 |
What’s
Ahead @ ESCAP |
| www.unescap.org |
September
2006 |
|
UNESCAP
sends delegation to High Level Dialogue on International Migration
UNESCAP
Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su will lead a delegation to the
High Level
Dialogue on International Migration and Development scheduled
for 14-15 September in New York. The delegation, which includes
experts from the Emerging
Social Issues Division, will participate in a variety of forums
examining the economic and social development aspects of the issue,
and its regional dimension and challenges. Participants are expected
to identify appropriate ways and means to maximize its development
benefits and minimize negative impacts. UNESCAP plays an active role
in international migration issues. In 2005 it established the Thematic
Working Group on International Migration, which it co-chairs
with the International
Organization for Migration (IOM). |
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 ‘A’
is for achieve, ‘Y’ is for youth - new LDC alphabet video
produced by UNESCAP
A
new DVD production by the Least
Developed Countries (LDC) Coordination Unit, with funding
from UNDP and assistance
from the UN Information
Services Bangkok (UNIS), will be released this September.
“The Least Developed Countries Alphabet: The A to Z of Asia-Pacific
LDCs” is a 12 minute video which explains the major hurdles
affecting the 14 LDCs
in the Asia-Pacific region. The DVD is aimed at government
officials, development practitioners, and students across the region.
It will be shown as part of the UNIS visitors program, at LDC conferences
around the world, and by request. It will also be distributed to
regional UN Information Centres for local screening, and
to NGOs and schools. |
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 New
UNESCAP report says Governments need to stay on alert for a financial
downturn
Asian countries must stay alert despite the recent lull in financial
markets, says a new UNESCAP report urging a mood of protection and
preparation. In its latest policy brief entitled The
Calm Before the Storm? Managing the Risks of an Asia-Pacific Financial
Downturn, UNESCAP notes that Governments are now in a
stronger position to handle turbulence. But it also warns that “there
are a number of new emerging risks which may lead to more stormy weather
ahead.” The report is part of a series of socio-economic
policy briefs issued by the
Poverty and Development Division on hard-hitting Asia-Pacific
issues. |
||
 International
Peace Day 2006 to focus on youth, religion and world peace The
UN family in Bangkok will focus on youth, religion and world peace
at this year’s International
Day of Peace 2006 observance set for 21 September at
the UN Conference Centre.
The programme includes a UNESCO/UNESCAP
workshop which aims to cultivate the ideal of peace and the spirit
of peaceful living among regional youth, a round table on a “Possible
Solution for World Peace,” and a forum on “Religion and
World Peace,” with speakers representing Buddhism, Islam, Christianity,
and Thai civil society, presented by UNESCAP and the Interreligious
and International Federation for World Peace (Thailand). The International
Day of Peace is meant to be a day of global cease-fire, when all countries
and all people stop all hostilities for the entire day. |
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 Committee
on Managing Globalization to advise UNESCAP on thematic activities The
Third Session of Committee
on Globalization (Part I) will meet in Bangkok from 12-14 September
to advise UNESCAP on its trade
and investment, and transport
and tourism activities. Topics on the agenda include the cross-cutting
issue of promoting dry ports as a means of sharing the benefits
of globalization with inland locations, various issues relating to
trade, investment, transport and tourism, preparations for the upcoming
Ministerial Conference
on Transport 2006, and programming planning and evaluation,
among others. Part
II of the Committee will meet in October to review the activities
of the other two Divisions clustered under the Managing Globalization
theme: Information, Communication
and Space Technology, and Environment
and Sustainable Development. |
||
 Second
Forum for Asia/Pacific Statisticians to meet in Republic of Korea
Regional
Government chief statisticians will gather from 21-22 September
in Daejon, Republic of Korea, to discuss human resources and training
for national statistical offices, quality management in national statistical
systems, and regional capacity building in statistics at the Second
Forum for Asia/Pacific Statisticians (APEX 2). Other topics
on the agenda include MDG
indicators, and the use of administrative data sources in
establishment surveys. The APEX meetings were started in 2004 by regional
statisticians in order to continue working collaboratively on a range
of statistical issues of common interest. With ‘AP’ referring
to Asia/Pacific and ‘EX’ for Excellence in Statistics,
APEX is currently the only region-wide forum with the expressed intent
of influencing national decision-making as well as providing regional
input to global discussions at the UN
Statistical Commission. UNESCAP’s
Statistics Division is assisting the Korean National Statistical
Office in organizing APEX 2. |
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 Food
processing focus of South Asian sub-regional workshop in Colombo
An
upcoming workshop in Sri Lanka aims to improve environmental sustainability
of food and processed food production, and improve standards and testing
to conform to environmental and health standards in export markets.
From 6-7 September, the Environment
and Sustainable Development, and Trade
and Investment Divisions will co-organize a Subregional
Workshop on the Trade and Environment Dimensions in the Food and Food
Processing Industries in South Asia. The effort is part of
an ongoing project funded through the UN
Development Account on ‘Capacity Building in Trade and
Environment.’ |
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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 @ 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 | ||
