ESCAP, in collaboration with the Global Compact network in Pakistan will organize a workshop titled “Embedding Global Compact and Corporate Social Responsibility into Your Organization” in Karachi, Pakistan from 4 to 6 August. The workshop will train company participants of the Global Compact Pakistan network as well as regional trainers on integrating Global Compact principles in their day-to-day businesses, as well as reporting on their progress in implementing the Global Compact, in particular, and Corporate Social Responsibility in general.

The Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT) will co-organize a Training of Trainers Workshop on Improving Public Service through ICT, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) of the Republic of Korea. The three-day workshop starting on 9 August in Seoul, Republic of Korea seeks to train and obtain feedback from a cadre of resource persons on the use of an e-Government Capacity Maturity Model (CMM) and an ICT Project Guidebook. The training materials have been developed as part of the “Improving Public Service through ICT” project involving APCICT, ADB and NIA. Based on the workshop results, APCICT plans to use the CMM and the Project Guidebook in the delivery of “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders Programme” modules 3 and 7, ‘e-Government Applications’ and ‘ICT Project Management in Theory and Practice’, respectively. The workshop also involves participation by APCICT Virtual Academy (AVA) alumnus, Nurilla Mahamatov from Uzbekistan who will attend the APCICT event as the winner of the first AVA Award in the fall of 2009.

ESCAP’s Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division (MPDD), in partnership with the Club De Madrid and with the support of Casa Asia, will organize a high-level roundtable on ‘Challenges for Sustaining Asia-Pacific Regional Dynamism in a Post-Crisis World to Promote Inclusive Development’. The event, scheduled on 18 August at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, is part of a series of MPDD’s activities being organized in preparation for the G20 Summit to be hosted by the Republic of Korea in November 2010. Among key issues to be discussed are the role of China and India as the world’s emerging growth engines, and opportunities to strengthen regional and interregional cooperation. Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP will deliver the keynote opening address. Distinguished former Heads of State and Government including Mr. Wim Kok, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and President of the Club De Madrid, Mr. Hong Koo Lee, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Anand Panyarachun, former Prime Minister of Thailand, and Ms. Jenny Mary Shipley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, as well as eminent experts from the region are expected to participate.

The United Nations Asia-Pacific Interagency Group on Youth is to launch the International Year of Youth with the organization of International Youth Day on 18 August. The theme for this year’s International Year of Youth is “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.” The event, to be held in the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, will be attended by representatives of Governments, youth organizations, civil society and the United Nations system. Besides International Youth Day messages from the UN Secretary-General and youth leaders in Asia and the Pacific, there will be a roundtable discussion on youth and MDG-related issues. Participants will sign a commitment to promote greater dialogue and mutual understanding throughout the year.

ESCAP, in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD), is organizing a Senior Officials Meeting on South-to-South Cooperation on Disability. This two-day meeting will take place from 19 to 20 August at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok. The Meeting will be participated by representatives from Government, disabled people’s organizations and the private sector from ASEAN member countries. The Meeting will focus on knowledge exchange, particularly regarding good practices of community-based inclusive development as well as good practices in inclusive business development. The event will encourage networking and collaboration among Governments, non-governmental organizations and the business sector in ASEAN working to promote inclusive, barrier free and rights-based societies for persons with disabilities.

As part of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network (ARTNeT) initiative, ESCAP will organize the Capacity Building Workshop for Trade Research: Gravity Modelling from 23 to 27 August in Bogor, Indonesia. The five-day workshop brings together junior researchers from developing and least developed countries of the region and will be dedicated to hands-on training on gravity modelling, including data sources, dataset preparation, estimation, interpretation and policy applications. Advanced gravity modelling issues and simulations based on estimated gravity and related equations are expected to be covered. ARTNeT was launched by ESCAP and Canada’s International Development Research Centre in 2004. More information on ARTNeT activities, as well as on its research programmes and publications, is available at www.artnetontrade.org.