ECA  ECLAC  ESCAP  ESCWA  UNECE Introduction of the Report of the Secretary-General on Regional cooperation in the economic, social and related fields [E/2017/15, E/2017/15/Add.1 and Add.2] Amr Nour Regional Commissions NY Office United Nations Headquarters 25 July 2017

Outline Regional perspectives on two issues: Efforts to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality Regional perspectives on global migration Developments in selected areas of regional and interregional cooperation: Regional forums for sustainable development Regional Coordination Mechanisms Interregional Cooperation among regional commissions Matters calling for action by the Council

Overview of Inequality Historically, inequality analysis has focused on disparities in income Today, inequality is regarded as a multidimensional phenomenon The regional commissions have spearheaded new ways to measure and monitor levels of inequality Cross-cutting regional similarities: Inequality is a gendered phenomenon Health care, education, social rights, and location (gaps in opportunities) all play a role in rates of poverty Even when poverty rates go down, inequality tends to stay the same or worsen

Measuring Poverty and Addressing Inequality in the Regions UNECE Region High levels of inequality with wealth concentrated in urban areas The financial and economic crisis of 2008 resulted in increased poverty and inequality across the region, especially in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) developed a guide on poverty measurement to raise awareness of the importance of poverty statistics and data Arab Region Uneven distribution of income has created a rise in inequality in the past decades Conflict and political instability spur inequality growth While progress has been made, gender inequality persists The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) has developed a new multidimensional poverty measurement tool & is also rolling out toolkits on social protection and social justice Asia and the Pacific Huge decrease in the number of people in poverty, but Increase in vulnerable employment, decline in women participation in the work force, disproportionate amount of unpaid care work for women Income inequality remained above the world average The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in cooperation with other regional commissions launched an online interactive platform, the Social Protection Toolbox Africa Annual growth rate of five per cent for the last decade, yet Second most unequal region of the world The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has developed the African Social Development Index Latin America and the Caribbean Remains the region with the highest overall level of socioeconomic inequality It affects particularly women, the Afro-descendent and indigenous population, persons with disabilities and people living in rural areas The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has for over 30 years promoted the measurement of income poverty and provide countries with strategic advice on poverty reduction

Policy recommendations advocated by the commissions to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality Promoting structural change and diversifying economies Establishing effective tax systems Improving labour markets Strengthening social protection systems Promoting environmentally sustainable and resilient economic development Promoting access to high quality education Promoting gender equality Promoting the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities Decreasing territorial inequalities Mainstreaming poverty reduction measures into national development plans Raising capacity of governments in data collection on poverty and inequality Regional Commissions New York Office - www.regionalcommissions.org

Migration: Regional Trends and Factors UNECE Region Immigration driven by socioeconomic forces Increased migration into Europe across the Mediterranean Sea Latin America and the Caribbean 63% of immigrants from and within the region. Emigration varies markedly by sub-region. The Caribbean and Central America stand out in terms of proportion of emigrants to native population. Most of emigration is to the United States Arab Region Large increase in immigration Three forms: labour migration, forced migration, and mixed migration flows Asia and the Pacific Mostly migrants participating in low-skill labour Mostly intra-regional due to historical and cultural similarities Africa More than half of migrants stay within the continent Migration outside of the continent emanates mostly from North Africa

Migration: Regional Cooperation Processes and Mechanisms UNECE Region The Budapest Process has become a forum for managing migration The Prague and Almaty Processes address other related challenges Latin America and the Caribbean Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development expected to be associated with the SDGs Arab Region Working Group on International Migration in the Arab Region to increase regional coordination Arab Regional Consultative Process on Migration addresses displacement issues to maintain security and human dignity of migrants Asia and the Pacific Association of South-East Asian Nations, Eurasian Economic Union, as well as regional processes like the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime and the Colombo Process Africa The Joint Labour Migration Programme is a partnership of ECA, the AUC, ILO, and IOM The High Level Panel on Migration mandated AUC and ECA to provide technical information on migration

Migration: Regional Consultations in support of Global Compact ECLAC Regional consultation planned for 30-31 August in Santiago, Chile Preparation of three sub-regional studies underway ESCWA Regional consultation planned for 26-27 September in Beirut, Lebanon Forthcoming publication of the 2017 Situation Report on Migration in the Arab Region ECA Expert Group Meeting will be convened 14-15 September 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to consider the regional report, followed by a regional conference 18-20 October Preparation of sub-regional studies underway ESCAP Regional consultation planned for 6-8 November in Bangkok, Thailand Preparation of thematic studies underway UNECE UNECE Executive Committee (EXCOM) to hold a discussion focused on migration statistics as a dedicated agenda item of an EXCOM meeting in early November in Geneva, Switzerland.

Part II. Developments in Selected Areas of Regional and Interregional Cooperation Regional Forums on Sustainable Development all convened prior to the 2017 High-Level Political Forum Regional Coordination Mechanisms continue to promote coherence at the regional level Regional Commissions coordinated positions and strategic responses on matters such as UN Development System repositioning to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, Habitat III Urban Agenda and, Climate Change

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