ESCAP and the Government of Mongolia will jointly convene the High-Level Asia-Pacific Policy Dialogue on the Implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action and other Development Gaps faced by the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) from 12 to 14 April in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Policymakers, senior government officials and other stakeholders from 12 LLDCs (Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) as well as other ESCAP member countries will take stock of progress in implementing the Almaty Programme of Action in the context of the fast evolving regional and global economic environment. The Policy Dialogue will identify key issues and development gaps requiring global and regional cooperation to advance the objectives of the Almaty Programme of Action, with special reference to other internationally agreed goals including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Representatives of other UN organizations, relevant regional organizations, development partners, a broad spectrum of civil society in the Asia-Pacific region and private sector will also be present. A draft Outcome Document to be considered and endorsed by the participants will be presented to the 67th annual ESCAP Commission session in Bangkok, Thailand in May.

The Centre for Alleviation of Poverty through Sustainable Agriculture (CAPSA), an ESCAP regional institute based in Bogor, Indonesia will organize a seminar on Poverty Reduction and Food Security through Sustainable Agricultural Technologies and Markets in Asia and the Pacific on 13 April at the Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia. The seminar, at the premier agricultural research and training centre in Indonesia, will provide a forum for a dialogue on the need for developing sustainable agricultural technologies and market options to alleviate poverty and ensure food security in Asia and the Pacific.

ESCAP, with the support of the Korea Energy Management Corporation (KEMCO), will hold the last of its Subregional Workshops in Support of Institutional Capacity Development for Energy Efficiency in the Asia-Pacific region, in Bangkok, Thailand from 19 to 20 April. The subregional workshop will focus on South-East Asian countries. Organized by the Energy Security and Water Resources Section of the ESCAP Environment and Development Division, it follows subregional workshops in Thimphu, Bhutan and Almaty, Kazakhstan for South and Central Asian countries, respectively. The subregional workshops have been organized in collaboration with SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Energy Centre for South Asia, Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) for Central Asia, and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Centre for Energy for South-East Asia, respectively. The workshops are designed to review the achievements of the ESCAP-KEMCO project on strengthening institutional capacity for energy efficiency over the past one and a half years, keeping in mind the lessons learned and best practices related to the unique situation in each subregion, and to devise possible follow-up national and subregional activities. The findings and recommendations of the three subregional workshops, including possible project proposals will be presented to a regional workshop from 21 to 22 April, to be held in Bangkok. The regional workshop is expected to be attended by various multilateral financing institutions, United Nations bodies and other international organizations to discuss possible synergy of regional efforts on energy efficiency. More details can be obtained at:
http://www.unescap.org/esd/Energy-Security-and-Water-Resources/.

The United Nations Network of Experts (UNNExT) for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific will organize the Regional Training Workshop on Business Process Analysis for Paperless Trade and Single Window from 20 to 22 April at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop aims to build capacity of government officials and analysts to evaluate existing trade procedures and processes, and develop recommendations for their improvement. For effective improvement of the processes and information flows throughout the supply chain, it is crucial that existing “as-is” conditions are well understood, providing a sound basis for implementation of trade facilitation reforms such as establishment of a Single Window or Paperless Trade system.

The 16th session of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Project Working Group on Transport and Border Crossing (PWG-TBC) will be hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of UNECE and UNESCAP in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 20 to 21 April. The annual session aims to review the main transport projects, activities and initiatives of common interest to SPECA countries and will be focused on, among others, international transport routes / corridors, transport databases, international conventions, national coordinating mechanisms, road safety, unified railway law and public-private partnerships. The outcome of the session will further promote transport development and cooperation of the SPECA member countries. SPECA was launched in 1998 to strengthen subregional cooperation in Central Asia and its integration into the world economy, its members are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.