SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

Innovate Indonesia: Unlocking Growth through Technological Transformation

This report explores policy options to facilitate Indonesia’s technological transformation and unlock its economic growth potential.

New technologies present governments with opportunities and challenges in a range of key policy areas such as employment, competitiveness, equity, and sustainability. A consensus is that the national government can play an important role in stimulating innovation.

Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future

National economies have grown substantially since the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century yet people have not necessarily seen an increase in opportunities to find decent work or earn a decent income. In fact, in some places, the increased productivity and rising profits associated with automation have directly impacted the availability of decent jobs. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015, and more than 600 million new jobs are needed by 2030 just to keep pace with the growth of the working-age population.

Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2020

Decades of high economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region have transformed its socioeconomic landscape – lifting a billion people out of extreme poverty in the past two decades and raising living standards of even greater numbers. However, such growth has been accompanied by growing inequality of income and opportunity and is beginning to breach planetary limits, thus endangering the well-being of future generations. Yet, the Asia-Pacific region is not on track to achieve any of the 17 Goals by 2030 if we continue on our business-as-usual pathway.

Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2020: Towards sustainable economies

Decades of high economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region have transformed its socioeconomic landscape – lifting a billion people out of extreme poverty in the past two decades and raising living standards of even greater numbers. However, such growth has been accompanied by growing inequality of income and opportunity and is beginning to breach planetary limits, thus endangering the well-being of future generations. Yet, the Asia-Pacific region is not on track to achieve any of the 17 Goals by 2030 if we continue on our business-as-usual pathway.

Increase spending on managing COVID-19 pandemic and decarbonize to tackle climate emergency, urges UN regional arm

Bangkok (ESCAP news) – The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having far-reaching economic and social consequences for the Asia-Pacific region, with strong cross-border spillover effects through trade, tourism and financial linkages, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) released today.

Infrastructure Financing in Asian Landlocked Developing Countries: Challenges, Opportunities and Modalities

As one of the main goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the development of reliable and resilient infrastructure (Goal 9), it is imperative that infrastructure financing be given its due importance. Infrastructure development also leads to positive spillover effects such as the promotion of sustainable economic growth and employment (Goal 8) as well as poverty reduction (Goal 1). Infrastructure development directly influences over 80 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals targets.

Strengthening monitoring and evaluation for adaptation planning in the agriculture sectors

The importance of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of climate change adaptation has been highlighted at global level, including under the Paris Agreement. Simultaneously, adaptation M&E systems are beginning to emerge at the national level in the context of national planning and budgeting processes. This technical guidance note details how to develop M&E systems for adaptation planning in agriculture sectors.

Local and Regional Governments' Report to the HLPF (3rd Report) – Towards the Localization of the SDGs

This Report explores the involvement of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) in the ‘localization’ of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following UN guidelines, it complements the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) submitted by 143 countries to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) throughout the first four- year cycle of voluntary reporting. It delivers first-hand information from LRGs in 80 different countries, including 24 of the 47 countries reporting in 2019.