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

Date: 19 July 2011
Media Advisory: N/12/2011

Launch of the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2011
Post-crisis Trade and Investment Opportunities

BANGKOK (Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section) – The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will launch the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2011 (APTIR) on Monday, 25 July 2011 on the first day of ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Week.

The 2011 Report, under the theme “Post-crisis Trade and Investment Opportunities,” is an annual report of ESCAP. It is the only publication providing data for a large number of trade performance indicators for most of the 58 members of ESCAP including export and import growth rates, shares in intraregional trade, services trade, FDI changes, indicators of trade facilitation, tariff levels and number of RTAs and their trade coverage. Analysis of key issues for the region, such as preferential trade agreements, linkage between trade, investment and climate change mitigation policies, centrality of China in the Asian century are featured. In particular, the Report shows how mitigation and adaptation measures associated with climate change can be converted to trade and investment opportunities.

What: Launch of the Trade and Investment Report 2011

Who: Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, ESCAP

When: Monday, 25 July 2011 from 13:00 to 13:45 hours

Where: Theatre, United Nations Conference Centre, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok

Please find below for further information on Trade and Investment Week.

Media Contact:
Ms. Thawadi Pachariyangkun
Public Information Officer, ESCAP
T: (66) 2 288 1861
M: (66) 81 634 38 76
E: pachariyangkun.unescap@un.org and unisbkk.unescap@un.org

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Trade and Investment Week
Background:
The Trade and Investment Week will bring together policy makers, business leaders and academia from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss how to stimulate the growth of a sustainable and internationally competitive business sector.

Media Highlights:
Monday, 25 July 2011

9:30 – 13:00
ARTNeT Symposium – “Towards a Return of Industrial Policy?”
The key focus of the symposium will be a discussion on how to re-define industrial policy to achieve a diversified economic structure for stable growth in the region. In particular, speakers will discuss strategies to balance manufacturing and services sectors, as well as to balance external and internal sources of growth. Speakers will include prominent trade economists from around the world, as well as regional policymakers and researchers from ARETNeT (Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade).

13:45 – 14:00
Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Fair – Opening of the Fair by the Thai Deputy Prime Minister. This is the first Trade and Investment Fair organized by ESCAP, and the first of a kind on an Asia-Pacific regional basis. The participating exhibitors range from a mix of government agencies, business associations and chambers of commerce, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The fair will showcase flagship trade and investment programmes, products and services. Photo opportunity.

14:00 – 18:00
Asia-Pacific Business Forum 2011: “Facing Challenges, Capturing Opportunities.”
The Forum will bring together around 300 representatives from business, government, academia, media and civil society to discuss opportunities and challenges for business, and the related policy changes required. The keynote address will be delivered by Mr. Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Co-founder of Infosys Technologies, India.

Wednesday, 27 - Friday, 29 July 2011

9:00-17:00
Committee on Trade and Investment: “Post-crisis Trade & Investment Opportunities.” The only intergovernmental forum covering trade and investment policy, the substantive agenda items to be considered at the Committee are: capturing trade and investment opportunities in the next decade; facilitating intraregional trade; promoting trade and investment in low-carbon goods and services; transfer of technology for inclusive and sustainable trade and investment; integrating small and medium-sized enterprises into the regional economy; and moving multilateral and regional trade and investment cooperation forward.
http://www.unescap.org/tid/index.asp