The Mid-term Review of the project on Strengthening Life Skills for Positive Youth Health Behaviour is to be held by the Emerging Social Issues Division (ESID) of ESCAP on 5 and 6 November, in Bangkok. Participants will examine progress toward achieving the project goal of reducing the health threats posed by HIV/AIDS and substance abuse to disadvantaged youth in four countries—Cambodia; the Philippines; Sri Lanka; and Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China. Special focus will be placed on evaluating the project outputs which are to equip disadvantaged youth with the life skills needed to make informed and responsible choices about their health, create a more supportive environment for developing positive behaviour, and document good practices on community-based interventions for improvements to the project. The next phase of the project will also be discussed. The Mid-term Review will be attended by representatives of the funding body (the Christian Conference of Asia), government officials and representatives of civil society organizations.

Older persons and people with disabilities frequently encounter barriers to travel in the Asia-Pacific region. Such barriers are not only a stumbling block to an equitable society-- they also represent a lost business opportunity. For this reason, the Emerging Social Issues Division of ESCAP, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security of Thailand, and Disabled People International Asia-Pacific, will co-organize the second International Conference on Accessible Tourism from 22 to 24 November, in Bangkok. More than 100 participants including policymakers, professionals from the tourism industry, advocates for disabled people, architects and academics from across the globe will discuss ways to improve accessibility to tourism for older and disabled persons. Among the issues to be discusses will be the availability of information regarding disabled friendly facilities, access to tourist sites such as historical buildings, and training to improve the services provided to disabled people by the tourism industry.

UN-wide meeting aims to ensure that developing countries have access to space technology for disaster management

The Information, Communication and Space Technology Division (ICSTD) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) are jointly convening the 4th UN-wide Meeting on the Use of Space Technologies for Emergency Response and Humanitarian Assistance at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok on 27 November 2007. The meeting will be held back-to-back with the 8th Meeting of the United Nations Geographic Working Group (UNGIWG) which will be held from 28 to 30 November 2007. Participants will define methods for a more coordinated use of remote sensing data in the event of a disaster. The meeting is part of ESCAP and UNOOSA efforts to ensure that developing countries, as well as regional and international organizations, have access to space-based solutions to support disaster management activities.

The successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round depends upon reaching agreement on trade in agricultural products. In addition, trade liberalization of the agriculture sector is expected to lead to rising exports for developing countries—as they have a comparative advantage in agriculture. For this reason, The World Trade Organization/ESCAP Regional Seminar on Agriculture Negotiations for Asia-Pacific Economies will be held on 28 and 29 November, in Bangkok. Through this seminar, the organizers hope to enhance participants' knowledge of the many complex issues surrounding the multilateral negotiations on agriculture. It is hoped that this will make them more successful in future negotiations.

As awareness of environmental issues grows, countries in the Asia-Pacific region are requesting assistance in designing and implementing green policies. While many of these countries see economic growth as the key to reducing poverty, they increasingly recognize the environmental degradation that follows. Methods for protecting the environment while promoting economic growth will be the focus of the Capacity-building Seminar on Integration of Green Growth Policy Tools in Decision Making Processes for Sustainable Development, to be held by the Environment and Sustainable Development Division (ESDD) of ESCAP in cooperation with the Sustainable Development Office of Viet Nam on 12 and 13 November. The seminar, which will take place in Hanoi, is one of a series of five national seminars on ESCAP’s Green Growth approach to development. More than 70 policy and decision makers from more than ten ministries and government agencies are expected to attend the seminar. Green Growth promotes green reforms to taxes, infrastructure, and consumption.