The 2011 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, the flagship publication of ESCAP, will be launched through the media by Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Dr. Noleen Heyzer in Astana, Kazakhstan. Simultaneous launches by distinguished presenters and high-level Government officials will also take place in more than 30 capital cities around the world, e.g. in New York, Geneva and cities in Asia and the Pacific region. The main launch will take place in Bangkok on 4 May at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand by Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Chief Economist of ESCAP. This year’s Survey reviews the process of recovery from the economic crisis, analyzes emerging challenges in sustaining the continued progress of the region, and highlights critical aspects of macroeconomic, trade, investment and employment performance. The Survey also analyses the progress and gaps in regional connectivity and its role in fostering domestic and regional resources of aggregate demand. In addition, the Survey presents strategies and policy recommendations that the countries in the region, in particular, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) could pursue to increase their productive capacities.

ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) of Japan, under the framework of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT) will organize an International Seminar on Selected Outstanding Issues in Services, Trade and Development from 3 to 5 May at ADB Headquarters in Manila, Philippines. Officials and researchers from 15 countries in the region will attend the seminar which aims to enable a policy dialogue between trade officials and researchers in Asia and the Pacific on the current state of readiness of countries to conduct analytical research in these new areas, as well as the implications of such research for the broader development objectives of the countries in the region. Trade experts from the World Trade Organization (WTO), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), ADB, World Bank and World Trade Institute will be invited to contribute their insights to the discussion. This is the second event organized jointly by ARTNeT and ADBI, and the first under ARTNeT Phase III which is supported by the International Development Research Centre of Canada and the WTO, among other partners. ARTNeT has 31 member institutions and 11 associate partners from 18 countries.

ESCAP, in collaboration with the Office of the High Representative for the LDCs (OHRLLS) will organize the Special Event on the Implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) for the Decade 2001- 2011 by Asia-Pacific LDCs on 11 May to identify forward looking strategies and options for the United Nations Fourth Conference on LDCs being held in Istanbul, Turkey from 9 to 13 May. The Special Event will bring together selected Heads of States/Heads of Governments/Senior Ministers/ Eminent persons/senior policymakers and other stakeholders from Asia-Pacific LDCs and other countries and institutions in a dialogue on the theme, “Overcoming development gaps faced by the Asia-Pacific LDCs”. The Event aims to mobilize further political support for the outcome of the LDC IV Conference. The dialogue will be guided by the updated regional overview and thematic papers presented at the “High-level Asia-Pacific Policy Dialogue on BPoA for the least developed countries” held in Dhaka in January 2010, the Dhaka Outcome Document as adopted by the 66th session of the ESCAP Commission, and an analytical study on promoting productive capacity in Asia-Pacific LDCs.

The 67th Commission Session of ESCAP under the theme, “Beyond the Crises: Long term perspectives on social protection and development in Asia and the Pacific,” will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 19 to 25 May. The annual Session comprises two parts: the Senior Officials Segment from 19 to 21 May in preparation for the Ministerial Segment, which will be held from 23 to 25 May.

During the Senior Officials’ Segment, the Special Body on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC)with the theme “Addressing development gaps including the implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action,” will be held on 19 May.

The Special Body will discuss the Ulaanbaatar Declaration adopted by the “High-level Asia-Pacific Policy Dialogue on the Implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action and Closing other Development Gaps by the Landlocked Developing Countries” held in the Mongolian capital from 12 to 14 April in follow up to the last Commission's recommendation to ESCAP to promote regional cooperation in North and Central Asia by implementing the “Almaty programme of Action: Addressing the Special Needs of Landlocked Developing Countries within a New Global Framework for Transit Developing Countries”. The Special Body will identify key development gaps and challenges faced by LLDCs other than those related to trade-transit issues, particularly in regard to the MDGs, challenges faced by LLDCs in coping with the recent global financial crisis and the impact of the crisis on implementing the Almaty Programme of Action. The Special Body will also identify forward looking medium- and long-term policies for enhancing regional cooperation among LLDCs and accelerating implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action. The session will also discuss the highlights of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for the Decade 2011-2020, to be adopted at the Fourth UN Conference on LDCs, Istanbul, Turkey on 13 May 2011.

The following events will be held during the Ministerial Segment:

** A ministerial round table on the theme of the sixty-seventh session on Monday, 23 May, from 10:30 to 12:00 hours;

** A High-Level Dialogue on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Paths to 2015 and the Acceleration Framework on 23 May from 11:30 to 14:00 hrs: this Special Event will discuss key gaps in achieving the MDGs, regional perspectives on the Outcome Document of the UN MDG Summit, “Keeping the promise: United to achieve the Millennium Development Goals” and the acceleration framework for reaching the MDG targets by 2015. It will also elicit the views of key Ministers attending the Ministerial Segment as well as guidance from member States on how Asia-Pacific countries can cooperate to close the MDG gaps and accelerate progress to 2015. The key objectives of the Special Event are: to strengthen the linkage between key messages of the Outcome Document adopted by the UN MDG Summit and regional and subregional cooperation initiatives and programmes, and to facilitate dialogue between national policymakers and UN agencies, programmes and other regional organizations in solidifying national action in support of the acceleration framework. ESCAP, UNDP and ADB, heads of delegations, heads of regional offices of the UN agencies and programmes, and key eminent persons attending the Commission Session are expected to attend the Special Event. The outcome will include forward-looking policies for national policymakers, as key determinants of progress in achieving the MDGs, to promote inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development in achieving the MDGs by 2015.

** A high-level panel entitled "Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2011: Sustaining dynamism and inclusive development - Connectivity in the region and productive capacity in least developed countries" on Tuesday, 24 May from 09:00 to 10:30 hours.

The Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP), a subsidiary body of ESCAP, with support from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan will conduct the following three training courses at its headquarters in Chiba, Japan:

Regional Training Course/Workshop on Gender-focused Population and Housing Census Data Analysis in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) from 9 to 12 May. A total of 18 participants from 15 countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Maldives, Mongolia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Viet Nam – will join the training on knowledge and skills to analyze population and housing census data from a gender perspective.

Group Training Course in Application of Information Management and Related ICT for Official Statistics in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The two-month course starting on 16 May is designed for mid-level statisticians and computer specialists and aims to improve the quality and efficiency of services of national statistical systems through the use of ICT. Eighteen participants from 11 countries, namely Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Myanmar, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, will attend the course.

Survey Methodology for Industrial Statistics in collaboration with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) from 23 to 27 May. The capacity-building course aims to help the BBS improve its industrial statistics and is designed for mid-level BBS statisticians working in the collection, compilation and analysis of manufacturing sector data. Besides a comprehensive view of standard practices and international recommendations on industrial statistics, the participants will benefit from an understanding of the system of collection and compilation of industrial statistics in Japan.