UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Updates

On 11 March 2011, the powerful 9.0 magnitude Tōhoku earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a 40-meter Tsunami. Many coastal towns along Japan’s Pacific coast were...

The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation in 2025 was a timely reminder that the stability of Mongolia’s economy rests on fragile mountain systems that are melting faster than ever recorded...

On a quiet July morning in Severo-Kurilsk, a coastal town in the East of the Russian Federation, the sea began to retreat unnaturally fast. Within minutes, tsunami sirens blared and 2,700 residents...

The Himalayan arc from Bhutan through Nepal and India into Pakistan has always followed the rhythm of the monsoon. In 2025, that rhythm became deadly. Rain that sustains agriculture and rivers turned...

South Asia is home to nearly two billion people and ranks among the most disaster-prone subregions in Asia and the Pacific. Every year, millions face exposure to floods, cyclones and other extreme...

As climate change intensifies, disasters like hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires are becoming more frequent and devastating. Rising sea levels are further threatening coastal communities,...

Home to more disasters than any other regions, Asia and the Pacific faces rising risks as extreme environmental events grow in both frequency and intensity. At the heart of disaster preparedness,...

As extreme heat reshapes our planet, the world’s coldest regions—the Arctic and the Third Pole—are being pushed to their limits. Glaciers are melting, weather patterns are shifting, and the risks are...

2024 was the hottest year on record, and the Asia-Pacific region continues to heat up, even as the summer of 2025 approaches. In response to the escalating threat of extreme heat, the UN...

The planet is surpassing historic heating records at an alarming rate. The year 2024 was the hottest ever recorded, continuing a decade-long trend of unprecedented global temperatures. All of the...

In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic...

The Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) 2025 opened today in Kuala Lumpur with a strong call for the private sector to lead the region’s transition towards a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient...

On 28 March 2025, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar near Mandalay, exposing more than 37.2 million people to violent shaking and resulting in more than 3,000 deaths, some 3,900 injuries and...

Despite driving 60 per cent of the world’s economic expansion in 2024, several countries are still not ready to cope with climate shocks and the implications of transitioning to a greener system.

The year 2024 was the hottest on record, continuing a decade-long trend of unprecedented global temperatures. All of the past ten years now rank among the hottest ever recorded. January 2025 has...

New UN report lauds community-driven innovations in closing SDG data gaps in Asia and the Pacific Across Asia and the Pacific, communities are pioneering innovative solutions to bridge critical data...

Excerpt While the population in Asia and the Pacific continues to grow, the overall growth rate is declining The population in Asia and the Pacific continues to grow, but at a declining rate. In...

Author: Jing Xie Abstract This technical paper explores the SDG indicator 8.7.1 on the proportion of children aged 5-17 engaged in child labour. Applying the Classification and Regression Trees...

Abstract Tsunamis pose a persistent and critical threat to over 20 million people across 13 ESCAP member countries in the Indian Ocean basin, where densely populated coastal regions face escalating...

Abstract This report highlights the critical yet underexplored intersection between social protection policies and climate change policies and events in the Maldives. Despite their potential, social...