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1. The Post COVID-19 and RCEP: Pandemic Recovery in East Asia

Author:
Shandre Mugan Thangavelu, Shujiro Urata, and Dionisius Narjoko
Publication Date:
08-2022
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
Abstract:
The paper examines the impact of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on the COVID-19 pandemic recovery of the East Asian countries. Recent studies highlight the positive gains from the RCEP agreement for all 15 of its member countries (Itakura, 2022, Petri and Plummer, 2020; Park, 2022). However, the recovery will be not even across East Asia. The East Asian countries of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (CJK) are likely to have the largest gains, as these countries dominate the regional global value chain (GVC) activities. The ASEAN least developed countries of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), and Myanmar also experience positive gains from RCEP, but need to undertake deeper structural reforms to fully benefit from the agreement. The RCEP framework has elements that will be crucial for the post-pandemic recovery and regional transformation: (i) accelerating and enhancing GVC activities through the single rule-of-origin framework for the 15 RCEP member countries and CJK (China, Japan, and Korea) effects; (ii) services liberalisation and digital transformation in the key services trade of e-commerce, financial, professional, and telecommunications services; (iii) economic cooperation amongst the 15 RCEP member countries to address key contingency issues such as mass vaccination and health infrastructure, protocols for the movement of people, and trade capacity building for ASEAN least developed countries; and (iv) the ‘living’ nature of the RCEP agreement will be able to create a wider regional integration agenda to address key contemporary issues such as environment and climate change, skills development, green transformation, and developing digital and smart urban centres. ASEAN centrality, as highlighted by the RCEP framework, is critical for the post-pandemic recovery and structural transformation of the region.
Topic:
Regional Cooperation, Recovery, Pandemic, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
Asia and ASEAN

2. Planetary Health: Reflections from Asia

Author:
Margareth Sembiring
Publication Date:
06-2022
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Abstract:
Planetary Health is a concept that advocates the care of the planet for human own survivability. It underscores the health implications of environmental degradation brought about by human activities and development progress, and calls for a systemic approach that considers and addresses socio-environmental trade-offs of certain policy and/or economic objectives. In view of multiple crises that have been happening in recent years – from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine – which have further negatively affected the environment, understanding how Planetary Health can be applied to address continuing environmental decline is critical. Planetary Health is a relatively new term in Asia. Drawing from the discussions in the 6th NTS-Asia Consortium Annual Conference in April 2022, this NTS Insight maps the different ways Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Japan, and China engage Planetary Health in their specific contexts. The interpretations of the concept are likely to influence the trajectory of its implementation.
Topic:
Health, International Cooperation, Recovery, Pandemic, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
Asia

3. Mine Action and the Environment in Karabakh

Author:
Emil Hasanov
Publication Date:
04-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Baku Dialogues
Institution:
ADA University
Abstract:
The now‑liberated areas of Azerbaijan are contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), the clearance thereof being one of Baku’s highest post‑conflict priorities. Before proceeding any further, we must provide proper definitions of these terms, since they are technical in nature and thus may not be familiar to the general reader. According to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti‑Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction that was adopted in Oslo in 1997 and entered into force in 1999 (it is colloquially called the AntiPersonnel Mine Ban Convention, or APMBC), an anti‑personnel mine “means a mine designed to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person and that will incapacitate, injure or kill one or more persons.” An antivehicle or antitank mine is effectually the same thing, except that it is designed to explode when triggered by a vehicle. Together, they fall under the catchall term mine, which the same document defines as a “munition designed to be placed under, on, or near the ground or other surface area and to be exploded by the presence, proximity, or contact of a person or a vehicle.” Furthermore, explosive remnants of war (ERW) are defined as explosive munitions left behind after a conflict has ended. They include unexploded artillery shells, grenades, mortars, rockets, air‑dropped bombs, and cluster munitions. If such weapons fail to detonate as intended for whatever reason, they are called unexploded ordnance (UXO); if, on the other hand, they have not been used during an armed conflict and have been left behind by the party that brought them to the battlefield, they are called abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO). Lastly, cluster bombs or cluster munitions, which are defined as weapons containing from several to hundreds of explosive submunitions. They are dropped either from the air or fired from the ground and are designed to break open in mid‑air, releasing submunitions and saturating an area that can be as wide as several football pitches. Based on past practice, the failure rate of cluster munitions to explode as intended stands at between 10 and 30 percent.
Topic:
Climate Change, Economics, Environment, Mining, and Recovery
Political Geography:
Central Asia, Asia, and Azerbaijan

4. Energy Access and Affordability Voluntary Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean

Author:
Philippe Benoit
Publication Date:
10-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP), Columbia University
Abstract:
Argentina, President of the G20, recently released the “Energy Access and Affordability Voluntary Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean”, prepared by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) & Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE). CGEP Scholar Philippe Benoit served as the lead author of the report (on assignment from the IDB). The report builds on the previous G20 reports prepared for Africa and Asia-Pacific. The LAC Region enjoys access levels that are relatively high compared to other developing zones, but it faces important challenges in connecting the “last mile”. The Region also faces repeated extreme weather events which present the special challenge of access recovery (a major issue for Central America and the Caribbean, as well as Puerto Rico). One of the report’s innovations is that it extends the access effort beyond electricity and clean cooking to residential heat. The report also focuses on the importance of improving affordability of energy for the poor, as well as for other households and businesses.
Topic:
Climate Change, Energy Policy, Recovery, and Electricity
Political Geography:
Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central America, Caribbean, and Puerto Rico

5. Links with East Asia for a recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake: Geographical Simulation Analysis

Author:
Ikumo Isono and Fukunari Kimura
Publication Date:
08-2011
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
Abstract:
Japan is now struggling for a recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. Although trunk logistic infrastructure has quickly been restored, some local infrastructure is likely to take a longer time to re-establish. The theory of new economic geography suggests that temporary interruption of infrastructure services may generate long-term negative effects on the Tohoku region and Japan as a whole because some of the economic activities may move away. We argue that strengthening links with East Asia is a key supplementary policy for achieving a full economic recovery. Our Geographical Simulation Model assesses economic effects of several policy scenarios.
Topic:
Environment, Natural Disasters, Infrastructure, Recovery, and Geography
Political Geography:
Japan, East Asia, and Asia