East Asia and the Pacific

In South and Southeast Asia, two of the most disaster-prone regions on earth, economic shocks are the norm. Once-in-a-generation floods in Pakistan in 2022 impacted 33 million people. In Myanmar, protracted armed conflict and a recent devastating cyclone have reversed decades of economic gains.  The 2022 Sri Lanka debt default is eroding…

The current economic, social and political shocks that are affecting Asia and the Pacific, coupled with the climate crisis, pose significant threats to the progress made in the past 30 years. Recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been slow and often asymmetric, both within and among countries in the region.   The European Union and…

The EU and UNICEF launched a partnership to establish the Public Finance Facility (PFF) in South and Southeast Asia to support the best possible use of public social sectors’ budgets. The four-year initiative covers seven countries, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar in Southeast Asia, and Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in South Asia., Challenges, Government budgets are the most important public policy instruments for the realization of the rights and well-being of children, as stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The decisions governments make about how to fund social services are critical to the equitable development of children. If allocations are insufficient,…, Solution, To respond to the challenges, the EU and UNICEF launched a partnership in 2019 to establish the Public Finance Facility (PFF) in South and Southeast Asia to support the best possible use of public social sectors’ budgets. The four-year initiative covers seven countries, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar in Southeast Asia, and Bangladesh, Nepal,…, Knowledge Products, Education Budget Brief 2021 Education Budget Brief 2020 Social Affairs Budget Brief 2021 Education Budget Brief 2022 Thematic Report on Disability in Cambodia Lao PDR In Lao PDR, the Facility focuses on PFM and advocacy on nutrition budget briefs, review and costing of the National Costed Plan for Nutrition, as well as the public investment needs…, Knowledge Products, Nutrition Budget Brief 2016-2019 Review of costing of the National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2016-2020 Nutrition Budget Brief 2020-2022 Myanmar In Myanmar, the Facility includes reviewing of the last decade social policy and budget reform process in Myanmar for the children, understanding and generating evidence of SAZ (special administrative…, Knowledge Products, Budget Brief Education 2019-2020 Budget Brief Social Welfare 2019-2020 (English Version) Rural Water Budget Brief 2018-2019 Diagnostic on the provision of social services in Myanmar Making Decentralization Work for Every Child Looking Back: Paths Towards Social and Financial Reform in Myanmar Rice porridge is served to the children at an EU…, Knowledge Products, Policy Brief on Advancing the interests of Bangladesh’s children in Covid times through the SSNPs Deconstructing Budget for 2021-22 (Child Budget Report) Policy Note - Child Budget for 2021-2022 Policy Note - Social protection allocations in the context of Covid-19 Policy Note - Scaling up of the Mother and Child Benefit Programme Policy Note -…, Knowledge Products, Budget Brief Overview of the Budget FY2022-23 Education Budget Brief 2021-2022 Health Budget Brief 2021-2022 Overview of Expenditure Allocations 2021-2022 Overview of Revenue Mobilization 2021-2022 Education Budget Brief 2020-2021 Health Budget Brief 2020-2021 Nutrition Budget Brief 20-21 Social Protection Budget Brief 20-21 Social Protection…, Knowledge Products, Budget Brief Child Protection Sector 2021 Budget Brief Education Sector 2021 Budget Brief Health Sector 2021 Budget Brief Social Assistance Sector 2021 Budget Brief Water Sanitation and Hygiene Sector 2021 Budget Brief Health Sector 2019 Budget Brief Education Sector 2019 Budget Brief Water Sanitation and Hygiene 2019 Budget Brief Sri Lanka Budget…, Knowledge Products, Where is the fiscal space for children? EU-UNICEF PFF Brochure Regional South-South Exchange 2023 in Nepal – Summary report Fact Sheet - The EU-UNICEF Public Finance Facility in South and Southeast Asia Fact Sheet - Macroeconomic outlook for South and Southeast Asia Fact Sheet – Education outlook for South and Southeast Asia Fact Sheet – Health…

This report sheds light on the many ways COVID-19 has impacted the region’s 2.2 billion people – with the most vulnerable families often hit the hardest. UNICEF predicts that an additional 22 million children in Southeast Asia and the Pacific could fall into poverty in 2020 because of the socio-economic impact of the pandemic. It is up to all of…

The world as we know it has changed. Not for generations have we seen so many people impacted at the same time by the same thing: COVID-19. Although COVID-19 unleashed itself at alarming speed around the world, it has not – and it will not – impact everyone equally. Already, we’ve witnessed the countless ways this insidious virus has laid bare the…, Recover., Most urgently, we must keep all children physically safe and mentally well, including the most disadvantaged – those living with disabilities, migrant children, and children of ethnic minorities. Practically, this means supporting those children whose underlying health issues make them vulnerable to the virus. Programmes, such as WASH -- water,…, Rebound., Knowing that health systems are currently stretched to capacity, we must find innovative ways to ‘make space’ for children’s health and wellbeing because many vital face-to-face services, such as immunization and nutrition programmes, are partially or fully suspended. While most schools remain shut, many children and adolescents struggle to learn…, Reimagine., For me this is where the biggest challenge – and the biggest opportunity – is. Without additional investment in children, we risk losing the hard-won development gains of recent years that have seen ever more children survive and thrive. Without that investment, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and all their promise, will fade in front of…

I am reaching out to you during the COVID-19 pandemic – which is affecting all of us everywhere. I hope you, your family and friends are staying healthy during this testing time.  COVID-19 has drastically changed our everyday habits. Physical distancing and frequent handwashing with soap have become the norm. I know this is not an easy time for…

“No information is more telling about national priorities than what has been budgeted for what and how it has been implemented. But how do we know how much of the public spending actually benefits children? EAPRO’s Social Policy and Economic Analysis team, together with Oxford Policy Management, has developed and tested in Fiji an innovative 13-…

Violence against children is fundamentally wrong and is a tragedy for every child affected. In addition to the moral case for action, this research shows that there is also an impact on health and human capital, and an economic cost. This is first ever costing of child maltreatment in the Asia-Pacific region. July 2015