knowledge-sharing and exchange on biodiversity, including through the regional forums on sustainable development, to increase the visibility of biodiversity issues while drawing on and informing regional and global level United Nations collaboration and processes;
• Strengthening of the capacity of States Members of the United Nations to mobilize investments, including through enhancing access to bilateral and multilateral financing and promoting innovative financing mechanisms such as carbon credits,"green" and "blue" bonds and debt swaps for biodiversity and sustainable development for the purpose of implementing related programmes and other interventions;
• Identification of opportunities for internal policy alignment and coherence.

Signed on 15 December 2022, during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (part two) (Montreal, Canada, 7-19 December 2022)

The COVID-19 pandemic not only had huge disruptions on international trade and supply chains, it also underscored the importance of digital technology and of finding new ways of doing business. Almost all international trade today is facilitated and enabled by digital and communication technologies.

To this end, the Republic of Korea, Tajikistan and Tuvalu recently acceded to the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, more than doubling its membership to 11 countries between 2021 and 2022.

This is the first UN agreement dedicated entirely to accelerating the implementation of digital trade facilitation measures for trade and development, and demonstrates the Asia-Pacific region’s strong political will and leadership in digitalizing trade procedures. Membership in the treaty is diverse and inclusive, covering least developed countries such as Timor-Leste, landlocked developing countries such as Mongolia, and leading economies such as China.

Full implementation of the Framework Agreement is expected to reduce trade costs by 13 per cent on average across the region, ranging from 7 per cent in developed economies to 26 per cent in Pacific islands. Additional benefits associated with the cross-border digitalization of trade procedures include reductions in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to planting 400 million trees, and increased transparency for addressing illicit financial flows.  

This week, the Standing Committee of the Framework Agreement also met for the first time to initiate implementation of the treaty since its entry into force in February 2021. The meeting discussed concrete actions and collaboration among partner countries as well as engaged development partners and the private sector which will be instrumental for the implementation of the treaty.

A new ESCAP report shows that the Asia-Pacific region still has a way to go to “Make the right real” for persons with disabilities. The study, “A Three-Decade Journey towards Inclusion: Assessing the State of Disability-Inclusive Development in Asia and the Pacific,” was launched on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was commemorated together with the Australian Embassy Thailand, NOVA Employment’s Focus on Ability Film Festival, the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disabilities and the World Food Programme.

The report suggests that, in order to ensure inclusion of persons with disabilities, countries need to adopt a whole-of-government and all-of-society approach. Doing so could catalyze a paradigm shift away from “ableism” – discrimination of persons with disabilities - towards diversity and inclusion.

“The publication illustrates that the Asia-Pacific region is far from fulfilling our commitment to “Make the Right Real” for persons with disabilities. We have yet to realize their right to employment, health, education, independent living, protection in disasters or participation in public and political life,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

The Asia-Pacific region is home to over 700 million persons with disabilities who continue to face significant barriers to their full and effective societal participation. Persons with disabilities commonly do not enjoy equal access to a range of rights, opportunities and social provisions, such as transport, employment, education, social protection or health care; many of which are taken for granted by able-bodied persons.

Addressing the multi-faceted challenges facing persons with disabilities requires concerted efforts. Since 1993, ESCAP member States have initiated three consecutive Asian and Pacific Decades of Persons with Disabilities in an effort to advance the rights of persons with disabilities and raise public awareness of disability inclusion.

Recently, at the end of the third Decade, ESCAP conducted a final review to assess the status quo of disability-inclusive development in the Asia-Pacific region, reaffirming the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. The Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032 was adopted at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Decade in October 2022. Drawing on the valuable inputs from a broad scope of stakeholders, this ground-breaking outcome document sheds light on new regional disability inclusion approaches, underpins key strategic areas of social investment to further disability-inclusive development, and injects new impetus to fulfil the shared commitment of “leaving no one behind”.

“The UN Committee reminded us that there are still many major barriers to disabled people being able to access their human rights on an equal basis to others,” said Poto Williams, Minister of Disability Issues, New Zealand. “This is why declarations like the recent Jakarta Declaration, which seeks to give practical guidance and direction on priorities for implementation, is so helpful.”

“Maldives is pleased with the notable progress made in the promotion and protection of rights of Persons with Disabilities within the past decade. All this highlights the importance of disability inclusion and ensuring the rights of People with Disabilities which we call upon for all countries to adapt,” added Aishath Mohamed Didi, Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services, Maldives.

The Commemoration featured a multi-stakeholder discussion on accelerating progress toward the implementation of the Jakarta Declaration as well as a film screening  with the winning short films from the Focus on Ability, an annual film festival organised by NOVA Employment. All of the films focused on the theme of abilities or starred by actors and actresses with disabilities, showcasing the potential of films to change people’s perceptions on persons with disabilities.

“The film you saw today helped to shine a light on disability issues on Australia and across the world. They highlight persons with disabilities as rights holders,” said Angela Macdonald, Australian Ambassador to Thailand.

Read the full report: https://www.unescap.org/kp/2022/three-decade-journey-towards-inclusion-assessing-state-disability-inclusive-development

For more information: https://www.unescap.org/events/2022/asia-pacific-commemoration-international-day-persons-disabilities

Agricultural activities are essential for our economies and well-being. Yet farmers are amongst the most vulnerable groups in our societies, with limited income opportunities and activity volatile to economic and climate shocks.

A regional forum in New Delhi today drew attention to a possible solution - inclusive business models, which are fast enabling low-income farmers to have stable and decent incomes as well as fostering more inclusive and sustainable development in the region. The forum was co-hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Invest India and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Innovative business models such as inclusive businesses are emerging, and demonstrating that it is possible to provide goods, services, and livelihoods - on a commercially viable basis - to people often overlooked by pure profit-orientated businesses,” said Kaveh Zahedi, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP in his opening remarks. He added that governments and the private sector are now taking action by backing the development and expansion of such business models as the region strives towards more resilient economies.

Several successful examples from across the region were showcased at the forum. In India, Thailand and Viet Nam, businesses are bringing organic produce to the doorstep of the consumer while enhancing the income of farmers. Other firms are equipping farmers with relevant technologies and solutions that enable them to do some primary processing at their doorstep, introduce more sustainable and climate-resilient farming practices, reduce post-harvest losses and earn a higher income.

“Invest India has been working proactively with all the stakeholders on initiatives that impact investment and growth of the agriculture and allied sectors that employ more than 54 per cent of India’s population. As India takes over the G20 presidency for 2023, I am confident that initiatives like these will ensure an inclusive and sustainable narrative to India's chronicle of industrial growth,” said Deepak Bagla, Managing Director & CEO, Invest India.

Key public and private stakeholders attending the forum shared their experiences in topics such as how governments can promote inclusive business, inclusive business accreditation, measuring and managing impact, financing inclusive business and market opportunities for inclusive business, amongst others.

On the sidelines of the forum, ESCAP and Invest India also signed a Memorandum of Agreement to explore opportunities to promote inclusive business models in agriculture and food systems. For agri-businesses to be inclusive and remain commercially viable, an innovative mindset and partnerships at the local and regional level, and along the value chain, is critical.

The forum was held as part of the Regional Inclusive Business Models in Agriculture and Food Systems initiative to address the needs of thousands of farmers in Asia. The initiative by ESCAP and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation further seeks to share, promote and replicate elements that government and business leaders have used to develop commercially viable businesses thus reducing the risks for low-income farmers and expanding their earnings.

Today, ESCAP, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Government of Canada launched the Policymakers’ Toolkit “Strengthening Women's Entrepreneurship in National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Policies and Action Plans”.

Empowering women - especially women entrepreneurs running micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) - is a prerequisite for achieving the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - and its promise of 'leaving no one behind'. In recognition thereof, MSME agencies are championing women's entrepreneurship by taking concrete steps towards improving the policy ecosystem for women-led businesses in ASEAN.

The Toolkit - developed by ESCAP in close collaboration with all 10 ASEAN Members States - has been designed as a practical tool to enable policymakers involved in promoting women entrepreneurship, especially the MSME development agencies, assess gaps, take stock of opportunities and design gender-focused interventions through national policies to advance women’s entrepreneurship in the ASEAN region.

“We are convinced that women-led businesses can be a vital engine for our region’s inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development, and have been working on removing the institutional, financial, and capacity hurdles that many of these businesses still face. The Toolkit we are launching brings together what we have learnt from our interactions with dozens of Governments and thousands of entrepreneurs into an essential guidebook for the transformation of women-led business and in turn for the sustainable development of the ASEAN region”, said Kaveh Zahedi, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

 “Ensuring women are economically empowered is not just for social equality purposes but a critical policy approach for ASEAN to forge innovative, inclusive and sustainable growth” said Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community. He further added, “We are living in an age where technological advancements and social innovations have opened up new doors of opportunities for women to engage in income-generating activities – entrepreneurship being one of them.

“Canada values the partnership with ESCAP in the CWE (Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship) project to support the production of this Toolkit in collaboration with the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs. Gender-responsive national policymaking means better design of policies and initiatives for MSMEs to stimulate large-scale economic productivity that creates jobs and improves household income,” said Vicky Singmin, Chargé d’affaires, Mission of Canada to ASEAN.  “The Toolkit can also be used to establish frameworks for advancing the inclusion of gender provisions in Free Trade Agreements in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The Toolkit is a Priority Economic Deliverable under Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022 and was endorsed by the ASEAN Economic Ministers at their 54th Meeting in September 2022, subsequently acknowledged at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in November 2022. It is an initiative spearheaded by the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, supported by ESCAP, and funded by the Government of Canada under the Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme.

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For more information: https://www.unescap.org/events/2022/policy-dialogue-and-launch-toolkit-policymakers-strengthening-womens-entrepreneurship