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TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE
COMMITTEE ON EMERGING SOCIAL ISSUES
- The Asian and Pacific region faces new and continuing challenges
from global and regional development trends that impact deeply
on individuals, families and communities. Many in this region
face barriers to equal participation and full enjoyment of the
right to development because of gender, age, disability, income
or other factors. There are other threats to “human security”
relating to the rise in HIV/AIDS infection and human trafficking
and other crimes. Furthermore, new regional challenges arise
from the rapidly ageing population and international migration,
which impact on overall socio-economic development.
The Committee on Emerging Social Issues shall be responsible
to the Commission for assisting members and associate members
in meeting the theme objective of designing and implementing
effective policies and strategies to promote equal opportunities
for the productive participation of all social groups and the
overall improvement of the quality of life.
- Under the overall supervision of the Commission, the Committee
shall:
- Review and analyse major development trends so as to
anticipate and identify emerging social development challenges
and issues having an impact on the Asian and Pacific region,
focusing on socially vulnerable groups, including women,
youth, people with disabilities, especially women with disabilities,
the ageing population, migrants and people living with HIV/AIDS.
- Promote social policy development and the mainstreaming
of social dimensions in national development programmes.
- Promote the goals of Education for All, particularly
through mainstreaming education in all relevant programmes,
especially for socially vulnerable groups.
- Recommend appropriate national capacity-building strategies
at all levels for improving the development and delivery
of basic social services such as education, health and nutrition,
removing barriers to equal participation and threats to
human security, focusing on disadvantaged and vulnerable
groups, in tackling persistent and emerging social issues.
- Recommend multisectoral strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention,
care and support, including preventive education and public
awareness programmes.
- Provide guidance to the secretariat on the formulation
of medium-term plans and biennial programmes of work to
prevent or mitigate critical social problems and promote
the right to development of all social groups focused on
key areas under item 1 above, through support for normative
and operational activities, including:
- Implementing technical assistance projects, providing
advisory services, conducting training and research
and fostering information development and exchange;
- Identifying and disseminating best practices;
- Conducting integrated, multisectoral social policy
analyses and dialogue.
- Review the implementation and effectiveness of the relevant
programme of work of ESCAP in addressing persistent and
emerging social issues and recommend measures to strengthen
the programme’s impact and relevance, taking into
account the compar
- ative advantages of ESCAP.
- Promote regional cooperation among ESCAP members and
associate members to strengthen political commitment and
advocacy and generate action at all levels to prevent and
mitigate any adverse social impacts of development trends.
In this regard, attention should be paid to those emerging
social issues that could best benefit from close regional
cooperation and collaboration.
- Accelerate national-, subregional- and regional-level
follow-up to the decisions and recommendations of relevant
global conferences, monitor and evaluate progress and provide
guidance on the formulation and implementation of regional
action programmes, taking into account pertinent recommendations
of the Commission for Social Development, the Commission
on the Status of Women and other intergovernmental United
Nations subsidiary organs.
- Promote closer collaboration and joint activities with
relevant United Nations bodies and specialized agencies,
as well as increased liaison with other intergovernmental
and non-governmental organizations, and the business sector,
and liaise with financial institutions, donors and supporting
countries within and outside the ESCAP region so as to maximize
resources and the impact of the Commission’s work
in addressing critical social development challenges in
the region.
- Work closely and coordinate with other subsidiary bodies
of the Commission.
- Carry out such other activities as the Commission may
direct from time to time in matters relating to emerging
social issues.
Within the context of its terms of reference, the Committee
shall identify the tasks to be undertaken during a specified
period. The Committee shall indicate the outcomes expected
for each task, set a time frame for the achievement of each
task and monitor its implementation and effectiveness.
The Committee shall be composed of all members and associate
members of the Commission.
The Committee shall meet biennially and present its report
to the Commission to facilitate deliberations on emerging
social issues.
The Committee shall be assisted in its work by the following
two subcommittees:
- Subcommittee on Socially Vulnerable Groups;
- Subcommittee on Health and Development.
While the Committee shall consider overall policy aspects
of addressing emerging social issues, the subcommittees shall
focus on specific sectoral aspects of the mandates given to
the Committee under its terms of reference.
The subcommittees shall meet in the intervals between sessions
of the Committee, preferably in alternate years. The Committee
shall provide overall direction to the subcommittees on the
issues to be addressed and the prioritization of their work,
which shall guide the subcommittees in determining their agendas.
The reports of the subcommittees shall be submitted to the
Committee at its subsequent session as a basis for deliberations
at an intersectoral/thematic level.
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