Over the last 20 years, economic crises have hit the region almost every ten years. There is a need to consider not only the short-term economic rescue policy, but also the resilient infrastructure against frequent economic crises in the long term.

The Japanese National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (JANCPEC) launched Social Resilience research project in 2009. The project was the first attempt by the PECC members to discuss social policy in the Asia-Pacific region in depth. This year, the project members are examining the current status of social safety nets in Asian economies not addressed in last year's research and are pursuing horizontal research approach that sheds light on the overlapping areas and interactions between different social protection areas.

JANCPEC held PECC International Workshop on Social Resilience on 12 July 2011 in Tokyo to discuss measures to strengthen social safety nets in the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop consisted of four sessions including pension system, health care system, unemployment insurance scheme, and macroeconomic analysis. Experts presented situations and prospects of social securities in the region to discuss how to make the region's societies more robust and resilient against economic crises. Ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu, Director-General for Global Issues, made a keynote speech regarding sustainable growth and green economies. Attended by about 70 participants, the workshop served a good opportunity to share the progress of research and to re-emphasize on the importance of social safety nets in the Asia-Pacific region. The final outcome of this year's SR project is expected to be delivered towards the end of the year.

Program agenda with speeches, papers, and presentations for individual download (video streaming also available)

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