Interregional partnership for promoting trade as an engine for growth through knowledge management and ICT

Lead Division: TIIDThis evaluation is an end-of-cycle evaluation of Development Account (DA) Tranche 4 project "Interregional partnership for promoting trade as an engine of growth through knowledge management and taking advantage of information and communication technology (ICT)" (ROA47). The project focused on capacity building in Trade Facilitation through partnerships, knowledge-management and taking advantage of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Against the project objectives, ROA 47 has been successful in terms of sharing knowledge across countries/regions and supporting the development of trade facilitation policies and partially successful on objectives related to SME participation in the global supply chain and the use of ICT tools. All of these have strengthened the trade facilitation and negotiating capacity of the beneficiary countries. In general, the seminars contributed to highlight the importance of trade facilitation in many developing countries and they enabled the beneficiaries to familiarize themselves with useful concepts and get exposed to different tools. There were discussions on needs and debate about coordination and standardization of cross border procedures which helped to share best practices and knowledge amongst countries. Most participants valued the seminars as a way to improve their understanding of different aspects of trade facilitation, particularly learning about the experience of other countries. Overall, 75% of survey respondents considered that knowledge sharing on trade facilitation and best practices was either "Good" or "Very Good" and 80% considered the various seminars as "Highly Successful" or "Successful". While ECE tools and instruments, in particular in the area of electronic business are used in companies, including SMEs, the private sector didn't benefit as much from the different capacity building initiatives and sharing knowledge forums. There were no specific seminars organized for SMEs and the technological component represented in ICT tools were not the enabler to trade facilitation originally anticipated. The evaluation noted that one of the significant achievements of this project has been the cooperation of all the five RCs in the area of trade facilitation for the first time. This cooperation has generated a valuable insight and understanding on trade facilitation across RCs, as well as a means to exchange expertise and know-how among the Commissions. In particular, the project provided the institutional framework and funding for this cooperation which might be currently declining. The challenge is to keep the cooperation through an on-going mechanism which would facilitate exchange of expertise and cross fertilization among all RCs in the technical areas of trade facilitation and electronic business to build on the experiences and cooperation gained under ROA47.</p

Airship technology for air connectivity and humanitarian aid in the Caribbean and the Pacific

This technical note has been prepared as part of the activities of the UNDA project “Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: Contactless, seamless and collaborative UN solutions”. It was jointly prepared by the ESCAP Transport Division, in cooperation with the ECLAC International Trade and Integration Division, Infrastructure Services Unit.The Airship transport alternative, in its diverse engineering variants, has the potential to be a game-changing technology with significant development in recent years. It offers the technical capabilities to make a broad contribution to the optimization of mobility and logistics networks in isolated communities and territories, especially but not only in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This is particularly important in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as in the event of a disaster, different aid agencies are deployed with support in the distribution and logistics of perishable and essential cargo, equipment, and assistance personnel. This innovative mode should be incorporated into the transport matrix (both nationally and regionally), for the latter to move towards more efficient, sustainable, and resilient networks. This report discusses the use of airship in the context of transport connectivity in SIDS and their vulnerability to disasters and associated challenges. The report presents the state of the airship&acute;s technology, its flexibility, advantages, and study cases. It highlights a series of competitive advantages of airships for improving connectivity in SIDS and for addressing humanitarian, sanitary and environmental challenges across the local, regional, and global scales, as a resilient and sustainable logistics solution in synchro-modality with other modes of transport. The document has been prepared as part of the activities of the UNDA project &ldquo;Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: Contactless, seamless and collaborative UN solutions&rdquo;. It was jointly prepared by the ESCAP Transport Division, in cooperation with the ECLAC International Trade and Integration Division, Infrastructure Services Unit.</p

Identification of opportunities for interregional TCDC and ECDC : report of consultations between the government of India and Latin American governments, New Delhi, 5-7 June 1979

Consultations between India and 13 Latin American countries to identify opportunities for interregional technical and economic co-operation were held from 5 to 7 June 1979 at New Delhi. The consultations were held in co-operation with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Representatives of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) also attended at the invitation of the Government of India. The idea of convening such consultations, the first to take place between member countries of one United Nations regional commission with a developing country of another region, was first mooted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in August/ September 1978, during conversations between representatives of India and member States of CEPAL who were participating in the United Nations Conference on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries. The proposal to hold the consultations in India was approved specifically at the annual session of ECLA, held at La Paz in April 1979, while at the thirty-fifth session of ESCAP, held at Manila in March 1979, that Commission lent general support to the promotion of such interregional co-operation

Protection and training : institutions for improving workforce integration in Latin America and Asia

The world of work is going through far-reaching transformations. These transformations have a strong impact on labour markets and pose new challenges for their institutions, including unemployment protection and technical and vocational education and training (TVET), which are crucial to the creation of full and productive employment and decent work for all. Constantly changing labour markets and the growing heterogeneity of labour relations present major challenges for the design of unemployment protection instruments. In addition, a highly skilled workforce is a key element for any development strategy that aims to base economic growth on innovation and knowledge. Moreover, national technical and vocational education and training systems must meet increasingly diverse demands from both the production sector and persons seeking decent work. By analysing recent experiences in Latin America and Asia in relation to unemployment protection and TVET systems, as well as the challenges the countries of the two regions face as they develop these labour market institutions, this volume seeks to contribute to the debate on the formation of labour market institutions that foster sustainable development in a changing world of work.Foreword .-- Introduction / Alberto Isgut, Ju?rgen Weller .-- Part I. Strengthening unemployment protection institutions .-- I. Unemployment protection systems: the experiences of developed and transition countries / Gerla van Breugel .-- II. An analysis of unemployment protection in Latin America / Mario D. Vela?squez Pinto .-- III. Unemployment protection schemes in Asia / John Carter .-- IV. Unemployment protection in Colombia: a proposal for reforming the layoff protection mechanism / Mario D. Vela?squez Pinto .-- V. Unemployment protection: a general layoff assistance fund for the Dominican Republic / Mario D. Vela?squez Pinto .-- VI. Unemployment protection in the Philippines / Sharon Faye Piza, Rosemarie Edillon, Michael Dominic del Mundo .--- Part II: Building national technical and vocational education and training systems .-- VII: Technical and vocational education and training: a review of experience in developed countries / Gerla van Breugel .-- VIII. Creating effective, efficient and inclusive national systems of technical and vocational education and training in Latin America / Ju?rgen Weller, Sonia Gontero .-- IX. The Asia-Pacific region's experience with national systems of technical and vocational education and training / Jenny Grainger, Liz Bowen-Clewley, Sarah Maclean, Jim Matheson .-- X. Technical and vocational education and training institutions and programmes in Mexico / I?vico Ahumada Lobo .-- XI. The Dominican Republic's agenda for development to 2030: coordination of public policies for technical and vocational education and training / Oscar Amargo?s .-- XII. The national system of technical vocational education and training in the Philippines: a review and ideas for reforms / Aniceto C. Orbeta Jr., Emmanuel F. Esguerra

Making peace with nature : regional actions to mainstream and invest in biodiversity

In alignment with the theme for the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-16), "Peace with Nature," this policy brief underscores that biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services essential to human survival, economic prosperity, and social wellbeing and calls for comprehensive and transformative changes across economic, social, and governance systems across all world regions. This policy brief underlines the collective commitment of the UN regional commissions to mainstreaming and investing in biodiversity across all sectors and regions, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature. It highlights biodiversity challenges and opportunities in all regions, outlines the work of the regional commissions, identifies region-specific policy priorities and lists six interregional priority actions in support of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Biodiversity recognizes no borders. By sharing regional experiences and best practices, the regional commissions aim to foster global dialogue and cooperation to accelerate progress towards an inclusive and sustainable future in harmony with nature. Their commitment to “peace with nature” is a call to action for governments, businesses and civil society to work together across regions and borders to safeguard the planet’s irreplaceable biodiversity. Concerted efforts to protect and restore natural ecosystems and ensure their sustainable use can secure a healthier, more equitable and resilient world for present and future generations

Promoting equality : an interregional perspective

This report is a joint effort by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Economic and Social Commission fo

Implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development : the role of the Regional Commissions

The United Nations Regional Commissions (RCs) have been assigned explicit and implicit mandates to assist Member States in integrating the three dimensions of sustainable development, provide technical support for SDG implementation through effective leveraging of the means of implementation, and facilitate effective follow-up and review. The RCs were entrusted with these mandates given their universal coverage, convening power, intergovernmental nature and strength, broad-based cross-sectoral mandate, and experience in mobilizing regional consensus on key intergovernmental agreements

Addressing public debt challenges to effectively pursue the SDGs : regional perspectives

Jointly prepared by the five Regional Commissions of the United Nations, this policy brief outlines public debt trends across the globe, discusses policy options to address rising public indebtedness while keeping in view the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and highlights policy experiences that governments across regions can learn from each other. To manage fiscal and debt risks, governments need to deploy resources raised from increasing public debt as investments in people and the planet, which can offer sizeable medium- and long-term economic, social and environmental returns. Increasing fiscal revenues and improving public spending effectiveness and efficiency are key to expand the fiscal space. Better management of public debt can also go a long way in reducing fiscal risks and government borrowing costs. For countries already facing elevated debt distress risk, timely sovereign debt restructuring can help mitigate the adverse socioeconomic consequences of continued debt distress. In support of such restructuring, the international development community should step up its efforts to accelerate progress towards common international debt resolution mechanisms and restructuring frameworks.</p

SDG progress and transformative Pathways : perspectives from the five regions

The five United Nations regional commissions have prepared selected country profiles on “SDG Progress and Transformative Pathways” to support discussions among member States, various United Nations entities, and other development partners during the SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023. The following key messages reflect shared global progress as well as region-specific challenges and policy considerations.The five United Nations regional commissions have prepared selected country profiles on &ldquo;SDG Progress and Transformative Pathways&rdquo; to support discussions among member States, various United Nations entities, and other development partners during the SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023. The following key messages reflect shared global progress as well as region-specific challenges and policy considerations.</p

Implementation of the outcome of WSSD : role of the regional commissions

This publication describes the role of the United Nations regional commissions in integrated follow-up and implementation of WSSD outcome at the regional level. Their role would include: ensuring the monitoring of progress made by member countries; promoting regional policy dialogues and peer reviews; strengthening the capacity of developing countries so that they can address effectively complex trade and environment issues and optimize the benefits from trade liberalization; cooperate with the regional development banks, the World Bank, UNEP, UNDP, and other relevant institutions for the establishment of regional financing mechanisms for sustainable development