What’s Ahead @ UNESCAP: A look at upcoming meetings and events in May 2007

What’s Ahead @ ESCAP

UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

www.unescap.org		October 2007

Environmental leadership to be promoted in Incheon, Republic of Korea When traditional approaches to tackling environmental problems-- such as regulatory caps on pollution-- prove to be insufficient, new approaches come to the fore. The Green Growth approach advocated by the Environment and Sustainable Development Division (ESDD) of ESCAP is one such approach. This approach uses a variety of tools-- from taxes levied on environmentally damaging activities to development of mass transit-- which allow economic growth while mitigating environmental impacts. For this reason ESCAP is holding the Second Seoul Initiative Leadership Programme on Green Growth from 8 to 20 October in Incheon, Republic of Korea. The course will be attended by government officials from the region with the aim of increasing the capacity of officials to pursue Green Growth policies.

Population ageing to be discussed at high-level meeting The Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging (MIPAA) adopted by the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002 marked a milestone in international effort to respond to the challenges of population ageing. It called for changes in attitudes, policies and practices at all levels in all sectors, so that the enormous potential of “a society for all ages” in the twenty-first century may be fulfilled. In order to review the progress made in implementing MIPAA, the Emerging Social Issues Division of ESCAP is holding the High-level Meeting on the Regional Review of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing in the run up to the global review process from 9 to 11 October in Macau, China.

ESCAP to hold workshop as part of Tonga Tourism Week Tourism plays a significant role in socio-economic development, poverty reduction and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. The tourism sector is labor-intensive; often composed of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs); and employs a relatively high proportion of women, youth and members of indigenous communities. This gives it great potential as a strategy for poverty reduction. For this reason the ESCAP Pacific Operations Centre (EPOC) is organizing a workshop on Expanding the Role of Tourism in Poverty Reduction in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on 24 October. The workshop will be held as part of the Tonga Tourism Week, which is being organized by the Government of Tonga and South-Pacific.Travel, from 22 to 26 October. Officials from the Ministry of Tourism, National Planning and Rural Development as well as participants from the private sector are expected to attend the week’s events.

APCAEM to promote conservation agriculture techniques in Asia-Pacific The United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (APCAEM), in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of China, and China Agricultural University, with support from the provincial government, will hold an International Seminar on Enhancing Extension of Conservation Agriculture (CA) Techniques in Asia and the Pacific in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China from 24 to 26 October. The seminar will promote the use of soil conserving agricultural practices such as zero or minimal soil tillage, permanent soil cover and crop rotations. The meeting is expected to focus on various aspects of conservation agriculture such as environmental protection, techniques and machinery and government policies.

Second Ministerial Council of Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement to be held in India The Second Ministerial Council of Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) will be held by ESCAP, in Goa, India on 26 October 2007. Over 30 delegates headed by the respective Ministers or Vice Ministers from the six APTA Participating States (Bangladesh, China, India, the Republic of Korea, Lao PDR and Sir Lanka) will attend the meeting. The Council will be presided over by H. E. Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India. The most important task on the Ministers' agenda is the launch of the Fourth Round of Tariff Negotations which when completed will deepen and widen trading relations among the six Participating States. Ministers will also adopt the Agreement on Operational Rules for the Certification and Verification of the Origin of Goods, which is the first time that the economic powerhouses of China, India and Republic of Korea and other APTA states adopt a common set of operational rules. Together with membership expansion that is expected to follow in the upcoming years, APTA is emerging as the only truly regional trade agreement that links east, southeast and south Asia, and is thus becoming an important platform for regional economic cooperation and integration.

Special Observances and Meetings
United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) International Decade for Action: Water for Life (2005-2015) United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012) International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010) The Year of the Dolphin! The International Polar Year Disarmament Week (24-30 October) World Development Information Day (24 October) United Nations Day (24 October) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) World Food Day (16 October) International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (10 October) World Mental Health Day (10 October) World Post Day (9 October) World Teachers’ Day (5 October) World Space Week (4-10 October) Internationalorld Day of Non-Violence (2 October) World Habitat Day (1 October) International Day of Older Persons (1 October)



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