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..Press
Release................................
UNESCAP News Services
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Date 9 May 2005; Note to
Editor: N/21/2005
ASIA-PACIFIC BUSINESS FORUM 2005 OPENS ON 13
MAY
Globalization, role of corporate responsibility
in tsunami recovery featured
Bangkok (United Nations Information Services)
-- With region still reeling from last year’s destructive
tsunami, business leaders will gather in Bangkok from 13-15
May to discuss the role of corporate responsibility in the tsunami
recovery effort as well as ensuring sustainable economic and
social development by improving the climate for business.
More 300 participants from more than 20 countries
are expected to be joined by senior UN and government officials
at the Asia-Pacific Business Forum 2005 to be held from 13-15
May 2005 at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. The
theme of the Forum is “Changes, Challenges and Opportunities
for Asia and the Pacific.”
The Forum will feature two special roundtable
sessions entitled “Getting Asia and the Pacific ready
for the new arena of globalization” and “Coping
with economic effects of regional natural disasters.”
The roundtables will be followed by a number of breakout sessions
organized along two tracks. Track 1 will concentrate on improving
the climate for doing business while Track 2 will focus on corporate
social responsibility.
UNESCAP Executive Secretary Mr. Kim Hak-Su, who
will open the Forum, called on all stakeholders to seize the
opportunities offered by globalization by working together.
“Increased dialogue and cooperation among the different
stakeholders - business, governments and civil society - in
the region will be a vital component of sustained economic growth
in the long term,” he added.
Among the special guests expected at the Forum
is Mr. Erskine Bowles, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery,
who will address the roundtable. “The corporate sector’s
response to the tsunami was unprecedented in its scale and generosity,”
said Mr. Bowles. “If that spirit of solidarity can be
intertwined with the spirit of entrepreneurship necessary for
economic growth, the result could be truly revolutionary.”
Other participants of note include H.E. Mr. Watana
Muangsook, Minister of Industry, Thailand, H.E. Mr. Hamid Yar
Hiraj, Minister of State for Commerce of Pakistan, H.E. Mr.
Bharat Thapa, Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and
Supplies, Nepal, Mr. Narayana N.R. Murthy, Chairman, Infosys
Technologies Ltd, India, Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Hashim, Chairman,
AmBank Group, Malaysia, and Dr. Victor Fung, Group Chairman,
Li & Fund, Hong Kong (China).
Following on the opening ceremony on 13 May, there
will be a signing ceremony for more than 10 new participants
in the United Nations Global Compact. The Global Compact, which
promotes corporate social responsibility, links business enterprises
with UN agencies, labour and civil society in supporting ten
principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, environmental
performance and anti-corruption.
Initiated in 2004, the Asia-Pacific Business Forum
aims to provide a platform for dialogue among business, government
and civil society on how the public and private sectors can
work together to ensure sustainable economic and social development.
The discussions are expected to lead to the formulation
of a plan of action with identified roles for Governments, the
business sector, international organizations and civil society
organizations. The implementation and results of this plan of
action will be reviewed next year’s Asia-Pacific Business
Forum, planned for April 2006 in Indonesia.
The Asia-Pacific Business Forum is organized by
the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific (UNESCAP), in collaboration with the Royal Thai
Government and the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry
and Banking of Thailand. The 2005 Forum takes place back-to-back
with the UNESCAP’s annual Commission Session, set for
12-18 May 2005.
Further information on the programme and registration
details may be found at www.unescap.org/apbf.
Note to Editors: You or your representatives are
invited to attend the Opening Ceremony and Reception on Friday,
13 May, starting at 16:30 hrs, in the UN Conference Centre.
The programme includes a signing ceremony for new participants
of the United Nations Global Compact. The Forum is open to the
press.
For other information on registration, please
contact:
Mr. Ravi Ratnayake, Director, Trade and Investment Division,
UNESCAP
Tel: +(66-2) 288-1902, Fax: +(66-2) 288-1026
E-mail: ratnayaker@un.org
For media inquiries, please contact:
United Nations Information Services Bangkok
Tel: +(66-2) 288-1861-69; Fax: +(66-2) 288-1052
E-mail: unisbkk.unescap@un.org
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