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What’s
Ahead @ ESCAP |
| www.unescap.org |
April
2006 |
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Funding
not enough for Region’s Infrastructure Needs
The theme for the upcoming 62nd
Commission Session of UNESCAP, 6-12 April 2006, is “Enhancing
Regional Cooperation in Infrastructure Development, including that
related to Disaster Management”. The Commission Session
is structured in two segments, the Senior Officials' Meeting (6-8
April) and the Ministerial Meeting (10-12 April). There are also a
number of side events. The 2006 Commission is in Jakarta, hosted by
the Government of Indonesia. Heads of Government and State, Ministers
and senior officials from 62 member and associate member countries
and territories of UNESCAP are expected to participate. Special attention
will be paid to a UNESCAP study that shows that a minimum gap of US$180
billion per year is required to meet key regional infrastructure needs,
and also to Pacific concerns aimed at strengthening Pacific island
developing countries. |
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 Trans-Asian
Railway Comes Of Age
Ministers attending UNESCAP’s 62nd Commission Session are expected to adopt the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network. The network involves about 81,000 km of railways serving 28 member countries. It comprises routes of international importance within the region as well as between Asia and Europe and provides landlocked countries improved access to major ports. Once adopted, the Intergovernmental Agreement will open for signature at a signing ceremony during the Ministerial Conference on Transport to be held from 6 to 11 November 2006. Under the framework of the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, UNESCAP worked with its member countries to identify the Trans-Asian Railway Network through a series of corridor studies carried out between 1995 and 2001. The formalization of the network through an Intergovernmental Agreement acts upon the Seoul Declaration on Infrastructure Development in Asia and the Pacific of November 2001. |
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 Spotlight
on Pacific Island Vulnerable Groups
For the
first time in UNESCAP history, The
Pacific Leaders’ United Nations ESCAP Special Session (PLUS)
will provide a unique Asian and Pacific intergovernmental
platform for Pacific leaders to articulate their concerns and engage
in interactive dialogue with other delegations from UNESCAP members
on strengthening Pacific island developing countries and territories
through regional cooperation. PLUS is meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia
from 4-5 April 2006 ahead of the 62nd Commission to discuss the generation
of creative income employment opportunities for vulnerable groups
in the Pacific. It will be the Ninth Session of UNESCAP’s Special
Body on Pacific Island Developing Countries. A paper prepared
by UNESCAP for the meeting found that economic growth in most pacific
countries has been slow, with limited benefits to the wider community. |
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 Hundreds
to Attend Asia-Pacific Business Forum
Some
of Asia-Pacific’s most prominent leaders in the public and private
sectors will participate in the Third
Asia-Pacific Business Forum from 7-8 April at the Jakarta Convention
Centre. Speakers
include Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former Malaysian Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad, and UNCTAD’s Supachai Panitchpakdi. The meeting
will focus on public, private sectors working together to ensure sustainable
economic and social development. Over 400 corporate decision makers
as well as representatives of Government and civil society are also
expected to attend the event, themed: ‘Public-Private Partnerships
for Development in Asia and the Pacific'. APBF 2006 is organized by
UNESCAP in close collaboration with the Government of Indonesia, the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), and the International
Chamber of Commerce, Indonesia.
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 Avian
Influenza: Threat of a Pandemic in Asia-Pacific
The
threat of a pandemic of Avian
Influenza is looming large over the Asian and Pacific region.
As of March 2006, 184 human cases have been seen in eight countries
(the majority in the UNESCAP region) with 103 deaths. The 62nd Commission
Session of UNESCAP will feature a Briefing on 11 April with the Senior
UN System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza Dr. David Nabarro
on the Avian Influenza situation in the region and the steps that
are being taken by countries in the region to tackle the threat of
a possible pandemic. The briefing is also expected to cover issues
such as multisectoral contingency plans to be implemented by countries
in the region to prevent a pandemic; and the importance of regional
cooperation as central to the solution.
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Special
Observances and Meetings |
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The views expressed in this
publication do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies
of the United Nations. The information contained herein may be freely
reproduced. What’s Ahead at ESCAP is published monthly
by the United Nations Information Services Bangkok. Tel: +(66-2) 288-1861-66
• Fax: +(66-2) 288-1052 • E-mail: unisbkk.unescap@un.org
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62nd
Commission Side Events: Gender and Migration; the MDGs