What’s Ahead @ ESCAP

UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific


www.unescap.org
July 2006

Click on image to enlarge. Statistics Workshop for MDG Monitoring
UNESCAP is organising a three day collaborative MDG monitoring workshop from 31 July. The Workshop on Statistics for Monitoring the Achievement of the MDGs is being organized in partnership with the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Development Programme and the Asian Development Bank at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop will bring together government officials from every UNESCAP member country in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as international statistical agencies to examine issues in monitoring data for accurate MDG evaluation. It aims to develop strategies for data collection, as well as better coordination of national and international agencies.

Click on image to enlarge.UNESCAP helps Women get into E-Business
Women in business around the region are set for intensive training in E-business Development thanks to a six day workshop in Seoul from 3 July. Female entrepreneurs from 15 Asia-Pacific countries will get a course in E-business to maximize their exposure to online commercial opportunities. Participants should leave the workshop with a solid online business plan, including marketing strategies, and stronger professional networks. The "International Workshop on Entrepreneurship and e-Business Development for Women" is organized by UNESCAP in partnership with the APEC Women’s e-Biz Centre; the Asia Development Bank Institute and the International Telecommunication Union. The workshop will also enhance women's participation in digital economy in the Asia Pacific Region.

Click on image to enlarge.Hot Potato Export Vision for Mekong Subregion
A workshop on how to be part of the global demand for potatoes is being offered to potato farmers and small and medium businesses from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and Bangladesh. The Global and Regional Potato Value Chains trade event will run from 5-6 July in Taungyi, Myanmar. Participants will hear potato success stories and will come out with an action-plan on how to succeed in the potato trade at both global and regional levels. The workshop is being organized by UNESCAP in partnership with the GMS Business Forum, the Union of Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and the Myanmar Farm Crop Producers Association.

Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, addresses the High-level Plenary Meeting of the Sixtieth Session of the UN General Assembly (2005 World Summit) UN Headquarters. The World Summit, held from 14-16 September 2005, was the largest gathering of world leaders in history. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras. Click on image to enlarge.UNESCAP Supports Rural Family Planning with Online Tools
Doctors, nurses and workers at the front line of family planning in remote areas of our region will benefit from a course which will deliver online training tools. Family planning for rural populations via the Internet – allowing workers to avoid traveling for training - is the goal of a three day Regional Workshop in Gansu, China. The 4-6 July “E-applications of ICT in Population Related Fields: E-learning and E-health” workshop targets officials from the region in reproductive health. It aims to spread the awareness and usage of satellite-based e-learning tools such as online manuals and programmes. The workshop is jointly organized by UNESCAP and the Chinese Government.


Click on image to enlarge.UNESCAP monitors Human Development in LDCs
A new report this year by UNESCAP examines how far the 14 Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have to go to achieve the basic standard of human development set out in the Millennium Declaration. While several have made significant progress in their socio-economic development, others have failed to achieve results, says the report. Progress is affected by geography, human resources and economic and environmental vulnerabilities. The "Asia-Pacific Review of the Implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010" report reviews the implementation of the Programme of Action where regional cooperation can be most effective.
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