What’s Ahead @ ESCAP

UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

www.unescap.org
October 2010
ESCAP Promotes Paperless Trade and Regional Connectivity
ESCAP, UNECE and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and other organizations, will organize the Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum (APTFF) 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 5 to 6 October. More than 150 officials and paperless trade experts from over 30 countries in Asia and the Pacific and beyond will meet to review regional trade facilitation approaches at the APTFF which is the only annual trade facilitation forum in the region and provides an open platform for sharing trade facilitation information, experiences and practices, and learning about new tools and services to make cross-border transactions more efficient. Having as its theme, “Trade Facilitation for Regional Connectivity: Advancing Paperless Trade”, APTFF 2010 will focus on agricultural trade facilitation and Single Window interconnectivity. A multimedia exhibition on trade facilitation, in parallel with the Forum, will have displays by more than 20 trade facilitation service providers, research institutions, and development/donor agencies.
ESCAP Launches Regional Paperless Trade Network
ESCAP, together with UNECE will organize the first meeting of the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNeXT) Advisory Committee on 4 October in Kuala Lumpur. A community of knowledge and practice to assist experts from developing countries and transition economies in Asia and the Pacific involved in the implementation of paperless trade systems, UNNeXT will focus on capacity building, knowledge sharing and application of relevant international standards and tools. The 12 UNNeXT advisory committee members will discuss work programmes for 2010-2011 as well as measures to ensure the development and long-term sustainability of the network.

UN Launches Regional Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security in Asia-Pacific
To mark the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the ESCAP Executive Secretary will launch the Asia-Pacific Regional Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security at a special function on 6 October at the UN Conference Centre, Bangkok. The commemoration is being organized by the UN Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. The first of its kind in the world, the Group comprises women and men leaders with recognized expertise in advancing the role and interests of women in peace and security processes in the region. It will advise and support Governments, civil society and other relevant players on effective implementation of UNSCR 1325 in the Asia-Pacific region. Advocating greater women’s participation in formal peace processes, peacekeeping and peace-building, as well as in conflict prevention and resolution, the Group will also contribute to the international analysis and discourse on women, peace and security. The launch will be followed by a capacity-building workshop for Governments on the use of indicators to monitor UNSCR 1325 implementation.
ESCAP Supports Global Facilitation Partnership for Transportation and Trade
ESCAP, in cooperation with the World Bank and ADB is organizing the Global Facilitation Partnership for Transportation and Trade (GFP) Meeting from 7 to 8 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Over 60 public and private sector experts will attend the bi-annual meeting with the theme “Leveraging Trade Facilitation Reforms through Sustainable Partnership” which will introduce new tools in trade facilitation and logistics. The experts will also take part in a roundtable to discuss setting up national trade facilitation and logistics councils. A field visit on 8 October will take participants to Port Klang and its port community system to study the Malaysian practice of Single Window implementation.

ESCAP to Hold Regional Trade Data Capacity Building Workshop for Government Officials
ESCAP, in cooperation with UNECE, World Customs Organization (WCO), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ADB and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is organizing the Regional Workshop on Data Harmonization and World Customs Organization Data Model Version 3.0 from 7 to 8 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. About 30 officials from customs and other government agencies in the Asia-Pacific region will attend the workshop which aims to build government capacities to harmonize trade data for more efficient, interoperable and secure trade processes. The participants will learn about the practical application of available international standards and instruments, especially the recent WCO Data Model Version 3.0, to maximize interoperability of trade systems including Single Window, at national, regional and global levels.

Meeting on Regional Institutional Cooperation Mechanism to Promote Renewable Energy in Asia and the Pacific
The Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), a regional institution of ESCAP, in partnership with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) will organize the Regional Cooperation for Establishing an Institutional Cooperation Mechanism to Promote Renewable Energy in Asia and the Pacific meeting from 7 to 8 October at the AIT campus in Bangkok. Experts and senior officials from participating Asia-Pacific member countries will attend the meeting to discuss specific activities for APCTT’s institutional cooperation mechanism to add value to other regional and global renewable energy technology networks without replicating existing efforts, suggest approaches to partner member country focal points on renewable energy, and provide guidance for improving the Centre's "Renewable Energy Cooperation-Network for the Asia Pacific (RECAP)" Website. The meeting is among planned 2010-12 APCTT activities to follow up on the 64th ESCAP Commission Resolution on promoting renewables for energy security and sustainable development in the region. To be implemented with funding support from India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the activities carry forward the Centre’s work programme begun in 2009 to develop an institutional cooperation mechanism to promote renewable energy technology adoption and use in the Asia-Pacific region.
Experts and policymakers to discuss regulatory reform and liberalization in trade sector for inclusive and sustainable development
ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division, in collaboration with Asian Development Bank Institute, Japan under the framework of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT) is organizing an international conference on Reforming Services for Inclusive and Sustainable Development of Asia and the Pacific from 11 to 12 October in Bali, Indonesia. The main purpose of the conference is to discuss regulatory reforms and liberalization in service sector trade, and their poverty and development impact prospects for the region. Presenters and participants in the conference will come from several ARTNeT member research institutions in least-developed and developing countries in the region, ADB, UNCTAD-India, World Bank, and World Trade Organization (WTO).

tradeESCAP Organizes Regional Symposium on Low Carbon Economies
ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division in collaboration with its Environment and Development Division is organizing the Regional Symposium on Low Carbon Economies in Bali, Indonesia on 13 and 14 October. Policymakers from a dozen ESCAP member countries, including several of the region’s largest greenhouse gas producers, will attend the meeting to explore linkages between trade, investment and climate and the associated regional challenges and opportunities in promoting low-carbon economic growth. A key outcome of the meeting will be inputs for the formulation of a green growth road map for Asia and the Pacific.

2010 SPECA Economic Forum and Governing Council
ESCAP and UNECE will jointly organize the Economic Forum Strengthening Regional Cooperation in Central Asia: A Contribution to Long-term Stability and Sustainable Development of Afghanistan from 18 to 19 October 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Forum, within the framework of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), will be followed by the Fifth Governing Council of SPECA on 19 October 2010 and examine how stronger regional cooperation in Central Asia can be more effective in promoting long-term stability in Afghanistan. At the Forum, Central Asian countries will discuss concrete proposals to strengthen trade, transport and investment links and the need for more active participation by Afghanistan in relevant regional organizations. High-level government decision-makers, private sector executives, researchers and representatives of neighbouring States, as well as regional organizations and multilateral financial institutions will attend the Forum.
Senior Policymakers to Discuss National Innovation Systems in Countries with Special Needs
The Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), in partnership with Thailand’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), will organize a two-day workshop entitled Promotion of National Innovation Systems (NIS) in Countries with Special Needs (CSN) from 19 to 20 October in Bangkok. Senior policymakers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Nepal will attend the workshop which will focus on the importance of the concept of NIS, key NIS components, and its organic linkages with sub-national and sectoral innovation systems. Resource persons from China, India, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand will share country experiences and NIS best practices regarding policy measures, support mechanisms and services. A NIS-based development approach can contribute substantially to sustainable and inclusive development in CSN, which face unique constraints and complex problems in developing and using technological capabilities. It can also help CSN benefit from business and technological globalization, and in identifying their scientific and technological capabilities, weaknesses and competitive advantages.

tradeESCAP Committee on Social Development to break new ground in ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities
ESCAP’s second session of the Committee on Social Development will convene at the United Nations Conference Centre from 19 to 21 October in Bangkok. Over 100 Government delegates from the region, along with representatives of disabled people's organizations and international and UN agencies will attend the session. Addressing the theme “Mainstreaming disability into the regional development agenda in Asia and the Pacific”, the Committee will review the status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Asia-Pacific and seek to break new ground on integrating disability concerns into the development agenda of the region having more than 400 million persons with disabilities. The Committee will also review the preparatory process for the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012, to be held in the Republic of Korea in 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.unescap.org/sdd/committee/2010/index.asp

ESCAP convenes High-level Consultation ahead of G20 Summit
ESCAP’s Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division (MPDD) is organizing a High-level Consultation to formulate an Asia-Pacific perspective on key issues on the agenda of the G20 Summit in Seoul. The Seoul summit, to be held in November, will be the first of its kind in Asia. As the G20 chair, the Government of the Republic of Korea has emphasized the need for major economies to address emerging and developing world priorities, and in this context, suggested ESCAP could make a valuable contribution by bringing a non-G20 perspective to the Summit. The ESCAP Consultation, from 25 to 26 October at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, will discuss issues linked to global rebalancing, financing sector reform and narrowing development gaps, and formulate policy recommendations for the G20 based on regional experience.
"Trade Diversification in the Context of Global Challenges" Workshop to be held in Vientiane
ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division, in collaboration with UNCTAD and WTO under the framework of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT) will organize the workshop on Trade Diversification in the Context of Global Challenges, in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 27 to 28 October. Researchers, policymakers and private sector representatives will attend the research workshop to discuss factors and activities determining economic and trade diversification in developing and least-developed countries in the region. The workshop will have special focus on identification of new and dynamic export sectors in these economies as well as policies to support their development. It will be followed by the annual Multi-stakeholders Steering Committee meeting on 29 October to review current and provide guidance for future ARTNeT activities. Both events will be hosted by ARTNeT member, the Economic Research Institute for Trade (ERIT).
Special Observances and Meetings
 
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