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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION NEWS

15 Asia Pacific countries sign the world’s largest trade deal

15/12/2020

3 Comments

 
Fifteen Asia Pacific countries signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) during a virtual summit last 15 November 2020.

The biggest trade bloc estimated to be worth US$26.2 trillion or almost 30% of the world’s GDP was made between the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) state members, East Asian economic giants China, Japan, and South Korea, and Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand. It is considered bigger than both the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the European Union.

Initially, India was part of the talks but had to withdraw over lower tariffs that could hurt its local producers.
According to the ASEAN website, the deal is expected to “improve market access with tariffs and quotas eliminated in over 65% of goods traded and make business predictable with common rules of origin and transparent regulations.” RCEP would also encourage firms to invest more and generate jobs, providing the region its much-needed boost to recover from the economic slump brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

RCEP began as a draft during the 2011 ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, while its formal negotiations were launched during the subsequent summit in Cambodia.

Amid the diplomatic rows between multiple RCEP countries, the free trade agreement pursues a common economic interest among the members that might help deescalate or ease tensions. However, critics have argued that the agreement is not as comprehensive as the ten-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which includes a more significant reduction in tariffs on imports and provisions in labor and environmental standards.
​
Despite its differences from the CPTPP, the ASEAN-led RCEP is projected to add $209 billion annually to world incomes and $500 billion to world trade by 2030, according to the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution. The pact brings Asia to the center stage of world trade in the face of the declining US influence in the economic sphere.
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World Bank recommends adapting disaster risk management for public health emergencies in Asia-Pacific

15/12/2020

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As the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to plague the region, the World Bank suggested that Asia-Pacific nations identify the intersections between COVID-19 epidemiological models and risk models of natural hazards to enhance preparedness.

Countries in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean are already among the most vulnerable to disaster emergencies such as typhoons, storm surges, floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunami as it lies on the most active tropical cyclone basin on the planet and belongs to the Ring of Fire. When added to the scenario, public health emergencies such as epidemics and pandemics exacerbate the situation, leaving emerging and developing countries multi-handicapped as their vulnerable economy, healthcare, agriculture, and welfare can be easily overwhelmed by simultaneous crises. True enough, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, and Vanuatu faced the devastating Tropical Cyclone Harold at the pandemic’s onset in March, while the Philippines suffered from three strong typhoons, namely Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses, from late October to early November 2020. Both instances caused the loss of lives, properties, and livelihood amid the already deadly pandemic.

While South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam have utilized lessons learned from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) to respond to COVID-19, there is a considerable gap of knowledge and resources among poorer nations. For one, they do not have well-established systems such as disaster surveillance and disease outbreak alert systems (e.g., Singapore’s Disaster Outbreak Response System Condition) and maintained medical and emergency stockpiling. A well-coordinated bureaucracy and a ready legal basis also matter primarily in declaring a state of emergency and enacting travel restrictions.

While efforts such as surveillance dashboards, contact-tracing, geotagging are put in place, they would need to be integrated with natural hazard data and risk information. According to the blog post, “this will help improve local- and community-level awareness and preparedness for disasters, encourage proactive emergency management (such as planning for a surge in medical and crisis management services), and updating local policies and guidelines for safe evacuation.” One such example is the Tsunami Evacuation Guide during COVID-19 disseminated by Indonesia.

Below are the five ideas proposed by the World Bank in adapting disaster risk management systems for public health emergencies:
  1. Review disaster risk management legislation, strategies, and policies. Enhance inter-agency coordination and integration of public health considerations in disaster management legislation and policy (and vice versa), and adapt multi-hazard approaches in DRM strategies and plans.
  2. Update national risk analyses and impact-based scenarios via a multi-hazard approach. Epidemiological forecast models could be incorporated into the decision support platforms to update multi-hazard risk modeling and identify areas vulnerable to concurrent risks – helping governments to target particularly vulnerable communities.
  3. Build on existing early warning systems for natural hazards and integrate alerts for health-related emergencies. Develop road maps for open data Multi-hazard Early Warning System platforms that integrate health surveillance and natural hazard information, and strong inter-agency coordination between Ministries of Health and National Disaster Management Organizations.
  4. Enhance community-based disaster preparedness programs to incorporate health-related emergencies. Community-based programs could incorporate preparedness for health-related emergencies – and help with case tracing, relief distribution, and public safety.
  5. Adapt emergency management systems to incorporate health-related emergencies. Update contingency plans and evacuation procedures and ensure that supply chains for relief/recovery goods and services are not disrupted.

The COVID-19 pandemic taught governments worldwide invaluable lessons in strategically responding to and preventing an outbreak that must be institutionalized and cascaded to the communities to be sustainable. The people’s most potent defense is readiness and availability of necessary tools and resources. Until most of the world’s population has been vaccinated, there is a great need to properly enhance every nation’s ability to simultaneously deal with health and environmental hazards.
​
Source: Adapting disaster risk management for public health emergencies in the Asia Pacific region (worldbank.org)
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​EASTERN REGIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR
​PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

NCPAG Bldg., RP de Guzman St.,
University of the Philippines, Diliman,
Quezon City, Philippines 1101
Telefax: (+632) 8 929 7789
​WhatsApp / Viber: 63917 465 4300
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Constitution
    • EROPA Centers
    • EROPA Secretariat >
      • Sec-Gen's Corner
    • EROPA Chairperson
  • Publications
    • Public Administration News
    • ARPA >
      • ARPA Editorial Board
      • ARPA Call for Papers
      • Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
      • Notes for Contributors
      • Abstracts >
        • 2019, Volume 30, Nos. 1-2
        • 2018, Volume 29, Nos. 1-2
        • 2017 Volume 28, Nos. 1 & 2
        • 2016 Volume 27, Nos. 1 & 2
        • 2015 Volume 26, Nos. 1 & 2
        • 2014 Volume 25, No. 2
        • 2014 Volume 25, No. 1
        • 2013 Volume 24, Nos. 1 & 2
        • 2012 Volume 23, Nos. 1 & 2
        • 2011 Volume 22, No. 2
    • EROPA Bulletin >
      • Call for Inputs
    • Resources >
      • EROPA Brochure & Forms
  • Membership
    • Members' Corner
    • Join EROPA >
      • Individual Membership Form
      • Group Membership Form
      • State Membership
    • State Members
  • Conferences
    • 2023 EROPA Conference
    • 2022 EROPA Conference
    • 2021 EROPA Conference
    • 2020 EROPA Conference
    • List of Past Conferences
    • Database for Past Conferences >
      • EROPA 2022 Conference
      • EROPA 2019 Conference
      • EROPA 2018 Conference
      • EROPA 2017 Conference
      • EROPA 2016 Conference
      • 2012-2015 Conferences
    • Carlos P. Ramos Award for Best Conference Paper
    • Asian Leadership Forum
    • Stories to Share
  • Activities
    • Latest Activities
    • EROPA ExP >
      • Find an Expert >
        • Peter Bergerson
        • Edna Estifania A. Co
        • Sofian Effendi
        • Akio Kamiko
        • Pan Suk Kim
        • Masao Kikuchi
        • Perla Legaspi
        • Lue Li
        • Akira Nakamura
        • Orlando Mercado
        • Jon Quah
        • Lisa Saye
        • Sombat Thamrongthanyawong
        • Prijono Tjiptoherijanto
        • Roger Wettenhall
        • Tao Zhang
        • Mohd Afzanizam Mohd Badrin
        • Wong Wai Lun, Vincent
      • JOIN ExP DATABASE
    • OYPA >
      • FAQs/Guidelines
      • OYP Nomination Form
  • #TAG Dialogue
    • About #TAG Dialogue
    • #GovInTheTimeOfCorona
  • Contact Us