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Asia and the Pacific is witnessing the fact that older persons are becoming a larger and more visible part of the economic, social and political landscape. In three parts, this publication focuses on...

The approach to several key issues related to social integration in the ESCAP region have undergone profound changes. Market-based solutions such as employment generation and skills training in the...

This paper elaborates on the current approaches in viewing the private sector as either a partner or a separate entity in delivering such basic social services as education, healthcare, water and...

This issue of the Social Policy Paper Series includes three papers. The first is an overview of regional implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration, primarily in the ESCAP Region. The second reviews...

This paper presents an overview of social services in Asia and the Pacific. It analyzes the access to social services by the poor and disadvantaged and examines important related issues. The following...

This publication provides an overview of national policies and programmes on ageing in Asia and the Pacific. It focuses on the analysis of major issues and examines lessons learned. The publication is...

Standards and regulations are an integral, if easily overlooked, part of our daily life. They determine whether a plug fits into a socket, whether food is safe for human consumption or whether a bank...

The number of elderly in Asia will more than double by 2025: 705 million against 322 million in 2000. This publication addresses major policy implications of population ageing in Asia and the Pacific...

This report looks at the missing link to inclusive growth for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which are less productive relative to large firms in the developing world than in the developed world...

Since the inception of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, ESCAP has been conducting reviews of the progress in achieving the goals of the Decade, in particular, the implementation of...

Several years following its breakout in mid-1997, the impact and devastating consequences of the regional economic crisis still linger on. In response to this crisis, the affected countries set up...

This publication is a further step following the issuance in November 1999 of the publication entitled “Establishing a Social Development Management Information System: Issues and Perspectives”, with...

This paper discusses the current approaches to international migration as an emerging social development issue that merits attention in the post-Copenhagen Declaration years. Special emphasis is...

This year’s report focuses on regional trade, the most common form of trade for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It contains 50 country profiles, featuring detailed SME competitiveness...

This SME Competitiveness Outlook assesses the impact of conflict and fragility on business performance. It unveils a Fragility Exposure Index, and shows that fragility, as experienced by firms, can be...

The progressive steps that are being taken at the national, sub-regional and regional levels to fulfill the objectives of the first Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons are examined in this...

Our services sectors are key to an economic transformation. This report calls them ‘connected services. Transport and logistics, financial services, information and communication technologies, and...

The SME Competitiveness Outlook 2021 analyses how small businesses can rebuild from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic so they are better prepared to face the looming crisis of climate change. It...

Increasing annual investments in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries by $1 trilling would yield disproportionate dividends in terms of progress towards the Sustainable...

New technologies like advanced robotics, 3-D printing, big data and the internet of things are rapidly changing the way in which firms do business. A strong business ecosystem is necessary to manage...