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China Labour Bulletin. 中外对话 | chinadialogue - china and the environment. The China Story. Reports (1990-2013) Asia and Pacific's 'Missing Middle' Lacks Vital Social Protection. ADB's latest Social Protection Index shows social protection systems in many fast-growing middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific are failing to support large numbers of poor and vulnerable people. MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Social protection systems in many fast-growing middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific are failing to support large numbers of poor and vulnerable people, leaving them exposed to risks and unexpected difficulties like unemployment, ill health, and natural disasters, says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) study.

“There are many vulnerable groups, including women and informal sector workers, who can’t access unemployment, health or other social insurance but are also not poor enough to be eligible for social assistance such as cash transfers,” said Bart Édes, Director in ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department, on the release of the study, The Social Protection Index: Assessing Results for Asia and the Pacific. China Real Time Report. China asserts clout in Central Asia with huge Turkmen gas project. Tea Leaf Nation -- E-Magazine. China News, Current Events & Headlines - China Digital Times (CDT) - Circumvent GFW. US-China Perception Monitor » More natural gas deposit found in Myanmar offshore block - BUSINESS - WORLD.

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Social Protection in Asia (SPA) SPA is a research, advocacy and network building programme which aims to overcome barriers to the extension of social protection to poor and marginalized groups in Asia. The programme seeks to identify and promote innovative forms of social protection which contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and development. SPA Research The most recent phase of the programme (2007-2010) has been concerned with the extension of social protection to those sections of the population who are excluded from formal social security systems and who must either work for their living in the informal economy or are dependent on others who do. These people constitute the majority of the population in Asia and pose a major challenge for conventional models of social security. They are often amongst the poorest sections of their country's population and therefore least likely to be able to contribute to the taxes which fund state provision of social protection.

SPA Networking, Communications and Advocacy. Focus on Social Protection: Reducing Poverty and Inequality. Social protection is a crucial tool for reducing poverty and inequality as well as accelerating prospects of long-term economic growth, says Sri Wening Handayani, Social Development Specialist at ADB. How effective are social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific? In general, the social protection systems operated by governments in the region are not terribly effective outside a few developed countries, such as Japan, Republic of South Korea, and Singapore. They tend to suffer from fragmentation, weak coordination, and poor beneficiary targeting. The good news is that efforts are underway in many countries to address such shortcomings. For example, the latest evaluation of the large conditional cash transfer program in the Philippines shows very promising results. School enrolment of children in poor beneficiary families has risen, and the incidence of severe stunting has declined.

Do the various subregions of Asia and the Pacific approach social protection differently? Yes, it can. Health Systems in Asia, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 13 - 16 December 2013. Reports | Regional Reports | Asia and the Pacific. Danwei. As Chinese Farmers Fight for Homes, Suicide Is Ultimate Protest.

Articles in this series look at how China’s government-driven effort to push the population to towns and cities is reshaping a nation that for millenniums has been defined by its rural life.点击查看本文中文版 | Read in Chinese » As she drove down a busy four-lane road near her old home, Tang Huiqing pointed to the property where her dead sister’s workshop once stood. The lot was desolate, but for Ms. Tang it lives. Four years ago, government officials told her sister that Chengdu was expanding into the countryside and that her village had to make way. A farmer who had made the transition to manufacturer, she had built the small workspace with her husband. Now, officials said, it would be torn down. “So my sister went up to the roof and said, ‘If you want to, tear it down,’ ” Ms.

Her voice trailed off as she recalled how her sister poured diesel fuel on herself and after pleading with the demolition crew to leave, set herself alight. Video | 4:56 Urban, but Left Behind A Village vs. Ms. Mr.

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