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The present note summarizes the key findings and policy messages stemming from the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) assessments conducted for the six United Nations Environment Programme regions (Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and West Asia), pursuant to resolution 1/4 of the first session of the United Nations Environment Assembly. Each GEO-6 regional assessment includes a review of regional priorities, the state of the environment in the region, the main trends that will affect the region’s environment in the future and an analysis of the actions needed for the region to achieve a more sustainable future. The findings will provide key inputs for the global GEO-6 assessment and for relevant regional and national forums and processes. The summaries of the GEO-6 regional assessments were endorsed at a series of regional meetings convened in March and April 2016 with members of the GEO-6 High-level Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Advisory Group (HLG).

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: (i) it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which Member States of the United Nations draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.

This Samoa Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR) is one of five pilot CPEIRs that test a new methodology for reviewing public expenditure related to climate change, including both adaptation and mitigation, and the way in which this is guided by policy and managed by institutions. The five pilots are being coordinated by UNDP and undertaken by ODI with national and international experts, working closely with governments. The Samoan CPEIR took place be-tween March and May 2012.

Unless otherwise specified, in this Report the least developed countries (LDCs) are classified according to a combination of geographical and structural criteria, Therefore, some of the island LDCs that geographically are in Africa or Asia are grouped together with the Pacific islands, due to their structural similarities. Likewise, Haiti and Madagascar are grouped together with African LDCs.

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: (i) it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which Member States of the United Nations draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.

The concept of Sustainable Development is like a bridge. It seeks to bring together not only the three domains—economic, social, and environmental—but also developed and developing countries, governments, businesses, and civil society, scientific knowledge and public policy, the city and the country, and present and future generations. It also created the awareness that environment and development were not two separate agendas but two faces of the same agenda. Development is the midwife of sustainability, just as sustainability is the life support system for development. At its advent over two decades ago, this idea offered tremendous excitement and hope. The time has come not only to review and assess what has been achieved on the basis of this vision, but also to build upon it and revive its promise of integration, unity, and aspiration—the Spirit of Rio.

This is the third consecutive issue of the Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific in its current format. The Yearbook is aimed at a non-specialized audience that is interested in the Asian and Pacific region – in its people, economies and environment. In an effort to keep the format user-friendly and readable, we have avoided some of the technical terms, complex charts and in-depth analysis that are a mainstay of some other ESCAP publications.

Development efforts are increasingly at risk. A faltering global economy, food and energy insecurity, conflict, global climate change, declining ecosystems, extreme poverty, and the threat of epidemics seriously challenge progress towards improving social welfare and economic growth in many developing countries. In 2008, the deaths of approximately 140,000 people in the Myanmar cyclone and the collapse of more than five million buildings and damage to 21 million more in the China earthquake, were stark reminders that disaster risks associated with tropical cyclones, floods, earthquakes, droughts and other natural hazards are a key part of this interlocked set of threats. The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction focuses attention on that challenge. It identifies disaster risk, analyses its causes, shows that these causes can be addressed and recommends the means to do so. The over-riding message of the Report is that reducing disaster risk can also help in reducing poverty, safeguarding development and adapting to climate change, with beneficial effects on broader global security, stability and sustainability. Given the urgency posed by climate change, the Report forcefully argues the case for taking action now.