The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) was established in 1947 as a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council and a regional arm of the United Nations. It currently serves 53 member States and nine associate members, covering a region that is home to 4.1 billion people, more than 60 per cent of the world’s population.
While changes in the Asia-Pacific region are responsible for much of the global progress against the Millennium Development Goals, totals and averages mask significant variations between subregions and individual countries. Forty per cent of the population in the region subsists on less than $2 a day. Many countries in the region also lag in such areas as hunger, health and sanitation and face challenges that include rising inequality, unplanned urbanization and vulnerabilities associated with being the most disaster-prone region in the world.
Year Published | |
Type | |
Theme/s | |
Joint | No |
Partner/s | N/A |
Focal Point Email | ied@un.org |
Managed by Independent Evaluation Office | Yes |
Geographic Scope | Regional |