This publication is the first Asia-Pacific report that comprehensively maps out the intersections between gender and environment at the levels of household, work, community and policy. It examines gender concerns in the spheres of food security, agriculture, energy, water, fisheries and forestry, and identifies strategic entry points for policy interventions. Based on a grounded study of the reality in the Asia-Pacific region, this report puts together good practices and policy lessons that could be capitalized by policymakers to advance the agenda of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development strives for more balanced development by addressing the economic, social and environmental dimensions holistically. The momentum set forth by this agenda provides an historic opportunity for reducing inequality and closing gender gaps. This publication examines the intersections between gender and the environment at the household, work, community and policy levels, particularly in the spheres of food security and agriculture, energy, water, fisheries and forestry, with a view to providing strategic entry points for policy interventions. Based on a grounded study of the reality in the Asia-Pacific region, this report assembles good practices and policy lessons that could be capitalized on to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals provide a common global agenda for development. However, the emerging policy issues vary greatly across the world. With 32 contributors, this volume provides a timely, research-based overview for the need for policy interventions to improve the sustainability and development models of the ten selected countries in Asia and the Pacific. The volume is firmly positioned at the cusp between research, policy and practice.

This report is a combined effort by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations University (UNU), and the Institute for Global and Environmental Strategies (IGES), and is being published as governments and other stakeholders prepare to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a plan for people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership. While “transformation” has become a buzz-word during the formulation of this agenda, how to make it happen has not been addressed properly. This report underlines that the Sustainable Development Goals will only be achieved when key Asia-Pacific megatrends are managed in a way that creates opportunities for achieving sustainable development outcomes. It supports national and regional efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda. Regional megatrends such as urbanization, trade and economic integration and rising consumption and changing consumption patterns are already shaping the future patterns of resource use, and defining who will be the ‘winners’ and who will be the ‘losers’. The report examines the four critical determinants of the relationship between the economy, people and nature explored in this publication as targets for a fundamental transformation – social justice, resource efficiency, investment flows and economic structures.

The Asia-Pacific region has been experiencing rapid development in the past 30 years, and issues relating to sustainable development will become increasingly important in the coming decades. This comprehensive overview presents sustainable development from the perspectives of Asia and the Pacific, with contributions from more than 70 leading international experts. The first part focuses on the theories and practices of sustainable development, including national and regional perspectives, as well as international policies and law concerning climate change. The second part highlights the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development and poverty reduction amid the changing ecological, social, cultural, economic, and political environment in this region. These include issues such as the importance of science for sustainable development and related areas, including sustainable energy, stratospheric ozone depletion, climate change, land-use change, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction. The volume is an invaluable reference for all researchers and policy makers with an interest in sustainable development.

This book takes the reader into some of the most intransigent social, economic, and political issues that impact achieving sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Through meticulous analysis of the integrated relationships between population, development, and the environment, the chapters in this volume investigate the impacts of hydropower development on fragile ecosystems; mining, landslides and environmental degradation; deforestation; water and food security; rural-urban migration, poverty alleviation, civil society and community empowerment; and how disaster recovery requires multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary approaches that take into account governance, culture, and leadership. Legal frameworks may be legislated, but are often rarely implemented. The book will be valuable to students of sustainability, population and development, and governmental policy advising sectors as well as the NGO and humanitarian sectors. The distinctive characteristic of this book is that it encapsulates an integrated, multi-disciplinary focus which brings to the discussion both robust empirical research and challenging policy applications in the investigation of how the sustainable development goals may be achieved in Asia and the Pacific.

This report presents the results of a stocktake of national responses to Sustainable Development Goals 12, 14, and 15, and selected environment-related targets that have a direct relationship with responsible consumption and production, and sustainable marine and terrestrial ecosystems management, by 15 developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. The report was completed under the first phase of a technical assistance project by the Asian Development Bank, with the aim of understanding and helping its developing member countries address the issues and challenges behind effective integration of these goals and targets into national policies, plans, and programs.