Bollywood Star Amitabh Bachchan Lends Support to UN Billion Tree Campaign
One of India’s leading actors, Amitabh Bachchan, will show his support to UN Billion Tree Campaign by planting a tree at the UN’s Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Bangkok on 30 April 2008, at 5:00 p.m. [29 April 2008]

Asia-Pacific Region Will Miss MDGs If “Gaps” Are Not Filled Immediately
Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region may not meet all of MDGs due to gaps in several key areas according to a joint report by UN and ADB. The report, entitled A Future Within Reach 2008, was launched today, at a high-level panel meeting on the MDGs, during the annual session of ESCAP. It is the third regional report on MDGs produced by ESCAP, ADB and UNDP. [29 April 2008]

United Nations in Bangkok to Mark Entry into Force of Treaty on Disability Rights
A ground-breaking new international treaty, UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will enter into force on 3 May 2008 – one month after it was ratified by the twentieth country. To celebrate the Convention’s entry into force, ESCAP, UNOHCHR, and ILO will organize a special event on 30 April 2008, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 a.m., at the UN Conference Centre, Bangkok. [29 April 2008]

Asia-Pacific Region Addresses Energy Security Challenges at ESCAP Annual Session
“Asia-Pacific countries need to embrace a new strategic regional cooperation framework urgently to meet the mounting challenge of ‘energy insecurity’ and avoid its grave implications for the economic prospects of the region and for the plight of its poor”, says Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of ESCAP. [28 April 2008]

Business and Government Leaders to Discuss Energy Security at UN Forum
Senior government officials, business leaders and civil society representatives will meet in Bangkok to discuss ways to improve energy security through regional and public-private cooperation, a subject which has taken on new importance given the recent record-breaking oil prices. The participants will gather at the Asia-Pacific Business Forum 2008 held by ESCAP at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok on 27 April. The theme of the event is Energy Security: Opportunities through Regional Energy Cooperation and Public-Private Partnerships. [26 April 2008]