The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is one of the five Regional Commissions under the jurisdiction of the UN Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to increase economic activity in Asia and the Far East, as well as to foster economic relations between the region and other areas of the world.
The Commission is composed of 53 Member States and nine Associate Members, mostly from the Asia and Pacific regions. In addition, the Commission's Members include France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. The region covered by the Commission is home to 4.1 billion people, or almost half of the world's population. Its main mandate has been to "initiate and participate in measures for facilitating concerted action for the economic reconstruction and development of Asia and the Far East."
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in her recent observations has drawn attention of the world to the positive dynamics that can be created through unity in diversity and inclusive social development.
ESCAP has also established novel tools to structure its support to its Member States and others. Examples include ESCAP's SDG Rapid Response facility, used for individual and shared support requests, and its SDG Helpdesk, which offers a platform with tools, knowledge products, expertise, good practices, advice, opportunities for peer learning, and regional South-South Cooperation. ESCAP also seeks to create interaction between debtors and creditors with a particular focus on the Small Island States in the Pacific.
The constructive role that ESCAP can play is now being tested once again after what has happened in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Columnist Kelly Ng of BBC reported on November 26, 2025 that parts of Thailand are battling record floods, which have killed at least 33 people and prompted authorities to deploy military ships and helicopters to support relief efforts. Deluge has hit ten provinces across the country's south over the past week, with the city of Hat Yai, a business hub bordering Malaysia, recording its heaviest rainfall in 300 years - 335mm in a single day. Photos have shown vehicles and houses submerged in the city, while desperate residents await rescue on their rooftops. Relentless rains have also ravaged neighbouring countries. In Vietnam, the death toll has risen to 98 in a week, while in Malaysia; more than 19,000 people have been forced from their homes. More than 2 million people in Thailand have been affected by the floods, but just 13,000 have been moved to shelters. However, the vast majority are cut off and unable to get help, according to Reuter's news agency. The Thai military, which has been put in charge of tackling the crisis, said it is preparing to dispatch an aircraft carrier and a flotilla of 14 boats loaded with relief supplies, along with field kitchens that are said to be able to deliver 3,000 meals a day. Medical teams on board the aircraft carrier will convert it into a "floating hospital" if required, the navy said. Boats, high-clearance trucks, and jet skis have also been deployed to evacuate residents, said the governor of Songkhla province, where Hat Yai is located. The Cabinet on November 25 has also declared Songkhla a disaster zone, freeing up funds for relief. However, many people remain stranded amid the rising waters.
In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people have been evacuated to safety, with 126 evacuation centres set up in the northern border areas. In the States of Kelantan and Perlis, rescue teams are wading through knee-deep floodwaters to evacuate residents in areas where rising waters have cut off access to roads. Indonesia has also seen nearly hundred dead and more than a thousand displaced after recent floods.
In the meantime, discussion is taking place as to what ESCAP will do to reduce the socio-economic impact of climate change in the coming months. Analysts believe that ESCAP can find the equation to find solutions to the several dimensions that are emerging in South East Asia.
Climatologists believe that future prospects for the ESCAP region will depend critically on the progress of climate change. Under high-emissions scenario, ESCAP is projecting that extreme heat will be more frequent, intense and widespread. Rising temperatures is also expected to affect other parts of the Earth's ecosystem - notably because of glacial melt. Climatologists have forecast that warming in the Arctic can influence weather, precipitation and glacial behavior across Central and South Asia.
It may be also noted here that globally glaciers have lost about 5 per cent of their volume in this century. By 2060, under a high-emissions scenario, Mongolia, Türkiye and Uzbekistan could lose more than 70 per cent of their glacier mass. These phenomena are also expected to add to sea-level rise, raising existential risks for some countries in the Pacific.
Scientists have consequently observed that countries in dire situations need to move from reactive heat risk management to long-term, science-informed strategies through collective action.
To support countries, ESCAP plans to scale-up climate-responsive and inclusive social protection schemes that include technical support for heat-specific social protection provisions that ensure heat readiness, along with income and non-income support, especially for the poor living in densely populated urban areas. It has also been noted that Members of the ESCAP could take necessary steps to strengthen collaboration among government institutions, municipalities and local communities to create green pastures. These passages can then make the air cooler and also reduce surface temperatures.
The Second World Summit for Social Development, held in Qatar in November, marked an important moment for global efforts to advance inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. Throughout the Summit, contributions from the Asia-Pacific region demonstrated that diversity was not a barrier but strength in crafting people-centred solutions.
Countries showcased innovative and scalable approaches to social protection, intergenerational solidarity, care economy transformation and poverty reduction. These efforts, rooted in local realities and scaled through regional cooperation supported by ESCAP, offer valuable lessons for the world.
We need to remember and understand that social protection is a powerful tool for reducing poverty and inequality. With the right investments and reforms, it has even greater potential to drive inclusive and equitable development in the future as countries face added risks due to climate change.
It may be noted here that Indonesia's large household cash transfer programme, Programme Keluarga Harapan, has helped improve households' livelihood capital and coping capacities in the face of climate change events, especially those relying on climate-sensitive sectors such as food systems or other natural resource-dependent activities.
The Maldives, in partnership with ESCAP, marked a major milestone in addressing population ageing by launching its National Policy in September 2025, presenting a comprehensive framework to promote active and healthy ageing. The Lao People's Democratic Republic has also recently adopted a decree and a policy on ageing and is now working to put them into practice.
These recent developments demonstrate the commitment of countries in Asia and the Pacific in recognising that today's youth are tomorrow's older persons, that ageing should be viewed over the life course and that intergenerational solidarity benefits all.
The ESCAP repository of policies on ageing and related database of good practice is now extending support to countries in sharing experiences and contributing to more effective regional cooperation.
One of the most powerful messages from the recent Summit in Doha was the importance of regional cooperation and knowledge exchange. The Doha Political Declaration proposed a regional mechanism to monitor commitments made at the Summit, ensuring accountability and continuous learning. The region's emphasis on multilateralism and solidarity offered a model for global cooperation in tackling shared challenges.
ESCAP appears to be fully committed to supporting the regional follow-up of the Declaration. Building on its established platforms, including the Committee on Social Development and the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, ESCAP has decided to continue to provide inclusive spaces for dialogue, review and policy coherence aligned with the 2030 Agenda and reflecting regional priorities, including on leaving no one behind, gender equality, decent work, social protection and intergenerational solidarity. ESCAP will also continue to strengthen regional capacity to collect disaggregated social development data and support not only national statistical systems to monitor progress and inform policy but also try to help ensure that progress towards the 2030 Agenda is accurately tracked and gaps are identified.
It is clear that ESCAP will try to leverage existing cooperation to share Earth observation data and technical expertise for mapping and monitoring heat exposure and city vulnerability to urban heat island effects. This information would enable greater precision in forecasting and quantifying heat risk, as well as for issuing timely heat alerts.
ESCAP is fully committed to supporting the regional follow-up of the Declaration. Building on its established platforms, including the Committee on Social Development and the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, ESCAP will continue to provide inclusive spaces for dialogue, review and policy coherence aligned with the 2030 Agenda and reflecting regional priorities, including on leaving no one behind, gender equality, decent work, social protection and intergenerational solidarity.
Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.
muhammadzamir0@gmail.com
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