What’s Ahead @ ESCAP

UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
January 2006
UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su. Click on image to enlarge. PROSPECTS FOR ASIA-PACIFIC REGION IN 2006
Overall Resilience but Uncertainties Ahead The Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, Mr Kim Hak-Su in his a year-end report--- “Key Economic Developments and Prospects in the Asia-Pacific Region”--- told the media that although GDP growth in 2005 in the region is expecetd to be less by one percentage point relative to 2004, it compares favourably with the rates achieved in 2002, 2003 and demonstrates the region's resilience.

Some major challenges ahead: high and volatile oil prices, the impact of a precipitate unwinding of the global current account imbalances, subsequent exchange rate realignments led by a revaluation of the Chinese renminbi, the emergence of avian influenza as a pandemic in the region and what happens next with the WTO trade liberalization agenda in the context of the many bilateral and subregional trade agreements that have been recently completed in the region. Although the region is facing uncertainties, prospects for the ESCAP region for 2006 indicate that output growth is likely to maintain its current resilience while price pressures should abate despite continuing high energy and commodity prices. “Within the ESCAP region, South-East Asia, the developed countries and the Pacific island countries should experience a slight acceleration in their GDP growth rates in 2006, growth in South and South-West Asia should remain unchanged while North and Central Asia and East and North-East Asia are likely to experience a mild deceleration,” said the Report. Weblink: http://www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/key2006/index.asp
Energy, Pollution, Climate Take Centre Stage For Jan Meet The interagency Regional Implementation Meeting (RIM) for Asia and the Pacific for the fourteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). This session will focus on energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution and climate change. The 2006 RIM for our region will be held at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok on 19 – 20 January 2006. Inputs will go CSD review in New York in May. These environmental catastrophes have the potential to burden our region with massive health costs, continued loss of human lives, and climate change refugees, especially from small island states. The RIM will ensure that the unique issues of the Asia-Pacific region are highlighted at the 14 th and 15 th sessions of the CSD. Weblink: http://www.unescap.org/esd/rim/
UNESCAP to commemorate first UN holocaust memorial day UNESCAP is commemorating the first official UN Holocaust Memorial Day with the rest of the world on 27 Jan 2006. An exhibition sponsored by the Embassy of Israel will be opened at the UN Conference Centre on 27 Jan. The exhibition was already shown to popular appeal at the UN Headquarters in New York . The UN resolution designating 27 January as the annual Holocaust Memorial Day was passed at the General Assembly's Sixtieth session on 26 October 2005 . The Asia-Pacific region has also experienced genocide and stands to gain from educating the public about the Holocaust. The exhibition will travel to UN Nairobi after Bangkok . Weblink: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/ga10413.doc.htm
UNESCAP at Bangkok Fair UNIS will be hosting an exhibition at the popular 2006 Sukhumvit Fair hosted by the American School of Bangkok . The fair will be attended by a festive crowd of about 6500 over two days on January 21 – 22 from 12 midday to 12 midnight at the Sukhumvit Soi 49-3. The fair this year is commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Reign of His Majesty the King of Thailand, and proceeds will go to His Majesty the King of Thailand's patron charity, the Chai Pattana Foundation. The annual fair embraces values at the heart of the United Nations: international cohesion and humanitarian spirit. Happy punters will partake in shopping, eating foods from around the world and playing games.
iSeek in Bangkok The UNESCAP Library and the UN's Dag Hammarskjold Library (DHL) have discussed initial steps towards an iSeek Bangkok. DHL was given the mandate to coordinate the UN system intranet site, called iSeek. This revamped site was inaugurated in September 2005, and iSeek Bangkok is expected to be operational early next year. The objective is to utilize a system-wide internal communications platform, as part of the overall UN reform.
Saving precious documents Work on saving many old documents will begin in earnest in 2006.These are material of which ESCAP is attributed as the primary author (annual reports, committee papers and others). The procedure starts with the scanning of each page, then sent for another process to clean each page. The scanned pages from older documents will have a good percentage of lint, marks, folds and other paper imperfections which have to be cleaned on screen. Updates are made available through the Library’s website. These archives continue to be digitized and priority volumes are on the basis of user needs, and the condition of the older reports. All the better to serve you.
UNESCAP wishes everyone a Happy New Year
Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary (centre) joins UN staff members in Bangkok to celebrate Christmas by Singing Carols at the United Nations Secretariat in Bangkok.
Special Observances and Events
 
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