Hanoi (VNA) - In her article marking the 70thanniversary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(ESCAP), Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretaryof ESCAP Shamshad Akhtar argues that this important milestone in theorganisation's history is an opportune time to reflect on the Commission'sachievements as well as some of the outstanding regional challenges, inparticular ongoing endemic poverty.
Following is the full text of the article:
The UnitedNations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) marksits 70th anniversary this year. This is a rare opportunity for theoldest and largest of the United Nations regional commissions to take stock ofpast achievements, but also to spotlight where efforts need to be concentratedto meet new challenges.
Over the pastseven decades, Asia and the Pacific has undergone a seismic shift. Out of therubble of the Second World War, a group of nations came together to change theeconomic and social trajectory of the region. Today, Asia and the Pacific accountsfor over a third of the world’s output and is on track to make up half ofglobal GDP by 2050. We are home to 61per cent of the world’s foreign exchange reserves, and are a favored destinationfor foreign direct investment. We areunwavering advocates of multilateral solutions to global problems. Above all, wehave made impressive in-roads in the battle against poverty. In 1990, 50 percentof our population lived in poverty. In 2012 this had fallen to 15 percent.
But with 1 in 10people still living in extreme poverty, there remains much work to be done toachieve inclusive growth and a fairer distribution of wealth. We must redoubleour efforts to deliver deeper regional integration and cooperation to increaseproductivity; enhance domestic and regional demand; improve the quality ofgovernance; strengthen and diversify our financial systems to support trade andinvestment; and using technology to benefit society and business.
The resolute implementation of the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment together with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the AddisAbaba Action Plan will serve the Asia-Pacific well. As the only regional intergovernmentalplatform, ESCAP provides a space for consensus-building to address regionalsystemic challenges. In response to the 2030 Agenda and to serve our membersbetter, the Commission has reconfigured itself to exploit its strengths. Wehave created several regional forums to promote sustainable development andregional economic cooperation and integration.
The Asia-PacificForum on Sustainable Development has enabled us to agree on a regional road mapto steer the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and sets out priority areas,implementation arrangements and processes to track the progress of the 17 SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs). We have placed the issue of financing for developmentat the forefront of our efforts and used consultations to deliver tailoredsupport to our member states. An Eminent Expert Group on Tax Policy and Public ExpenditureManagement for Sustainable Development has been established to advise on publicfinance. We have provided advice on how to support successful Public PrivatePartnerships. Our work on regional economic cooperation and integrationpromotes more integrated, sustainable and resilient connectivity while ensuringa balance of social, economic and environment considerations.
Our Agenda 2030policy focus is beginning to deliver results. ESCAP member states are behind a regional push to achieve SDG7, sustainableenergy for all. This is important for the 420 million people in Asia and thePacific who still live without reliable access to electricity, but also to expandthe application of renewable energy and energy efficiency, both critical to thefuture sustainability of the region.
InformationCommunication and Technology (ICT) could help support sustainable developmentin our region. We are assisting countries take forward a Master Plan for anAsia-Pacific Information Super Highway. Its goal is simple: bettercommunications infrastructure to enable widespread use of ICT across theAsia-Pacific. The knowledge based societies to which we aspire depend on it, asdo modern public services. Increased mobile internet access and broadband couldhelp lower the cost of delivering health and education services throughe-health and e-learning platforms. ESCAP is focused on assisting our region to makethe most of these opportunities.
Work continues to findfinancing solutions to ensure the effective delivery the 2030 Agenda’sSustainable Development Goals. For this, tax policy must be designed tomitigate inequalities, and bridge the development divide. International and regionalpartnerships must be built to find innovative financing solutions fordevelopment challenges – with the support of development banks. Public PrivatePartnerships, combined with more integrated, deeper capital markets, must bepart of our financing package. ESCAP member states will continue to worktogether to share financial innovation best practices and to address capacitygaps where they exist.
Seventy yearsago ESCAP was created to help our region recover from war and conflict. Ourregion’s growth story since then has been remarkable. But as long as poverty and inequality persist,ESCAP will remain focused on the future, on supporting growth and sustainabledevelopment across Asia and the Pacific.-VNA
