United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

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.

Selling through e-commerce demands resources, knowledge, and capabilities that individuals in poverty often lack. Photo credit: iStock/Aramyan.

Article
16 April 2024

E-Commerce for Inclusive Development: Time for an Open Debate

There is no overwhelming proof that e-commerce has fully realized its potential for inclusive development.

Publication
1 April 2024

Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2024: Promoting Sustainability and Resilience of Global Value Chains

This report examines the progress of trade facilitation in the region, highlights trends in paperless trade, and evaluates the impact of trade facilitation initiatives on costs and overall trade.

Publication
17 November 2023

E-Commerce for Inclusive Development: Policy Considerations

Recognizing that “inclusive development” is a very broad term, this paper focuses on two of its dimensions: poverty reduction and empowering women.

Publication
15 February 2022

Landscape Study of Inclusive Business in Viet Nam

This report examines the inclusive business landscape in Viet Nam and recommends a set of measures to promote such a business model among companies.

Green public finance can help governments prioritize and reallocate resources within their existing fiscal space. Photo credit: ADB.

Article
8 February 2022

Green Recovery Policies Are Still Possible

Governments must invest in long-term green, low-carbon solutions, rather than short-term unsustainable expenditures on subsidizing fossil fuels.

Using earth images and mobile phone data can significantly reduce the cost of monitoring socioeconomic conditions, as the data collection is less time- and resource-intensive than conventional approaches. Photo credit: iStock/metamorworks.

Article
17 January 2022

Enhancing Poverty Measurement through Big Data

With scant data for almost half of the SDG indicators in Southeast Asia, governments explore big data and machine learning to address the data gaps.

Publication
19 November 2021

Asia–Pacific Trade and Investment Trends 2021/2022: Preferential Trade Agreements in Asia and the Pacific

This report gives an overview of the initiatives and approaches of Asia–Pacific economies toward preferential trade agreements, including recent trends and developments.

ESCAP-2021-RP-state-social-enterprise-South-East-Asia cover

Publication
18 June 2021

The State of Social Enterprise in South East Asia

This report delves into the size, scale, and scope of the social enterprise sector in Southeast Asia.

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

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