UNESCAP Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia联合国亚洲及太平洋经济社会委员会 东亚和东北亚次区域办事处

国連アジア太平洋経済社会委員会 北東アジア地域事務所

유엔아시아태평양경제사회위원회 동북아지역사무소

НҮБ-ийн Ази, Номхон Далайн бүс нутгийн Эдийн Засаг-Нийгмийн Комиссын Зүүн болон Зүүн хойд Азийн оффис

Субрегиональное отделение ЭСКАТО ООН для Восточной и Северо-Восточной Азии

UNESCAP Connecting the Subregion

China DPRK Japan Mongolia Republicof Korea

RussianFederation

The Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia (SRO-ENEA) is the first of three new Subregional Offices established to strengthen UNESCAP’s ability to focus on priorities in each of its very diverse geographic subregions. By integrating a subregional, geographic approach into its thematic work, UNESCAP is better placed to provide services to our member countries in addressing development challenges and towards promoting knowledge-sharing and stronger subregional and intra-regional cooperation.

The Songdo office is located in North East Asia, the centre of the fastest-growing economic region in the world. With two of the three largest economies in the world, East and North-East Asia has a population of 1.56 billion. It will remain a vast engine of growth for the world for decades to come, and it will be a global leader in ensuring stability and security. And as a global leader, the subregion has already taken on the task of identifying solutions to address the social disparities and environmental challenges and to mitigate the impact of natural and manmade disasters that occur all too frequently in East and North-East Asia. UNESCAP looks forward to working with all member countries, and especially those of the Subregion, in achieving these critical goals.

Dr. Noeleen HeyzerUnder-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP

WELCOME TO UNESCAPSRO-ENEA

2

The SRO-ENEA was established by a UN General Assembly Resolution and was inaugurated on 17 May 2010 in Sondgo, Incheon in the Republic of Korea to support the six member countries: China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation. SRO-ENEA is currently the only comprehensive multilateral hub for all six North-East Asian countries and also serves as the Secretariat of the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC).

This brochure provides a brief introduction to our work and broad range of activities that are carried out towards alleviating poverty, reducing social and economic inequalities, and building more resilient and sustainable societies. Through our work, we strive to connect the subregion by bridging economic, social and environmental gaps among member countries in the subregion.

Dr. Kilaparti RamakrishnaDirector UNESCAP Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia

3

UNESCAP SRO-ENEA is established tosupport the work of the Commission;

enhance multilateral cooperation in North-East Asia;

serve as the development arm of the United Nations in North-East Asia; and

perform the function of Secretariat of North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC)

Our Staff

Our staff come from all over the world representing 10 nationalities with a broad diversity of educational and professional backgrounds. Our exceptional diversity gives us the range of expertise to support our member countries in achieving subregional development goals in areas including macroeconomics, trade and transport, disaster risk reduction, environmental sustainability and social development.

Our PartnersTo fully realize SRO-ENEA’s potential as a hub of cooperation, we build strong partnerships with governments as well as non-state actors. We work with various partners in developing and implementing programmes for subregional cooperation. We maintain partnerships with civil society organizations, national research institutions, academia, multilateral organizations, and we work with members of UN affiliated programmes including United Nations Global Compact, Academic Impact and NGOs with consultative status in ECOSOC.

WHO WE ARE

4

CHINAJAPAN

MONGOLIA

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

REPUBLICOF KOREA

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’SREPUBLIC OF KOREA

EAST AND NORTH-EAST ASIA AT A GLANCE

of world population

1/4

of world GDP & international trade

11/4

of global CO2 emissions

1/3

of global citizens above 65 years old

1/3

6 SRO-ENEA Member Countries Share

5

WHATWE DO

Addressing Social Disparities

Strengthening Intraregional Connectivity

Improving Environmental Sustainability through NEASPEC

Building Development Partners

Promoting Disaster Resilient Societies

8

Addressing Social DisparitiesEven though East and North-East Asia as a whole has enjoyed tremendous economic prosperity in recent years, there is growing economic disparity and social inequality in society. We strive to make development inclusive of all social groups, and promote collaboration and sharing of good practices across and among the member countries.

Working with the elderlyWhile population ageing itself is not a problem, it has many economic and social ramificationsif a society is not prepared for this demographic transition. SRO-ENEA is working with the elderly to promote healthy ageing and active participation of older persons in society.

Working with youthThe imagination, ideals and energies of young people are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which we live. SRO-ENEA is working with youth to promote youth participation in policy-making. The early engagement of young people in setting socio-economic development agendas will better equip youth to tackle development challenges at local, national, regional and global levels.

Working towards gender equalityAchieving gender equality takes collaborative work of various stakeholders at all levels and spheres of life in society. SRO-ENEA is working towards gender equality in East and North-East Asia so that the subregion can achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Goal 3 on “Promoting gender equality and empowering women”. The MDGs progress review in East Asia reveals that there is significant progress to be made, including on women’s representation in national parliaments.

Working with people living with HIV/AIDSEven though the HIV prevalence rate for the countries in the ENEA subregion is low, new HIV infection is increasing. As MDG Goal 6 calls for halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS, this subregion has not yet succeeded in doing so. SRO-ENEA is working to promote the dissemination of correct knowledge on how HIV virus is transmitted, and to eliminate discrimination against persons living with HIV and AIDS in our societies.

9

10

Strengthening Intraregional ConnectivityEast and North-East Asia is composed of leading global traders and is very much integrated with the global economy. In recent years, the subregion has been facing an increasingly challenging external environment including the slowdown of economic growth in major trading partners. To address these external challenges, the subregion is required to rebalance growth towards greater domestic consumption and intraregional trade. We are helping to enhance regional trade through fostering cooperation and connectivity at the regional and subregional levels.

Promoting intra-subregional tradeAmongst subregions in Asia and the Pacific, East and North-East Asia shows the highest level of economic integration by having over 30% of intra-subregional trade. Several studies, however, indicate that intra-subregional trade could be a lot higher. Also, Mongolia, as the only landlocked country in East and North-East Asia, faces particularly high trade costs. SRO-ENEA is working to help reduce trade costs by promoting trade facilitation measures to increase intra-subregional trade.

Fostering transport linkages across the Asia PacificIntermodal transit transport in the subregion suffers long waiting time for clearances and inspections as well as repeated unloading/loading for inspections at different ports and border crossings. SRO-ENEA is assisting our member countries in making transit transport more efficient by working to enhance transport connectivity in the subregion.

Promoting shared economic growthIn the aftermath of the global economic crisis, it has become clear that no one country can insulate itself from external shocks. Economic cooperation and coordination of macroeconomic policies were key to mitigating the impact of the crisis in the subregion. As the global economy continues to face increasingly uncertain and turbulent economic conditions, SRO-ENEA is helping to enhance economic resilience of member countries through research and analysis of emerging economic trends and promoting economic cooperation in the subregion.

11

12

Improving Environmental Sustainabilitythrough NEASPECSince 1993 all six subregional member countries have been working together within the framework of the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC) to deal with the most pressing transboundary environmental issues.

Mitigating transboundary air pollutionTremendous economic growth in North-East Asia produced soaring air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are threatened by increased acid deposition. Human health and agriculture are impacted adversely by rising ground-level ozone and particulate matter emissions. As NEASPEC’s permanent secretariat, we are working to enhance multilateral cooperation on transboundary air pollution by linking subregional experts and the existing mechanisms to generate a coordinated message for policy makers to ensure an integrated approach to problem-solving.

Building eco-efficiency partnershipsCollectively the subregion consumes one-third of the world’s energy and emits more greenhouse gases than any other subergion in the world. The challenge for the subregion is to find sustainable development models which make its economies and societies more robust and less dependent on fossil fuels and other nature resources. To help improve eco-efficiency in the subregion, NEASPEC has initiated the “Eco-efficiency Partnership” which involves all sectors/stakeholders, including governments, private sector and civil society, to play their own roles in shaping more eco-efficient patterns of economic growth in the subregion.

Promoting nature conservation in transboundary areasRapid expansion of population and economic activity in North-East Asia has tremendously fragmented the natural habitats of various species, putting them on the brink of extinction. For example, there are only about 500 Amur tigers and 40 Amur leopards surviving in the wild today. NEASPEC is facilitating deeper collaboration among member countries on nature conservation in transboundary areas.

Preventing dust and sandstormsCurrently, more than 27 percent of the Chinese territory is covered by deserts and about 90 percent of the Mongolian pastureland is subject to land degradation. The increasing frequency and magnitude of dust and sandstorms (DSS) originating from China and Mongolia, as a result of degraded land and encroaching deserts, are causing damages not only close to the source areas, but also to areas hundreds and even thousands of kilometers away. In order to mobilize concerted efforts for reversing the current trend of desertification and DSS, North-East Asian countries in 2005 adopted a comprehensive Regional Master Plan for the Prevention and Control of DSS. NEASPEC facilitates subregional cooperation for capacity building on the mitigation of DSS within the framework of the Master Plan.

13

14

Promoting Disaster Resilient SocietiesA number of mega-disasters have hit the East and North-East Asian subregion in recent years resulting in large numbers of deaths and astonishing economic damages. We promote cooperation and information exchange among the member countries with a focus on building capacities of governments to reduce disaster risk and cope better in the event of a disaster.

Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into developmentLarge scale disaster events have a lasting impact on the quality of economic growth and development. The loss of human capital and social consequences are particularly hard for developing countries, where they are often linked with poverty, reflecting wider socio-economic inequalities. SRO-ENEA is assisting member countries to facilitate effective mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into development.

Disasters Time MagnitudePeople

affectedPeople killed

Economic

damage

Wenchuan Earthquake (China) 12-May-08 8.0 45.6

million 69,277 85 billion USD

Great East Japan Earthquake 11-Mar-11 9.0 495,430 15,836 309 billion USD

Zud (Mongolia)

2010 Winter

42,000 families

(8 million livestocks)

Tens of millions of USD

Heatwave (Russia)

2010 Summer 56,000 15,000 15 billion USD

Flood (Republic of Korea)

2011 Summer 125,000 69 Several hundred

millions of USD

15

Natural Disasters in East and North-East Asia

Building Development PartnersIn today’s rapidly changing world, development cooperation goes beyond donors from the industrialized countries to recipients from developing countries. Effective partnerships that bring together governments, international organizations, donors, civil society, the private sector, philanthropic foundations and other stakeholders are increasingly providing the basis for development cooperation. In this regard, we are working with partners to help narrow the development gaps in implementing the MDGs.

16

Promoting South-South and Triangular cooperationSubregional member countries are playing an increasingly important role in providingdevelopment assistance to neighbouring countries under the framework of South-Southcooperation. SRO-ENEA is providing assistance towards developing subregional and regionalmechanisms for South-South cooperation to ensure that all countries, regardless of sizeor stage of development, benefit from regional cooperation efforts.

Promoting partnerships with all stakeholdersTo fully realize SRO-ENEA’s potential as a hub of cooperation, we will require strong partnership with governments as well as non-state actors. In this regard, as the programme of SRO-ENEA expands, we are keen to work with various partners in developing and implementing programmes for subregional cooperation. Civil society organizations, national research institutions, academia, and multilateral organizations are all important partners SRO-ENEA values, and we work with members of UN-affiliated programmes including United Nations Global Compact, Academic Impact and NGOs with consultative status in ECOSOC.

Building private-public partnershipsCompared to the 1960s when Official Development Assistance (ODA) accounted for 70% of capital flows to developing countries, today, it only accounts for less than 15%. Instead, foreign direct investments by private sector firms have become an increasingly important source of development funding. Additionally, corporate social responsibility is now widely accepted and practiced by the business community as an essential part of doing business. SRO-ENEA is actively pursuing partnerships with the private sector to achieve greater synergies in bringing economic and social development to the region.

17

Mitigation of transboundary air pollution from coal-fired power plantsFacilitated cooperation amongmember countries and providedtechnical assistance and policyrecommendations to mitigatecoal-combustion related emissions in China and Mongolia.

Nature conservation in transboundary areasFacilitated multilateral cooperationon the flagship species in North-EastAsia through comprehensive studiesand a training programme and explored opportunities to establish a framework of the intergovernmentalcooperation for nature conservationin Tumen River basin.

Mitigation of dustand sandstormsFacilitated exchanges of successfulpractices and expertise betweenmember countries, especially in DSS source areas, through capacity building activities and demonstration projects in transboundary areas of China and Mongolia.

Review of subregional cooperation on assessment of adverse effects of transboundary air pollution Initiated a comprehensive review of the existing subregional/regional mechanisms in order to identify opportunities/areas for strengtheningmultilateral cooperation.

18

EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE DO

Eco-efficiency partnership Brings together diverse stakeholdersto promote eco-efficient initiativessuch as cooperation on eco-labeling programme and knowledge sharing platform for low carbon, green city development in North-East Asia.

Leveraging youths’ energy and creativity in policy-making Created a platform for subregional youths to share experiences of youth participation in policy-making, and formulate action plans to address current regional and global policy issues that concern their lives, ranging from environmental issues to youth unemployment.

Trade facilitation in Mongolian trade corridorsCarried out a review of at- and behind- the border impediments to trade in major trade and transit corridors running through Mongolia in order to find ways to enhance their efficiency and increase trade flows in the subregion.

Macroeconomic research and analysis for promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth Provides analysis of macroeconomic trends, emerging challenges and risks in the subregion to identify opportunities for economic cooperation and promote growth through the implementation of sound economic policies.

Turning population ageing into an opportunityFacilitated experts and civil society actors to review good practice in promoting social participation and long-term care of older persons. As a result, we call on all stakeholders to embrace older persons as active contributors to societal well-being and progress of civilizations, rather than mere recipients of welfare benefits.

Connecting statistical data producers and users Supported statistical data users from civil society in the subregion to participate in a joint statistical training with governmental data makers compiling MDGs indicators for their countries.

19

In addition SRO-ENEA also works with other subregional offices, substantive divisions, and regional institutes of UNESCAP to fully harness the potential of this subregion as a key contributor to South-South and Triangular cooperation in Asia and the Pacific.

This brochure is designed in cooperation with

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations’ for the Asia-Pacific region. With a membership of 62 Governments, ESCAP is the most comprehensive of the United Nations five regional commissions. It is also the largest United Nations body serving the Asia-Pacific region with over 600 staff.

Established in 1947 with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, UNESCAP seeks to overcome some of the region’s greatest challenges. It carries out work in the following areas:

• Macroeconomic Policy and Development• Statistics • Transport • Environment and Development• Social Development • Trade and Investment • ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction• Subregional activities for development

ABOUTUNESCAP

17th Floor, Meet-you-all Tower, Techno Park, 7-50 Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu,Incheon 406-840, Republic of KoreaTel: +82-32-458-6600 Fax: +82-32-458-6699 Email: escap-sroenea-registry@un.org SRO-ENEA Website: http://northeast-sro.unescap.orgNEASPEC Website: www.neaspec.org

Printed on Recycled Paper