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What’s
Ahead @ ESCAP |
| www.unescap.org |
April
2007 |
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Asia
aims to increase position as king of textile exporters
A
UNESCAP organized meeting will allow countries to share their textile
export success stories, network and strengthen trade relations at
the regional level. The "Regional
Dialogue on Restrictive Policies and Measures in the Textile and Clothing
Trade" is a two day meeting from 9-10 April in Shanghai,
China. The organizer - UNESCAP's
Trade and Investment Division - hope it will enable policy
makers and players in the region's textile industry to better understand
current trade trends and to discuss appropriate policy responses.
The meeting also welcomes the perspectives of major importers including
the US and EU coping with changes in policy and trade flows. Presentations
include country studies on coping with restrictive policies, staying
competitive and fostering regional cooperation. |
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 UNESCAP
examines violent traditions against women
UNESCAP’s
gender team in the Emerging Social Issues Division is organizing
an expert group meeting to examine how governments in the Asia-Pacific
region can strengthen policies to reduce violence against women. The
"Regional
Strategies for Implementing the recommendations from the Secretary-General’s
Study on Violence against Women with Particular Emphasis on the Role
of National Machineries", will be held from 26-27 April
at the United Nations Conference
Centre in Bangkok. The Meeting will recommend strategies on preventing
violence against women focusing on Asia-Pacific’s socio-cultural
root causes, such as sex selective abortions, female infanticide,
dowry deaths, “honour” killings, forced marriages and
sex slavery. |
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UNESCAP Survey to be launched on 19 April
UNESCAP's flagship annual publication, The
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, will
be launched this year on 19 April in a record number of capital cities
in Asia, the Pacific, North America and Europe. Entitled "Surging
Ahead in Uncertain Times", the 2007 edition discusses the region’s
impressive growth in 2006 amidst rising risks, evaluates subregional
performances led by East and North-East Asia, projects an outlook
for 2007 of continuing dynamism, identifies
key economic issues to be watched, and considers the
economic cost of gender inequality. The main launch will be held in
New Delhi, India, with H.E. Kamal Nath, Minister of Industry and Commerce,
as the guest speaker. Simultaneous launches will also be held in Almaty,
Bangkok, Beijing, Canberra, Colombo, Dhaka, Geneva, Hanoi, Islamabad,
Jakarta, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Moscow, New York, Seoul,
Singapore, Suva, and Tokyo. The Survey will be available on the UNESCAP
website from 19 April.
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 Small
Indonesian firms work on competitiveness
A meeting in Jakarta aims to improve the technological capacities
of small business in Indonesia. The 2-3 April National
Workshop on Sub national Innovation Systems and Technology, co-organized
by UNESCAP and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, is targeting
Indonesian Small to Medium Enterprise. The workshop aims to improve
the visibility and competitiveness of small Indonesian companies to
capitalise on international business opportunities. Small businesses
will hear from advisors in the region on the best ways to improve
and organize IT for smaller businesses. Topics include intellectual
property rights, the certification process for new products and a
national action plan. |
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 Meeting
promotes corporate responsibility in Asia
A
three day Regional Meeting of Global Compact of Asian Network Focal
Points from 2-4 April is the Asian part of a worldwide examination
of Global
Compact (GC) progress. The GC is a corporate social responsibility
agreement arranged by the UN. It covers conduct in the areas of human
rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. The April meeting
is organized by UNESCAP
and the GC secretariat in New York. It will train both small companies
and multinationals on how to implement the
ten GC principles to contribute to UN development goals.
The meeting aims to address participating companies' concerns on how
to best work with the UN on the Compact, and how to communicate progress.
The workshop hopes to support the leadership of Asian Global Compact
members as local role models in their field. |
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 Central
Asia to benefit from MDG statistics training
The
Statistical Institute for Asia
and the Pacific (SIAP), a regional institution that is part
of UNESCAP, is heading to Tehran to deliver a training course in basic
human development indicators for government statisticians. The workshop,
on "Statistics for MDG Indicators for the Countries in Transition
in Central Asia and Caucuses", is part of a broader UNESCAP goal
to sharpen statistics monitoring of the
Millennium Development Goals in the Asia-Pacific. The workshop,
from 21 April - 2 May, is organized by SIAP in collaboration with
the Statistical Centre of Iran. The course consists of lectures and
project work to help participants from nine national government statistics
offices to accurately assess their MDG progress according to the 48
indicators. The course aims to improve the MDG reporting process,
resulting in more accurate MDG country reports for a more reliable
human development picture. |
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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 | |||