6 August 2012: The Asia-Pacific Regional Centre of the UN Development Programme (UNDP-APRC) has launched an online discussion on “Advancing Sustainable Development: The Case of Extractive Industries (EI).” The e-discussion aims to promote the sharing of knowledge and experience on how extractive industries may boost or impede inclusive economic growth, sustainable development and poverty reduction.

The e-discussion, running from 6 August to 14 September 2012, will include consideration of institutional frameworks, social policies and regulatory options. Three consecutive themes will be addressed over the six-week period: revenue generation and planning for inclusive growth; revenue utilization in terms of whether to prioritize the present or the future; and implementation challenges and impact management.

According to UNDP-APRC, contributions to the discussion will be presented in a regional report in late 2012, and are expected to guide programming and policy work at the country level. The discussion is part of UNDP’s follow-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and its work towards a post-2015 development agenda.

The e-discussion was publicized in “Asia-Pacific GEM”, a quarterly newsletter on gender and macro-economic issues (GEM) published by UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Capacity Development Project on Gender and Macro-economic Issues, funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan-UNDP Partnership Fund. [Publication: Asia-Pacific GEM, July 2012]