At least 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024, including heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods, and droughts, exacerbating an existing learning crisis, according to a new UNICEF analysis released today.

In 2024, global employment expanded in line with a growing labour force, keeping the global unemployment rate steady at 5 per cent, similar to that of 2023. Slowing productivity growth remains a major bottleneck with respect to expanding the opportunities for decent work.

Growth in Asia and the Pacific outperformed expectations in late 2023, reaching 5.0 percent for the year. Inflation has continued to decline, albeit at varying speeds: some economies are still seeing sustained price pressures, while others are facing deflationary risks.In 2024, growth is projected to slow modestly to 4.5 percent.

Developing economies in Asia and the Pacific are forecast to expand by 4.9% on average this year as the region continues its resilient growth amid robust domestic demand, improving semiconductor exports, and recovering tourism.

The Survey, published annually since 1947, is a flagship publication produced by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It provides analyses to guide policy discussion on the current and emerging socio-economic issues and policy challenges to support sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

Sociocultural Dimensions in Water Resources Management: Policies, Practices, and Challenges critically explores the complex challenges of ensuring sustainable development and effective water governance amid diverse cultural contexts.

This paper provides a comprehensive taxonomy of climate-attributable loss and damage in context of least developed countries and Small Island Developing States in Asia and the Pacific.

Typical agriculture sectors like animal production and processing, aquaculture and its processing, and fruit and vegetable processing, can be water-intensive and generate complex and sometimes severe pollution.

The report, based on the results from the 2023 UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation underscores the unwavering commitment of countries in the region to cultivate a seamless and efficient trading environment, despite these challenges.

Countries in Asia and the Pacific face a heightened risk of flooding as disasters increase worldwide due to climate change. Yet these countries often lack the infrastructure necessary to prepare for and respond to floods effectively.