 |
What’s
Ahead @ ESCAP |
| www.unescap.org |
January
2007 |
||
UN
Secretary-General Ban takes office in New York, pledges to restore trust
in UN
Mr.
Ban Ki-moon officially took office in New York on 1 January as
the eighth Secretary-General of the
United Nations. The former Foreign Minister of the Republic of
Korea, Mr. Ban was appointed as the world's top diplomat last October
and sworn in by General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed al-Khalifa
on 14 December. “I will do everything in my power to ensure
that our United Nations can live up to its name, and be truly united,
so that we can live up to the hopes that so many people around the
world place in this institution, which is unique in the annals of
human history,” he said after swearing the oath of office. Mr.
Ban is the second Secretary-General from Asia; U Thant of Myanmar
served from 1961-1971. |
|||
 Crops
and food key to long term poverty reduction: CAPSA
The
development of secondary crops like corn and cereals is the key agenda
in a two day meeting from 18-19 January 2007 in Bogor, Indonesia between
UNESCAP's governing council and the
Centre for Alleviation of Poverty through Secondary Crops' Development
in Asia and the Pacific (CAPSA). Attendants will chart CAPSA's
progress for 2006 and define 2007 priority areas. They will discuss
how CAPSA is using resources to strengthen human resource capacity,
improve financial sustainability and attain stronger client services.
CAPSA's goals for 2007 are to consolidate the strengthening of human
and programme management resources, develop multi-country, fundable
project proposals and strengthen member country contributions. Country
visits, participation in international seminars, meetings and workshops
among representatives from member countries, international donor organizations
and partner institutes throughout 2006 strengthened partnerships. |
|||
APTA developments up for discussion at Pakistan
The newly revamped Asia-Pacific
Trade Agreement (APTA) will be the focus of discussions at a seminar
on 10 Jan 2007 in Islamabad, Pakistan between UNESCAP Trade experts
and the Pakistan government. The National Seminar on the Evolving
Regional Panorama and Prospective Benefits for APTA Membership aims
to raise awareness of recent developments in the trade agreement.
APTA was initiated and is administrated by UNESCAP and currently involves
six countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Republic of Korea, Lao People's
Democratic Republic and Sri Lanka. The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement
(APTA), previously named the Bangkok Agreement, signed in 1975 as
an initiative of ESCAP, is a preferential tariff arrangement that
aims at promoting intra-regional trade through exchange of mutually
agreed concessions by member countries.
|
|||
 Social
Protection and Pensions for Older People in Asia
An Asia regional seminar on Ensuring Social Protection and Social
Pensions in Old Age in the context of rapid ageing in Asia will be
held on 29 - 31 January 2007 at the United Nations Conference Centre
in Bangkok, Thailand. HelpAge International (HAI), the leading global
action on ageing, in collaboration with UNESCAP, is organizing the
three-day regional seminar to highlight policy makers’ attention
on social
protection mechanisms for the older poor. “Ensuring Social
Protection in old age in the context of rapid ageing in Asia”
is supported by the Japan Foundation. Within the overall framework
of ensuring social protection, the seminar will focus more specifically
on the role of non-contributory cash transfer programmes (social pensions)
for the older poor. Participants including experts on social protection
and social pensions issues and representatives of governments and
civil society organizations from over ten countries in the region
will review Asia’s existing state of social protection/social
pensions policy and practice. The seminar will review the existing
state of social protection/social pension policy and practice in the
region, sharing and comparing current schemes in place like widows’
pensions, a national food allowance, a charity allowance and basic
pension provisions. Participants will be identifying key areas for
policy and practice development. |
|||
 Asian
countries negotiate International Road Transport agreement
UNESCAP’s
transport arm is busy in January with workshops, including one
to decide on a new agreement on international road transportation.
The six member countries that make up the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) – China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan – will be negotiating
a way to smoothly travel across road borders to maximize convenience
for motorists and optimal trade, transport and tourism benefits. The
draft text of the Agreement on Facilitation of International Road
Transport will be finalized at the meeting from 23 - 26 January in
Beijing, China. The meeting is organized by SCO, UNESCAP and the Asian
Development Bank. |
|||
 FYI:
New Chief for UNIS
The
UN Information Services (UNIS) is getting a new Chief after eight
years under the leadership of Mr. David Lazarus, who is moving to
Indonesia in his new role as director of the United Nations Information
Centre in Jakarta. The new UNIS Chief Mr. Hak-Fan Lau is coming from
his previous role in New York as head of the Chinese language UN Radio
team in New York. The appointment is effective from 11 January 2007.
UNIS Bangkok serves as both a UN Information Centre for seven countries
in the region, as well as a one stop shop for information on the UN
and its activities in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides media and
event management services, information products and publications,
the website, library and more. |
|||
Special
Observances and Meetings |
|||
|
|||
 |
 |
||
| 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 | |||