..Press Release................................ UNESCAP News Services

Date 17 May 2007
Press Release No. G/14/2007/CS63/7

First UNESCAP Annual Meeting in Central Asia Opens in Almaty

Discussions to focus on MDGs and investment in health

Almaty (United Nations Information Services, Bangkok) — The 62 members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) gathered in Central Asia today for the opening of the Commission’s annual high level meeting. The 63rd Commission session was opened in Almaty, Kazakhstan by Mr. Kim Hak-Su, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, and the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Mr. Marat Tazhin. The occasion marked the first time that UNESCAP has held its annual meeting in Central Asia.

In his opening statement, Mr. Kim observed that the occasion also marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of UNESCAP, which was established in Shanghai, China, in 1947 as ECAFE -- Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East.

Mr. Tazhin said Asia and the Pacific has been transformed in the past six decades and “these unprecedented changes in the region have taken place with active involvement of ESCAP and thanks to its tireless efforts to boost cooperation among regional states.”

Minister Tazhin noted that UNESCAP member states have “effectively used the opportunities provided by the Commission to seek joint solutions of development issues.”

The first three days of the meeting, at senior official level, will focus on reviewing the work of UNESCAP secretariat in the past year, and the work programme and resources mobilization for the period 2008-2009.

The three-day ministerial segment, which will be inaugurated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan on 21 May, will focus on how to help poor countries in Asia and the Pacific to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, and on promoting investment in health services in member countries/regions.

Despite its impressive economic growth, the Asia-Pacific region faces a severe shortfall in investment in health which threatens to undermine the long-term development.

A study by UNESCAP to be presented to the meeting points out that investment in health services is clearly linked to improved economic performance. Yet, for about 20 developing countries in the region which spend less than $20 per person per year in health, an extra $25 billion a year is needed to meet the minimum requirement.

The study also points out that, besides boosting investment, Asia-Pacific nations need to make their health system more accessible to the vulnerable groups.

Parallel to the Commission session, the fourth Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) will take place on 18th and 19th of May. Mr. Kim noted in his opening remarks that the event would bring together senior government officials, business leaders and representatives from civil society from the Asian and Pacific region.

“It will also provide participants with a unique platform to discuss opportunities and challenges for Central Asia’s increasing integration into the global economy and to learn from other Asian experiences,” he added.

A special event at the 63rd Commission session will be the presentation of the first Asia-Pacific MDGs Media Awards to winners at a ceremony on Tuesday, 22 May. The awards, jointly sponsored by UNESCAP, the United Nations Development Programme and the Asian Development Bank, aim to encourage journalists to put a human face on the MDGs and to demonstrate how everyday life stories are linked to the MDGs. The awards carry a prize of US$7,000 for winners in each category and US$2,000 for runners up.

Further information on the Commission session is available at www.unescap.org/63.

For more information, please contact:
Mr. Hak-Fan Lau
Chief, United Nations Information Services
In Almaty: tel: +(7-705) 168-1553, fax: +(7-327) 244-2847
Email: unisbkk.unescap@un.org