Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) The world is emerging from the biggest social and economic shock in living memory, but it will be a long time before the deep scars of the COVID-19 pandemic on human well-being fully […]
Sustainable Development Goals can guide Asia-Pacific to build back better
Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations-Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) The COVID-19 crisis poses an unprecedented threat to development in the Asia-Pacific region that could reverse much of the hard-earned progress made in recent years. The good news is we know how to […]
Sustainable energy key to COVID-19 recovery in Asia and the Pacific
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The past year is one that few of us will forget. While the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have played out unevenly across Asia and the Pacific, the region has been spared many of the worst effects seen in other parts of the world. The pandemic has reminded us that a reliable […]
“Accelerating Trade Digitalization in Times of the Pandemic”
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Tomorrow marks the entry into force of a new international agreement promoting paperless trade, a timely reminder of how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought digital solutions to regional development challenges into the limelight. Paperless trade across borders has proven an effective way to mitigate trade disruptions since the onset of the crisis, […]
Shifting conversations in multifaceted policymaking
Sudip Ranjan Basu As the people of Kiribati, Samoa and Tonga gear up as the first nations to welcome 2021, communities around the Asia-Pacific region and beyond look forward to bidding farewell to the most tumultuous year in recent decades. 2020 brought unparalleled human suffering that continued to devastatingly impact on the daily lives of […]
The United Nations, 75 years young: Engaging youth social entrepreneurs to accelerate the SDGs
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana This year, the United Nations is marking its 75th anniversary – a milestone of extraordinary economic and social progress in Asia and the Pacific. While the Organization enjoys a lifespan almost equal to the world’s improved average life expectancy, the future lies with those who have recently embarked on theirs: our young […]
Enhanced social protection an opportunity Asia Pacific must grasp
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana and Chihoko Asada Miyakawa In the fight against COVID-19, success has so far been defined by responses in Asia and the Pacific. Many countries in our region have been hailed as reference points in containing the virus. Yet if the region is to build back better, the success of immediate responses should […]
A Determined Path to the SDGs in 2030 Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Kanni Wignaraja, Bambang Susantono As lockdowns ease in countries across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear—a return to business as usual is unimaginable in a region that was already off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The virtual High-Level Political […]
Healthy oceans: keeping Asia and the Pacific afloat
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Memories of idyllic beaches and sonorous waves may seem far away while we remain at home. Yet, we need not look far to appreciate the enduring history of the ocean in Asia and the Pacific. For generations, the region has thrived on our seas. […]
Asia-Pacific response to COVID-19 and climate emergency must build a resilient and sustainable future
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP The unprecedented public health emergency triggered by the COVID -19 pandemic and its multi-faceted impact on people’s lives around the world is taking a heavy toll on Asia and the Pacific. Countries in our region are striving to mitigate the massive socioeconomic impact of […]