ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division, in collaboration with the Global Compact Local Network in Sri Lanka, will organize a training course on “Embedding Global Compact and Sustainability into your Organization” from 1 to 3 April in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event is part of an ESCAP project on Investors for Development (I4D), which aims to increase businesses' contribution to sustainable development. The course is designed to give companies hands-on knowledge of Global Compact implementation and reporting through the development of a draft strategy and an action plan for implementing the Global Compact’s ten principles , as well as a draft Communication on Progress (COP). The event will be attended by employees of local companies who are responsible for implementing strategies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability.

The High-level Expert Group on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development will be held on 14 April in Jakarta. Hosted by the Government of Indonesia, the meeting is a part of ESCAP’s effort to promote technical cooperation through private-public partnership alliances. Experts will review implementation of Commission resolution 64/4, adopted in April 2008, on the implementation of the Seoul Declaration on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development in Asia and the Pacific. They will also consider the operation of the networking of public-private partnership units and programmes in the Asia-Pacific region. Immediately following the High-level meeting, the Government of Indonesia will organize the “Infrastructure Asia 2010 Conference and Exhibition” on 15 and 16 April, to be followed immediately by the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development on 17 April.

ESCAP, UN-HABITAT and the National Housing Bank of India (NHB) are organizing a Regional Symposium to Focus on Pro-poor Housing Finance from 19 to 20 April in New Delhi, India. The meeting will discuss challenges and highlight innovative approaches towards pro-poor housing finance in different countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The symposium will also discuss the start of a regional network on pro-poor housing finance. Participants will include designated country reporters or other appropriate representative with insights on the housing finance system in their countries. Selected international/regional experts on housing finance will also be invited to attend.

The Working Group on Energy Planning and Policy (WG-EPP) of the Intergovernmental Collaborative Mechanism on Energy Cooperation in North-East Asia will meet from 15 to 16 April in Bangkok to look at the progress made on the preparation for (a) a Joint Study on Energy Production Potential and Development Plans in North-East Asian Countries, (b) a Joint Study on Coal Development in North-East Asia through Regional Cooperation, (c) the third North-East Asia Government-Business Dialogue (GBD-3), and (d) the sixth session of the Senior Officials Committee (SOC). The two joint studies aim to identify potential cross-border energy projects and activities for joint cooperation by NEA countries. Government officials and experts from China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation have been invited to attend.

ESCAP’s Social Development Division will organize a Workshop on “Strengthening National Capacities to Deal with International Migration” from 22 to 23 April at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok. The objective of the Workshop is to increase the capacity of policymakers in order to design policies on international migration and development through review of national policies on international migration, exchange of good practices and South-South Cooperation. To this end, the Workshop will feature expert presentations, panel discussions, and structured plenary discussions. The Workshop will be attended by experts from selected countries in the Asia-Pacific region involved in the formulation and/or implementation of policies related to international migration and development.

ESCAP and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) are organizing two meetings in April to promote trade facilitation. The first, from 26 to 30 April in Bangkok, brings together some 200 experts from around the world for the 16th Forum of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT). The five-day meeting will work towards developing ICT-enabled instruments (tools, standards and guides) for specific business domains such as the supply chain, customs, transport, finance, tourism, agriculture, e-government as well as trade facilitation. The Forum is expected to provide a unique capacity-building opportunity for business, trade and government in the region, with a platform to interact with international experts, get updated on the development of global trends and contribute to the development of international tools for trade facilitation and e-business. On 28 April in Bangkok, there will be an Expert Group Meeting on Facilitating Agricultural Trade through Paperless Trade to: a) examine the state of play of agricultural trade and paperless trade initiatives in the region, including major challenges and prospects; b) introduce relevant instruments for paperless trade, and provide updates on the development of related instruments by international organizations; c) analyze the experiences and lessons learnt from the paperless trade initiatives for agricultural trade in the region; and d) draw actions and recommendations to be taken, especially through regional facilitation platforms such as the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT). About sixty experts from the public and the private sector, academia and research institutions in the region, as well as from international organizations are expected to attend the meeting.

ESCAP is organizing an Expert Review Meeting on a study, “Towards a Low Carbon Development Path for Asia and the Pacific: Challenges and Opportunities to the Energy Sector” from 28 to 29 April in Kunming, China. The main objective of the meeting is to provide comments and guidance to the authors to improve the draft report, which was prepared with a focus on how to reorient energy sector planning, investment and operation towards low carbon development that provides not only climate change benefits but also addresses energy security and energy access to all including the poor. Experts from Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Viet Nam and international organizations are expected to attend. The final document will form the basis of a publication, “Energy Resources Development Series: Towards a Low Carbon Development Path for Asia and the Pacific,” to be issued later this year by ESCAP. The meeting will take place concurrently with the Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) 2010: Business Opportunities and Low-Carbon Economy, which will be organized jointly by ESCAP and the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).