What’s Ahead @ ESCAP

UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

www.unescap.org
October 2012
Training Course on Activities to Develop the Statistical Human Resources for Vietnam Statistics
The Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) will conduct the Training Course on Activities to Develop the Statistical Human Resources for Vietnam Statistics in Chiba, Japan from 1 to 5 October. The main objective of this training course is to enhance skills of government statisticians of the Government of Vietnam in the development of training activities for organizing and developing the plans, programmes and curriculum. In this connection, 6 officials of relevant organizations in Vietnam, including the Vietnam Statistical Scientific Institute (VISS), will attend the training course. This training course not only conducts presentation and discussion sessions but also includes attending to relevant lectures of ongoing PDOS-3 courses and visiting Japanese statistical system organizations engaged in statistical training.
Pacific Islands Policy Dialogue to Focus on the Enablers of Sustainable Development
ESCAP is organizing a policy dialogue on “The role of macroeconomic policy and energy security in supporting sustainable development in the Pacific” on 8 to 9 October in Nadi, Fiji. The policy dialogue is expected to bring together senior finance, planning and energy officials and central bankers from across the Pacific Islands as well as development partners, and help foster a shared vision and coordinated actions to build resilience against economic shocks and promote sustainable development. The policy dialogue will be followed by a joint ESCAP-UNDP-ADB meeting on the MDGs and the post-2015 development agenda. .

International Workshop on Urbanization in Central Asia to be Organized by ESCAP and UNDP
ESCAP and UNDP Uzbekistan will organize the International Workshop on “Urbanization in Central Asia: Current State, Issues, Perspectives” on 9 October in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The workshop will be conducted in the form of a working meeting within the project “Policies of urbanization in Central Asian states in post-Soviet period,” implemented by the Center for Economic Research with technical assistance from ESCAP and UNDP Uzbekistan. The objectives are: (1) to present results of the research “Policies of urbanization in Central Asian states in the post-Soviet period,” (2) to exchange views among experts and stakeholders on issues of urbanization, municipal governance and urban planning, and (3) to elaborate proposals on devising regional strategies for developing, managing and planning the cities as growth poles in countries of Central Asia. The main discussion topics include retrospective and current situations of urbanization policies in Central Asian countries, systems of municipal management and governance (common and distinct features), demographic and migration processes, urban economies, finances and budgets, urban infrastructure potential (to meet demands of population and business), best international practice on urban governance, planning and development. The workshop is expected to produce insights, recommendations and proposals on streamlining regional urbanization policies, which would take into account existing development challenges and long-term trends, as well as the need to create productive, inclusive and sustainable cities.
ESCAP to Hold its Third Session of the Committee on Transport
ESCAP will organize its third session of the Committee on Transport at the UN Conference Centre, Bangkok from 10 to 12 October. At the session, member States will consider the adoption of a new intergovernmental agreement on dry ports which will mark an additional milestone for the development of an efficient and sustainable international, integrated, intermodal transport and logistics system. Taking into account the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the Committee will also consider proposals to strengthen the contribution of the Regional Action Programme for Transport Development in Asia and the Pacific (phase II) to sustainable, resilient and inclusive development. In addition, the Committee will discuss the preparation of the second session of the Forum of Asian Ministers of Transport, scheduled to be held in 2013, the Ten-Year Review Conference of the Almaty Programme of Action, which focuses on the transport challenges facing landlocked developing countries and their transit neighbours, and the future works on sustainable transport.

Regional Training Workshop on Use of Population and Housing Census Data for Local Development Planning
The Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP), in collaboration with the UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, will conduct the Regional Training Workshop on Use of population and Housing Census Data for Local Development Planning with support from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of the Government of Japan in Chiba, Japan from 15 to 19 October. The main objective of the training workshop is to enhance the skills of government statisticians and officials engaged in development planning and policy-making at local levels in using population and housing census data in planning and policymaking. Statisticians from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam are expected to participate in this 5-day workshop.

girlsTraining Course on Gender Statistics for Officials of National Bureau of Statistics of China
The Statistical institute for Asia and Pacific (SIAP) will organize the Training Course on Gender Statistics for Officials of National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS), UNFPA and UNICEF in China, from 15 to 19 October in Chiba, Japan. The main objective of this training course is to help NBS staff strengthen their capacity in gender statistics through achieving better understanding of and learning from the Japanese system related to the production, dissemination, analysis and utilization of sex-disaggregated data; and establish a partnership among NBS, Japanese agencies/institutes and experts and SIAP. In this connection, officials of the NBS, UNICEF and UNFPA are expected to participate in the 5-day workshop.
Meeting of the Asia Carbon Footprint Partnership
ESCAP and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) will jointly organize the Meeting of the Asia Carbon Footprint Partnership from 13 October to 1 November in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The meeting is held to exchange information on national progress in developing carbon-labeling schemes as well as to discuss areas and modalities of multilateral cooperation to be undertaken by the Asia Carbon Footprint Network (ACFN) in support of low-carbon development in Asian countries.

Asia and Pacific Business Forum to be Organized in Malaysia
ESCAP in collaboration with the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and UNDP will organize the Asia Pacific Business Forum 2012 (APBF) from 15 to 16 October, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The theme of this year's Forum is “Advancing Regional Economic Integration: Connecting Business, Strengthening Partnerships”. The 2-day Forum is structured to address business aspects of sustainable socioeconomic development including responsible business practices and corporate sustainability, green economy and renewable energy; and to promote trade and investment in least developed countries and landlocked countries, including Myanmar through modalities like entrepreneurship development, technology transfer, education and training and trade facilitation. Over 300 participants are expected to attend the APBF 2012, including CEOs and business leaders, ministers and senior policy makers, industrial experts and representatives from international aid and development agencies. His Excellency the Prime Minister of Malaysia, The Rt. Hon. Dato Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak is expected to deliver the inaugural address.
As part of the APBF, OECD and ESCAP will co-organise a special event entitled “International Corporate Responsibility Instruments-Putting Convergence in to Action”. The OECD-ESCAP conference will assess how the unprecedented convergence achieved recently by the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, the new OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility and the IFC’s revised Sustainability Framework can translate itself into converging responsible business practices in the Asian and Pacific region.

ESCAP and WTO to hold a regional seminar on Trade in Agriculture and Agriculture Negotiations
ESCAP and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in cooperation with the School of Economics, University of the Philippines, will organize a regional seminar on Trade in Agriculture and Agriculture Negotiations from 16 to 18 October in Manila, Philippines. The aim of the seminar is to facilitate more effective participation of Asia-Pacific countries in the multilateral trading system and regional integration. Participants will obtain a better understanding of the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, as well as its notification obligations, and an update on the agriculture trade negotiations in the Doha Round. The seminar will also provide the opportunity for discussions of issues of food security, export control, non-tariff measures and preferential trade liberalization for agricultural goods. The seminar will be attended by government officials from 20 developing countries from Asia and the Pacific.

tradeHigh-level Policy Dialogue on Regional Cooperation and Inclusive Development in South and South-West Asia
Senior experts, policy makers, heads of think-tanks and representatives of civil society organizations from countries across South and South-West Asia will meet on 18 and 19 October in New Delhi to discuss and identify policy lessons to advance progress in economic and social development in South and South-West Asia. One of the highlights of the High-level Policy Dialogue on Regional Cooperation and Inclusive Development in South and South-West Asia will be a keynote address delivered by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University, as part of a panel discussion on the Millennium Development Goals and inclusive and sustainable development, moderated by Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP. Other topics for discussion include regional cooperation for inclusive and sustainable development, global economic turmoil and economic outlook, and food security and sustainable agriculture in South and South-West Asia. Regional economic integration and connectivity, energy security and disaster risk reduction – potential and challenges for South and South-West Asia will also feature prominently on the agenda. Partnership for development of countries with special needs will also be discussed. H.E. Mr. Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India has been invited to inaugurate the two-day event.

North-East Asia Forum on Trade and Transport Facilitation to be held in Seoul
ESCAP and the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI) supported by UNDP will jointly organize the North-East Asia Forum on Trade and Transport Facilitation from 23 to 24 October, in cooperation with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Republic of Korea, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), and the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT). The Forum aims to enhance trade and transport flows in North-East Asia through greater partnership and better communication among the subregional countries and between the public sector and business communities. The Forum will bring together public and private sector stakeholders on trade and transport from China, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation, to share perspectives and practices on trade and transport facilitation and develop recommendations for closer cooperation. The Forum is organized as a series of three meetings: (i) Private Public Dialogue on Trade Facilitation; (ii) Second Meeting of the GTI Trade Facilitation Committee; (iii) Seminar on the Development and Facilitation of International Intermodal Transport in North-East Asia.
Twelfth Meeting of the Washington Group (WG) on Disability Statistics to be Held in Bangkok
The Twelfth Meeting of the Washington Group (WG) on Disability Statistics will be held from 23 to 25 October at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The meeting will discuss: i) the results from further analyses of data collected from countries using the WG short measure questions, and country experiences; ii) additional work on extended set on functioning; iii) methodological issues facing the WG including the development of questions for children, and the issue of designing questions for the measurement of environmental barriers and participation; iv) summary of the country reports, and an update on other Washington Group and collaborative activities; v) WG governance issues; vi) objectives of the 13th meeting; and vii) next steps. For more information, please visit: http://www.unescap.org/stat/disability/WG-Oct2012/index.asp.
Professor Jeffrey Sachs to Deliver the 6th ESCAP Distinguished Person Lecture
ESCAP is hosting Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University, New York and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on 24 October 2012, as part of the ESCAP Distinguished Persons Lecture Series. Previous talks have been delivered by Nobel Laureates Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen and Robert Mundell, among others. Professor Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development and the fight against poverty, having advised dozens of countries and led the UN Millennium Project. The public lecture is scheduled from 14.30 to 16.00 hours at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok. Interested participants can register on-line at http://www.unescap.org/pdd/distinguished_persons_lectures/sachs.
ESCAP to Convene the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012 in the Republic of Korea
ESCAP will convene the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012 from 29 October to 2 November in Incheon, Republic of Korea. The Meeting will be attended by Ministers and senior officials of governments, as well as civil society leaders from across Asia and the Pacific. The Meeting will consider measures to empower persons with disabilities and promote greater equality, particularly through the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)– the first disability-specific human rights treaty in the world.
ESCAP and ADB will organize the 4th Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum in Sri Lanka
ESCAP and ADB will jointly organise with ADB the Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum 2012 with a theme of “Enhancing public-private collaboration for trade facilitation, paperless trade and cross-border connectivity” from 30 to 31 October in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This year will mark the 4th year of the Forum, which attracts two to three hundred participants every year. The Forum is a unique event in the Asian and Pacific region for exchange of information and knowledge on the latest developments on Trade Facilitation and related topics.
Besides an interactive High-level Panel Discussion, the Forum will feature sessions on "E-trade for SME Integration in Regional and Global Value Chains" and "Facilitating Cross-Border Recognition and Exchange of Trade Documents for Regional Connectivity", as well as sub-regional breakout sessions for public and private stakeholders to formulate concrete recommendations. Like previous years, there will be a number of side events, including the ESCAP-ADB SASEC Workshop on Sub-regional Trade and Transit Collaboration. The workshop will discuss the findings of the Business Process Analysis (BPA) studies on the three SASEC trade and transit corridors and recommend a way forward. An Expert Review Meeting on Regional Arrangement for Cross-border Paperless Trade will also be organized, based on the recommendation of the ESCAP Resolution 68/3 adopted at the 68th Commission Session this year. Other side events will be organized in cooperation with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and other partners.
Being held for the first time in South Asia, the Forum and its side events are expected to provide unique insights into the Trade Facilitation issues of that sub-region.
Regional Organizations will Meet to Develop a more Coordinated Approach to Trade Facilitation in Asia and the Pacific
The First Regional Organizations Cooperation Mechanism for Trade Facilitation (ROC-TF) Annual Meeting will be held the day prior to the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum 2012. This year, it will again provide an opportunity for participating organizations to discuss their trade facilitation programmes with each other, and to identify collaboration opportunities and synergies. Implementation of the recommendations made in the Dialogue including the quarterly ROC-TF Newsletter will also be reviewed during the meeting.
Special Observances and Meetings
 
The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the United Nations. The information contained herein may be freely reproduced. What’s Ahead @ ESCAP is published monthly by the ESCAP’s Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section. Tel: +(66-2) 288-1861-66 • Fax: +(66-2) 288-1052 • E-mail: unisbkk.unescap@un.org