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What’s
Ahead @ ESCAP |
| www.unescap.org |
February
2006 |
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Agreement
to establish new ICT Centre signed by Republic of Korea, UNESCAP
UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su (right) and H.E. Yoon Jee-joon,
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Thailand, signed an Agreement
in Bangkok on 31 January to establish a new ICT training centre in
Incheon City, Republic of Korea. The Asian
and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology
for Development (APCICT) will be the first UN office based
in that country. Mr. Kim told the gathering that “APCICT’s
location will help it benefit from government and private sector expertise
in the Republic of Korea, as well as other countries in Asia that
are world leaders in information technology.” The National Assembly
in the Republic of Korea is expect to approve the Agreement in February,
at which time it will come into force. |
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 International
Workshop on Innovations in Water Conservation to be held in Tehran
In
many countries in Asia, water is rapidly becoming a scarce resource,
yet it continues to be used wastefully. Improved efficiency of water
use is widely recognized as a crucial element for sustainable water
resources development, which will definitely lead to easing the pressure
on the existing, but often dwindling, water supplies. To this end,
UNESCAP’s
Sustainable Development
and Water Resources Section, the Regional
Centre on Urban Water Resources Management-Tehran, and the
Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Company, will co-organize an
international workshop in Tehran from 21-23 February to examine
innovations in water conservation. At the workshop the outcome of
a demonstration project on water-use implemented in the Nassim Housing
Complex in Tehran will be presented as a good practice for possible
replication. The Workshop aims to identify, analyze, and facilitate
dissemination of good practices in the formulation and implementation
of policies and programmes, campaigns, and activities targeted at
improving water conservation and the efficiency in water use. |
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 Executive
Secretary to visit India, address regional Model UN meeting
UNESCAP Executive
Secretary Kim Hak-Su will pay a visit to India from 8-12 February,
where he will meet with senior Government officials and give the keynote
address at the
Second WFUNA Asia and Pacific Regional Model UN Conference.
The Model UN Conference, organized by the World
Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), will bring
some 150 university students and representatives of regional
UN Associations to New Delhi from 9-12 February. The meeting
will simulate UNESCP’s
62nd Commission Session and focus on the Millennium
Development Goals. Model United Nations is an authentic simulation
of specific UN organs, committees, or conferences such as the General
Assembly or UNESCAP, where students step into the shoes of ambassadors
of UN Member states to debate current issues. |
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WHO,
UNESCAP to hold joint regional launch of ‘Preventing chronic
diseases: a vital investment’
The
World Health Organization (WHO)
and the Health
and Development Section of UNESCAP’s
Emerging Social Issues Division will hold a joint regional
launch on 14 February of a WHO report focusing on a global epidemic
of chronic disease. Presenting the report will be UNESCAP Executive
Secretary Kim Hak-Su and Dr. Catherine Le Gales-Camus, WHO Assistant
Director General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, who
will discuss the major findings and the implications for the Asia-Pacific
region. ‘Preventing
chronic diseases: a vital investment’ makes the case
for urgent action to halt and turn back the growing threat of chronic
diseases such as heart disease and stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory
diseases, and diabetes. According to WHO, chronic diseases are by
far the leading cause of death in the world and their impact is steadily
growing. The report projects that approximately 17 million people
die prematurely each year as a result of the global epidemic of chronic
disease. |
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 UNESCAP,
other UN Regional Commissions to participate in UN Forum on Forests
The
UN Forum on
Forests will convene its 6th session at UN Headquarters in
New York from 13-24 February to review the effectiveness of the International
Arrangement on Forests and to consider future action on forest issues.
Created by the Economic
and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Forum addresses critical
issues related to forests and aims to promote the management, conservation,
and sustainable development of all types of forests. In response to
the need to enhance a regional dimension in the global forest dialogue,
the five UN Regional Commissions are becoming actively involved in
this debate. UNESCAP will be represented at the Forum by the Environment
and Sustainable Development Division, and participate in a
side event on regional cooperation for integrating forestry into the
broader development agenda. |
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 First
Holocaust Memorial Day observed with opening of memorial exhibition
The
first International
Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust
was observed in Bangkok on 27 January under the theme “Remembrance
and Beyond.” The event included the opening of a memorial exhibition,
sponsored by the State of Israel, entitled ‘Auschwitz - the
Depth of the Abyss.’ In
a message read out to the gathering, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
said, “Remembering is a necessary rebuke to those who say the
Holocaust never happened or has been exaggerated.” The day designated
by the General Assembly, 27 January, is the anniversary of the liberation
of the Auschwitz death camp by the Soviet army in 1945. The exhibition,
which was mounted at UN Headquarters in New York last year, will run
through 10 February in the lobby of the UN
Conference Centre. |
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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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