Supply capacity - UNESCAP

Information dated: 2017
Contact

Marc Proksch

Chief,

Business and Development Section,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 1680

E-mail: proksch.unescap [at] un.org (proksch[dot]unescap[at]un[dot]org)

 

Masato Abe

Business and Development Section,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division

Tel: +662 288 1483

E-mail: abem [at] un.org (abem[at]un[dot]org)

 

Michiko Enomoto

Head,

Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT)

Tel: +91 11 3097 3751

E-mail: enomoto [at] un.org

 

Jonathan Wong

Adviser on Science, Technology and Innovation

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Tel: +6622881370

E-mail: jwong [at] un.org (jwong[at]un[dot]org)

Twitter : @UN_JonathanWong

The common aim of ESCAP services in this category is to analyse policies and their effectiveness in creating a strong and diversified enterprise sector, especially SMEs, to strengthen the capacity of governments and private sector institutions to improve the investment climate, to increase the contribution of business to inclusive and sustainable development, and to promote enterprise capacity development through research and analytical studies, training courses, policy dialogues, expert group meetings and round-table discussions.

Contact:

Marc Proksch

Chief,

Business and Development Section,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 1680

E-mail: proksch.unescap [at] un.org (proksch[dot]unescap[at]un[dot]org)

 

Facilitating the effective participation of Asia-Pacific SMEs in global value chains

The secretariat has been active in facilitating the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia and the Pacific into regional and global value chains by organizing expert group meetings and workshops which contribute to government-to-business interaction and the identification of common interest in developing a programme of action. The programme has been expanded to include countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and has currently conducted several sectoral studies at the subregional level. In addition, the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), a United Nations regional institution under ESCAP based in New Delhi, India, has undertaken training activities on transfer of technology with the purpose of strengthening SMEs in developing countries and promoting their effective participation in the global value chains in Asia and the Pacific.

Contact:

Masato Abe

Business and Development Section,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division

Tel: +662 288 1483

E-mail: abem [at] un.org (abem[at]un[dot]org)

 

Increasing the contribution of business to sustainable development

Over the past decade, ESCAP has been working to promote and support more responsible business practices in the Asian and Pacific region through the organization of regional conferences on CSR and, under a project implemented 2007-2012, capacity building of Global Compact country networks. The work has been implemented in consultation with the Global Compact Office and other partners, including OECD.

Started in April 2004, the Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) discusses emerging trade and investment opportunities and promotes cooperation and dialogue between the public and business sectors. It also provides a platform for networking and forming partnerships among the business community in the Asia-Pacific region. It is the first and only region-wide multi-stakeholder forum, participated by business representatives, government officials, representatives from international agencies and civil society organization, and academics, for establishing and strengthening a solid and meaningful network among stakeholders. The APBF has been annually organized and the latest meeting, APBF 2017 was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh with more than 500 high-level professionals from both the public and private sectors.

Consisting of executives and representatives of leading businesses in a wide range of industries and sectors from across the Asia-Pacific region, the ESCAP Business Advisory Council, or EBAC, was established at the first Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) in Shanghai in 2004 and has provided substantive support and in-kind contribution to the APBF ever since. In 2011, EBAC adopted its revised terms of reference and renewed its focus on providing guidance and support to ESCAP’s programme of work in general and the organization of APBF in particular. It has grown to close to 50 members and is still expanding to be truly representative of the business sector in the region, from big to small business covering all economic sectors and a wide range of industries. It specifically aims to provide business perspectives on development issues in the Asia-Pacific region to governments as represented in the legislative bodies of ESCAP, in particular (but not limited to) the Committee on Trade and Investment and the Commission and provide advice to the ESCAP secretariat on its programmes and projects.

In 2012 the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) was set up under the guidance of the ESCAP Business Advisory Council (EBAC), to promote the active engagement of the business sector in addressing the issues of environmentally sustainable and social inclusiveness in business, in the Asian and Pacific region. This Network has been established in reference to the outcome document of the Rio+ 20 Conference on Sustainable Development, which emphasized the importance of business’s role in sustainable development globally. The ESBN was established bases on three pillars of sustainability: namely (i) an economic pillar, which encompasses the need for sustained economic growth; (ii) an environment pillar, which refers to environmental protection and development; and (iii) a social pillar, which describes the need for poverty reduction and enhanced development of local communities and disadvantaged social groups. To achieve its objectives under this framework, ESBN currently consists of ten task forces, these include task forces on: (i) Green Business; (ii) MSMEs and Social Enterprise; (iii) Disaster and Climate Risk Reduction; (iv) Banking and Finance; (v) Digital Economy; (vi) Trade and Transport Facilitation; (vii) Innovation and Competitiveness; (viii) The Pacific Issues; (ix) Young Entrepreneurs; and (x) Agriculture and Food.

Contact:

Marc Proksch

Chief,

Business and Development Section,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 1680

E-mail: proksch.unescap [at] un.org (proksch[dot]unescap[at]un[dot]org)

 

Foreign direct investment

  1. Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) provides independent analysis of trends in trade and investment presents creative policy options and highlights future opportunities. This independent analytical work aims to assist government officials, business leaders and other relevant decision makers and stakeholders involved in policies affecting trade in goods and services and flows of capital and labour. APTIR 2015 highlights the challenges posed by slowing regional trade growth and outlines how changing dynamics in the global economy call for a renewed effort to enhance the prospects of export-led growth, both of merchandise trade and in commercial services. 2015 report also provided analysis on the spread of Global Value Chains (GVCs) in the Asia-Pacific region by evaluating the policies that contributed to developing countries participation in GVCs. APTIR 2016 shows that 2015-2016 has been a worrying period for trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide, and there are few signs that the current economic and trade slowdown is simply a temporary phenomenon. Instead, this pattern may be the result of a change in the fundamental structure of world trade, which might lead to persistent trade stagnation. On the other hand, good progress was made, especially at the regional level, with furthering cross-border paperless trade as one of the approaches to deal with the upward pressure on the trade costs. Accepting the rising importance of e-commerce as a new trade platform, there is opening for the possible changes in the focus of trade and investment policies to leverage the potential of e-commerce to support intraregional trade.

Handbook on Policies, Promotion and Facilitation of Foreign Direct Investment for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific (to be published in 2017) seeks to take stock of the findings on and experiences with FDI to help policymakers formulate better FDI policies and investment promotion agencies (IPAs) to better promote and facilitate FDI for sustainable development. For this purpose, and in light of the shifting demands on FDI as a means of implementation for achieving the SDGs, this Handbook seeks to put together recommendations for both policymaking, lawmaking, and investment promotion and facilitation based on best and good practices derived from experiences with FDI worldwide. It means to be a useful reference tool for policy makers, legislators and IPAs given the extensive literature on FDI, summarizing and packaging the recommendations that have emanated from this literature and experiences with FDI attraction, promotion and facilitation both in Asia and the Pacific and in the world at large.

To support country efforts in promoting FDI, the secretariat is also convening annual meetings of a regional network of FDI policymakers in the Asian and Pacific region. Initiated in 2011 the network facilitates sharing of experiences between member governments and learning from FDI experts from the region and beyond. The latest meeting (in December 2016) was combined with a one-day regional seminar on international investment agreements and sustainable development.

Finally, as a secretariat of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), the Secretariat is also providing support to the negotiation process of annexes to the framework agreement on investment of APTA.

For more information: www.unescap.org/tid

Contact:

Marc Proksch

Chief,

Business and Development Section,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division

Tel: +662 288 1680

E-mail: proksch.unescap [at] un.org

 

Technology transfer

The Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) is a subsidiary body of ESCAP located in New Delhi, India. The Centre works to strengthen capabilities of member countries to develop and manage national innovation systems; develop, transfer, adapt and apply technology; improve the terms of transfer of technology; and identify and promote the development and transfer of technologies relevant to the region. In accordance with its mandate, APCTT’s strategic interventions include the following:

  • Promoting knowledge sharing through ICT-based networks, advisory services, capacity building programmes, and by working with key national institutions and technology transfer intermediaries of member countries to upgrade the technology transfer capacity and competitiveness of SMEs;

  • Fostering cross-border technology-based cooperation among SMEs and business intermediaries in new and emerging technologies such as renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, nanotechnology, and biotechnology;

  • Assisting governments to build national capacity in science, technology, and innovation (STI) to develop policy frameworks and institutions that enable business and industry, research and development institutions, and universities to foster technology- based inclusive development and social entrepreneurship.

  • Partnering with national institutions to build technology transfer and innovation management capacity of policy-makers, SMEs, research and development institutions, technology transfer intermediaries and other stakeholders, through national and regional workshops, seminars, and forums.

  • Disseminating information on technology innovations and developments, trends, markets, and opportunities in selected areas of importance to member countries through web-based publications, and undertaking studies on technology transfer and innovation management that can be used as resource material to support policymaking as well as STI frameworks at the national and regional levels.

For more information: www.apctt.org

Contact:

Michiko Enomoto

Head,

Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT)

Tel: +91 11 3097 3751

E-mail: enomoto [at] un.org

 

Innovation for Sustainable Development

To meet the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda, a fundamental normative shift in innovation policy stance needs to occur. Innovation policy in Asia and the Pacific has historically focused on economic competitiveness. However, innovation policy for sustainable development must move beyond this traditional focus to include both social justice and environmental protection.

  • ESCAP’s work on innovation aims to support member countries to develop policies and strategies that address the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. ESCAP supports STI in member countries in the following ways:

  • STI policy and strategy advisory services;

  • STI research and analysis;

  • STI capacity building;

  • Facilitating intergovernmental agreements on STI;

  • Facilitating subregional STI cooperation through supporting STI knowledge sharing and cooperation between sub-regional organizations such as EEC, ECO, APEC, and ASEAN; and

  • Linking regional STI needs and experiences to UN global STI initiatives such as the Technology Facilitation Mechanism and the Technology Bank.

ESCAP’s flagship STI programme, launched in 2017, will focus on supporting policymakers in the region to formulate and implement effective social innovation policies and strategies focusing on fostering social entrepreneurship and creating an enabling environment for impact investment.

The concept of social entrepreneurship has been gathering momentum in the region with the growing recognition that the three dimensions of sustainable development will be key in achieving the SDGs. A social enterprise can be defined as an organization committed to explicitly including social and/or environmental returns as part of its core business while seeking profit or return on investment. The concept of impact investing as a tool to finance the SDGs has also been gathering momentum in the region given its focus on investing to generate social and environmental value, as well as financial return.

Several member countries in the Asia-Pacific region are at the forefront of innovative policymaking on this agenda. The ambition of this programme is to share this rich expertise and effective practices more broadly to shift this movement from the margins to the mainstream.

Contact:

Jonathan Wong

Adviser on Science, Technology and Innovation

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Tel: +6622881370

E-mail: jwong [at] un.org (jwong[at]un[dot]org)

Twitter : @UN_JonathanWong