ESCAP is organizing the Stakeholder Meeting for Subregional Trade and Transit Cooperation in Mongolian Trade Corridors from 31 May to 4 June in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The meeting aims to provide capacity building support on trade facilitation in Mongolia in response to a request from Mongolia’s Government through the Mongolian Customs General Administration of Mongolia. The meeting, to be attended by more than 20 key trade and transit stakeholders in Mongolia, including government officials and experts from Mongolia’s major trading partners, will be a forum for an open discussion to identify major issues and challenges and prepare a concrete plan for an in-depth analytical study on Mongolian corridors. To maximize the relevance and practicality of the analysis, a Business Process Analysis (BPA) training and site visits to Mongolian borders will be organized under the auspices of the United Nations Network Experts for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT).

The Social Development Division of ESCAP will organize the Regional Consultation on Analysis of Income Support Schemes in Asia and the Pacific on 1 June in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The consultation aims to assist member states improve social protection measures and is part of an ESCAP project to analyse the impact and compile a knowledge base of income support schemes, an important basic social protection measure in the region. The project will support policymakers with a context and understanding of social protection in the region in order to strengthen frameworks and extend coverage of income support schemes. The consultation will review the framework and country survey template guiding research on income support schemes in the region.

ESCAP, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Government of Turkmenistan and the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy (UNRCCA) are organizing the Follow-up Meeting of the 2010 SPECA Economic Forum "Launching a Plan of Action to Strengthen Stability and Sustainable Development of Afghanistan through Regional Economic Cooperation in Central Asia," from 7 to 8 June in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. To be held in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA), the meeting provides an opportunity to translate into concrete programmes and projects the recommendations of the October 2010 Economic Forum organized by the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA). The 2010 SPECA Forum examined how strengthened regional cooperation in Central Asia can contribute to long-term stability in Afghanistan. The Follow-up Meeting in Ashgabat will be an opportunity for the two UN regional commissions to present ongoing or new capacity building projects supporting SPECA and their partner organizations. The discussions will facilitate coordination of present investment projects and ongoing and new capacity building/technical assistance schemes supporting regional economic cooperation.

The Transport Division of ESCAP is organizing the 2nd Meeting of the Working Group on the Trans-Asian Railway Network from 14 to 15 June in Busan, the Republic of Korea to review implementation of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network that came into force in June 2009. It will also consider amendment proposals to Annex 1 to the Agreement describing network routes. Participants will discuss approaches to developing and operationalizing the Trans-Asian Railway. In parallel with the above meeting, ESCAP will convene a Seminar on Promoting the Use of the Trans-Asian Railway Network through Improved Awareness of Commercial Requirements from 14 to 17 June. The information-sharing event will bring together experts from international institutions, railway organizations, research institutes and private sector entities involved in the planning, development and operationalization of international railway transport corridors. Discussions will focus on initiatives to enhance the role of rail transport and the Trans-Asian Railway as an efficient, environment-friendly and energy efficient mode of regional transport. The Trans-Asian Railway network is a building block towards an international integrated intermodal transport and logistics system for the region as envisioned in the November 2006 Busan Declaration on Transport Development in Asia and the Pacific.

ESCAP in collaboration with Korea Energy Economics Institute is organizing the Ninth Meeting of the Working Group on Energy Planning and Policy (WG-EPP) from 15 to 16 June in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The working group is a follow up of the outcome of the sixth session of the Senior Officials Committee for Energy Cooperation in North-East Asia (SOC-6), which was held on 24 and 25 November 2010 in Moscow. This session of WG-EPP aims to discuss policy issues related to subregional energy cooperation and collaboration between government and business sectors in North-East Asia (NEA), especially in relation to improving the resilience of NEA countries to energy price fluctuations and supply instability. The Working Group is also expected to examine various priority issues on subregional cooperation such as the joint study “2011 Energy Policy and Statistics in NEA”, as well as the preparation for the fourth NEA Government-Business Dialogue and the seventh session of the Senior Officials Committee. Participants are from member countries of the Intergovernmental Collaborative Mechanism on Energy Cooperation in North-East Asia, as well as relevant experts in the field of energy security cooperation from North-East Asia subregion.

ESCAP and its partners are convening the Fifth Asia-Pacific Urban Forum (APUF-5) from 22 to 24 June at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand to identify, discuss and prioritize emerging and critical issues in inclusive and sustainable urban development. The theme of APUF-5 is ‘Cities of Opportunity: partnerships for an inclusive and sustainable future’. The Forum will bring together all stakeholders to share experiences on good and innovative practices, and approaches to inclusive and sustainable urban development. It will be an opportunity to explore how activities of different actors c an be better coordinated and linked to each other and to relevant regional and global processes, events and development objectives. A highlight of the Forum will be a trip to a slum upgrading project and a visit to a centre of excellence in water management. An Urban Documentary Night will take place at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand on 23 June.

The Forum comprises the following side events:

Plenary panel discussions on drivers and barriers for change
** A high-level panel will discuss barriers towards an inclusive and sustainable urban future and how to overcome them.
** A panel discussion on governance and governance approaches as key drivers for change.
** A panel discussion on opportunities for change from the point of view of civic engagement and social movements.

The Bazaar of Ideas & Practices: A showcase of APUF-5 good practices and discussion on topics as varied as climate change-resilient cities, solid waste management, environmentally sustainable cities, alternative building materials, sustainable transport, urban health, green infrastructure and buildings, localization of MDGs, sustainable urban infrastructure investments, community finance, housing profiles, eco-efficient infrastructure, complex urban disasters, housing bubbles, social inclusion and an urban planning café.

Subregional Focus Groups: Discussion on critical and emerging urban issues and programmes, initiatives, institutions and support mechanisms at the subregional and regional level in Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific.