ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division, as the secretariat of Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), is co-organizing the 13th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis from 9 to 11 June in Penang, Malaysia. The Conference is organized in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and the Center for Global Trade Analysis at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. With the theme "Trade for sustainable and inclusive growth and development", the Conference will bring together some 200 researchers and policy makers as well as representatives of other regional commissions and other international organizations to discuss the uses of quantitative analysis tools to improve the quality of analyses of global economic issues. More information on the conference is available at
https://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/events/Conferences/2010/default.asp

ESCAP will host “The Regional Dialogue on Wastewater Management in Asia” on 15-16 June 2010 as a key regional effort for the development of eco-efficient water infrastructure. The Regional Dialogue is expected to contribute to the implementation of the second Hashimoto Action Plan (HAP II) of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board (UNSGAB), which recommended a new initiative “Wastewater Revolution in Asia,” aiming at promoting "action on wastewater to protect human health, economic development and ecosystems while also alleviating growing water scarcity in many regions." Building on the ongoing regional efforts, results and findings from eco-efficient water infrastructure development activities of ESCAP and the initiative of the UNSGAB, this Regional Dialogue aims to promote regional efforts in translating the concept of “Wastewater Revolution in Asia” into action at the national and regional levels. The partners for the Regional Dialogue are expected to include the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board (UNSGAB) Secretariat, KOICA, ADB, UNESCO, UN-HABITAT, UNEP, Korea Water Forum, APWF Knowledge Hub on Wastewater and Sanitation, and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, etc.

On 20 June, the Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology (APCICT), a regional institute of ESCAP, will kick-off the ASEAN Information Communications Technology for Development (ICTD) Student Ambassadors programme in Incheon, Republic of Korea. APCICT will host nine students from ASEAN countries for two months. The ICTD Student Ambassadors will be provided with opportunities to engage in APCICT’s research and capacity building initiatives. The program is done in partnership with Korea’s Daejon University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, and the ASEAN University Network.Over 25 ASEAN students have participated in the Ambassadors programme since its inception in 2008. Also this month, APCICT will support the Pacific ICT Officials and Ministers meeting to be held 16-18 June, in Tonga. A presentation will be made detailing APCICT’s mission and particular work to strengthen ICT human resource and institutional capacity in Pacific Islands countries in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

ESCAP, in collaboration with Disabled Peoples' International Asia-Pacific Region, will convene the meeting “Asian and the Pacific Disabled People’s Organizations United: Towards the Establishment of the Regional Decade on the Effective Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” on 21 and 22 June 2010 in Bangkok.

Representatives of persons with disabilities from across the region will participate in the meeting which aims to review the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012. The meeting will consider the possibility of a new regional decade for persons with disabilities for the period 2013-2022 and to explore subregional approaches to promote the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. ESCAP will convene the “Expert Group Meeting-cum-Stakeholder Consultation to Review the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012: The Biwako Millennium Framework for Action” from 23 to 25 June 2010 at the UNCC in Bangkok. The Meeting will be attended by Government focal points on disability, representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities, UN agencies and other key stakeholders, including development agencies and civil society organizations. The objectives of the Meeting are to: (1) review the achievements and lessons learnt as well as the remaining challenges from the second Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons; and (2) advise the ESCAP secretariat on the way forward beyond the 2012 period bearing in mind the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to review and conclude the second Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons in 2012.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) will hold the 6th Annual ESCAP/WTO ARTNeT Workshop for Trade Research, on 21-25 June, in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The five-day workshop brings together junior researchers from 15 research institutions in developing and least developed countries of the region to develop their capacity to conduct research on trade and climate change issues. The workshop is part of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network (ARTNeT) initiative 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, are available at www.artnetontrade.org.

The Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division of ESCAP in collaboration with Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance will be co-organizing the High Level Workshop on Strengthening the Response to the Global Financial Crisis in Asia-Pacific: the role of macroeconomic policies from 22-24 June 2010 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The global crisis has highlighted various challenges for Cambodia including how to mitigate the impact of economic downturns on vulnerable groups, how to mobilize additional domestic financial resources, how to coordinate macroeconomic policies to make them most effective, how to enhance competitiveness of a country, and what structural reforms should be undertaken to preserve sustainable economic growth into the future. Issues that deserve special consideration include inflation, management of capital inflows, the promotion of investments, trade diversification, and implementation of macroeconomic policies. The objective of the high level workshop is to provide an opportunity for Cambodia's high level officials, policy makers and experts to conduct a focused discussion of concrete policy options to address these and other challenges facing the country's economy. ESCAP will invite eminent experts and high level officials from key partner countries of Cambodia such as Thailand, Viet Nam, Republic of Korea, and India, as well as experts from ADB, UNDP, IMF and the World Bank. Participants will address aspects of monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policies that are of particular relevance to Cambodia. For more information on the workshop please visit the website at:
http://www.unescap.org/pdd/calendar/Cambodia_Jun10/index.asp.