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Vol. 4, No. 3 1999
PEOPLE-ORIENTED UNITED NATIONS URGES ESCAP REGIONAL HEARING IN TOKYO
UN Focus is published four times a year by the UN Information Services (UNIS) in Bangkok. For further information please contact: The view of expressed in the newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the United Nations. Information from the newsletter may be freely reproduced. |
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PEOPLE-ORIENTED UNITED NATIONS URGES ESCAP REGIONAL HEARING IN TOKYO In preparation for the Millenium Assembly of the United Nations, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) recently held a Regional Hearing for Asia and the pacific in Tokyo, on 9-10 September 1999. Hosted by the Government of Japan, the Asia-Pacific Hearing was the fifth in a series of regional meetings held to discuss the challenges facing the United Nations in the twenty-first century. The Tokyo Hearing focused on issues of particular interest to the region such as peace and security, economic and social development, human rights and good governance. It was attended by distinguished representatives of civil society
and representatives member States of the ESCAP region.
One of the conclusions of the Hearing was that a more people-oriented ‘holistic' United Nations may be better able to respond to the challenges and tensions of the millenium. Some other highlights of the outcome of the Tokyo Hearing are as follows:
ESCAP NEWS ESCAP ORGANIZES INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR The Eighth Asia-Pacific Trade Fair (ASPAT'99 Seoul) was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) commissioned by the Government of the Republic of Korea at KOTRA Exhibition Centre in Seoul. Under the theme "New Vision for the 21st Century", ASPAT'99 focused on three categories of product groups, namely electronic goods including information technology products, automotive parts and accessories; and general consumer goods such as textiles products, sporting and recreational goods.
The main objectives of the Fair are to promote trade expansion and economic
cooperation among members and associate members of ESCAP.
In particular, ASPAT'99 aimed to promote trade and investment opportunities
in the region consequent to the industrial and technology developments
and the restructuring of the economies in the ESCAP region; enhance the
trade and investment prospect through effective participation in international
trade fairs, particularly of disadvantaged economies in transition, least
developed countries (LCDs) and Pacific island developing countries (PICs);
provide vision to Asia-Pacific region for the 21st century and strengthen
regional economic cooperation.
WOMEN ENTERPRENEURRS FACE TOUGH BATTLE Women in business still face considerable difficulties in benefiting from the global flows of trade and investment, said Ms. Thelma Kay, Chief of the Women in Development Section of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). "They Lack access to business networks and contacts, vital for the success of their enterprises. They also cannot expand their business due to limited access to financial resources and new and innovative technologies," she said. Ms. Kay was speaking at a Regional seminar on Women in Business organized in conjunction with ASPAT'99. Twelve women entrepreneurs took part in ASPAT'99 which was held at Seoul Trade Exhibition Centre of SETEC. "This is the eighth Fair we have sponsored and we are very prod to be able to include these women for the first time. It is certainly very inspirational indeed to see these enterprising women participating amidst some high-tech booths," said Mr. Ravi Sawhney, Director of ESCAP's International Trade and Economic Cooperation Division. The women entrepreneurs were from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. Their participation was sponsored by the Korea Government with the support of the Korean Women's Development Institute (KWDI). Research Fellow of the KWDI, Ms. Young-Ock Kim informed her sisters from developing countries that Korean women too faced an uphill battle to emerge as successful businesswomen. My study notes that business women here experience considerable stress from prevailing sexist attitudes than entrepreneurs who are men. Such biases have a direct impact on business outcomes when the women's business abilities are undermined and often surface in the marketing sphere," she said. There was also the difficulty of getting loans and information in a male dominated business world, she said. Measures to help these women must be supported, urged Ms. Kay. She said that ESCAP has been actively engaged in such activities. "It's really good to hear that Korean women too face difficulties although this is a more developed economy than ours. However we can all cooperate and gain inspiration and ideas from each other," said a participant from Bangladesh.
UN DAY IN BANGKOK SALUTES DISABLED PERSONS
On the occasion of the fifty-fourth anniversary of the United Nations, ESCAP in collaboration with other United Nations agencies in Bangkok organized a United Nations Day celebration at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The celebration took place on Friday, 22 October 1999 with a flag-raising ceremony in front of the United Nations Conference Centre followed by an official ceremony which was presided by the Prime Minister of Thailand, H.E. Chuan Leekpai. He official ceremony included the playing of the Hymn of the United Nations, a televised UN Day statement of the United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan and statements of Mr. Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary of ESCAP and Mr. Manaspas Xuto, President of UNAT. The main event of the last United Nations Day before the millenium was the United Nations Day Fair which was participated by the United Nations family and the diplomatic and NGO communities in Thailand. The theme of the Fair was "Able and Equal" to highlight the United Nations commitment to include people with disabilities in the main stream of life. Other highlights of the Day included a welcome performance by "wheelchair dancers", a group of disabled young men who performed in wheelchairs, as well as exhibits on the UN's work in Thailand, and handicrafts made by disabled people. Guests appearances by Thai pop singers and musical performances by the band and choir of the International schools in Thailand. As part of the UN Fair 1999, a special five-hour UN Film Festival was
organized with sixteen UN-related films focused on such themes as child
labour, AIDS, Drug control, refugees, food security, health and women.
REGIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION E-commerce and trade highlighted The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) convened its Eleventh Meeting of the Steering Group of the Committee for Regional Economic Cooperation from 9-11 September 1999. The Steering Group is a "think tank" of the ESCAP's Committee on Regional Economic Cooperation comprising representatives of governments, the private sector and academia. Its main task is to develop innovative approaches to topical issues relating to economic cooperation and make specific recommendations. One of the major recommendations of the Meeting was that the ESCAP secretariat should continue to provide assistance in the field trade facilitation and electronic commerce. The meeting placed great importance on trade facilitation and electronic commerce in enhancing micro-level efficiency in the conduct of trade in an increasing competitive trading environment. In addition, the Meeting recommended that the ESCAP secretariat should use its multidisciplinary advantage to provide assistance to economies in Central Asia and develop concrete projects in cooperation with the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) under the Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA). The Meeting had for its three-day agenda items on Case studies on the introduction of electronic commerce to facilitate trade; Integration of disadvantaged economies in transition in the industrial and technological growth momentum of the region. In addition, a panel discussion on Asian crisis: current trends in intraregional and interregional trade flows was organized. The meeting was attended by representatives form Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam. New Chief of ESCAP, Social Development Division
Mr Hasudungan Tampubolon, an Indonesian national, has been appointed Chief of the Social Development Division at ESCAP effective 1 November, 1999. Mr Tampubolon, a Ph.D in Economics from Boston University, USA, brings years of experience to his new job. He has worked with both academic institutions and the Indonesian Ministry of Industry and Trade, specialising in the field of social and economic development. Apart from 19 years of teaching experience at the Department of Economics, University of Indonesia, Mr Tampubolon has worked as Deputy Governor, Bank Indonesia and Alternate Governor for the World Bank in Indonesia. LAUNCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR THE CULTURE OF PEACE IN
BANGKOK
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in cooperation with the United Nations Education and Science and Cultural Organization Principal Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO/PROAP) launched the International Year for the Culture of Peace (2000) and commemorated the International Day for Peace on 14 September 1999 as citizens around the world called for peace to be restored in East Timor, Kosovo, Africa and many other troubled spots. We need to move form violence to dialogue, from force to tolerance, from culture of war to the culture of peace and towards a good civil society," said Mr. Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary of ESCAP in his statement to the occasion which took place at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. "We must understand today that if peace is the right of all people, then a culture of peace is the responsibility of all people." Mr. Mooy added that peace builds on learning, on human rights and democracy serves as the strongest defences against conflicts. In proclaiming the year 2000 the International Year for the Culture of Peace, the United Nations primary objective is to "mobilize public opinion at the national and international levels for the purpose of establishing and promoting a culture of peace and the central role that the United nations system could play in this regard." UNESCO was designated the lead agency for the International Year towards mobilizing Member States and coordinating the organizational aspects of the programmes and activities of the Nations system. Mr. Victor Ordonez, Director of UNESCO's Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific said it is important to stress the culture of peace through respect for diverse opinions and cultural diversity. He urged people to replace competition with cooperation and to realize that free trade does not always mean fair trade INTEGRATION OF INDO-CHINA INTO BLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM A Seminar on Integration of Indo-China into Global Trading Environment under the Forum for the Comprehensive Development of Indo-China (FCDI) was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam on 7 and 8 October 1999. The two-day Seminar was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in cooperation with the Foreign Trade and Investment Development Centre (FTDC) of Viet Nam with financial assistance from the Government of Japan. It is expected that the accession of the Indo-China countries to the WTO would give invaluable opportunities to these countries to interact with the dynamic global market, which would immensely benefit the development of the region. While early accession to the WTO is imperative, equally important is the need to ensure that the countries utilize their accession as a leverage for their overall economic development. From this perspective the Seminar, with strong business orientation, aimed at enhancing the understanding of the WTO rules and disciplines, assessing market opportunities for specific products and sensitizing the business sector on the implications of accession of Indo-China countries to the WTO. The Seminar provided an opportunity for senior policy makers and high-level private sectors representatives including leading multinational manufactures and national chambers of commerce and industry from Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam and neighbouring countries to examine prospects for the accession of these countries to WTO. In addition to high-level government officials and private sector representatives, participants at the Seminar included renowned academics, representatives of intergovernmental and international organizations, such as the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Trade Organization(WTO-OMC), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the media. NEW PUBLICATIONS
Doing business in a foreign country can be unnerving experience, this is all the more true when there is no precedent or roadmap for investment. Unfortunately, few countries can hope to prosper without this investment from abroad. The countries of Central Asia opened up to foreign business after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, but few have taken a chance on these post-Communist economies. One reason for this is that very little information on the opportunities for trade and investment in the region exists in English, apart from that disseminated by their own government. This is why ESCAP has published two new books, Doing Business in Kyrgyzstan and Doing Business in Uzbekistan. ESCAP AT A GLANCE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
This is the fourth in a series of articles that U.N. Focus will provide on explaining the objectives of the revised subprogramme of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The main objectives of the Environment and Sustainable Development are to strengthen national capabilities in achieving environmentally sound and sustainable development, focusing on the integration of environment and development policy, sustainable development and management of natural resources. Review of implementation of relevant international conventions at the regional level, strengthening regional and subregional cooperation, and identification of emerging environmental issues are major areas of activity for this subprogramme. Emphasis are placed on addressing current and emerging issues related to the environment, energy resource options, including rural energy supply, power system planning and management, and energy efficiency and conservation. Activities in the mineral resources sector will focus on strengthening the formulation of policies and strategies in the sustainable development of land and mineral resources, including promotion of investment, application of geological aspects in land-use and urban planning, integrated marine policies, and assessment and development of non-living marine resources. Activities in the area of water resources focus on integrated water resources development and management, protection of water resources, and water quality and water-related natural disaster reduction in line with the programme of action for sustainable development elaborated in Agenda 21. Activities in the area of space applications aim at achieving an effective
action-oriented regional approach for the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration of Space Technology Applications for Environmentally Sound
and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, the Strategy for
Regional Cooperation in Space Applications for Sustainable Development,
the Action Plan on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia
and the Pacific, and the Regional Space Applications Programme for Environmentally
Sound and Sustainable Development. The emphasis of the activities
are on technology applications to meet the challenges of natural resources
and environmental management, natural disaster monitoring and sustainable
development planning towards the 21st century.
ESCAP URGES ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIOJN IN ECONOMIC POLICY MAKING
A call for greater integration of environmental factors into economic policy making to ensure sustainable development in countries of the Asia-Pacific region was the conclusion of the Second Session of the ESCAP Committee on Environment and Natural Resources . The Committee was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Conference Centre from 13-15 October 1999. The Committee Meeting was inaugurated by H.E. Dr. Savit Bhotiwihok, Minister to the Prime Minister?s Office of the Royal Thai Government. In his inauguration address to the session, the Thai Minister said that Thailand attaches great importance on minimizing environmental degradation in implementing development activities. "I would therefore like to urge the international community to take urgent action on the integration of economic, social and environmental objectives, with emphasis on enhancing national capacity," said Mr. Bhotiwihok. The Minister's call is in line with the nineteenth special session of the General Assembly held in 1997 which also set a target for the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development by the year 2002. The three-day Meeting discussed and reviewed policy issues in integrating environmental considerations into economic decision-making; efficient utilization of energy in supply-side facilities and demand-side management; integrated assessment, development and management of land and mineral resources foe sustainable economic development. In addition, a panel discussion on "A sustainable Energy Future for All" was organized in line with the nineteenth special session of the General Assembly which adopted the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21. The Meeting also discussed preparations for the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000 which is scheduled to be held next year in Japan .
UNITED NATIONS NEWS THE 54th SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OPENS
Membership in the United Nations grew to 188 countries as the General Assembly opened its fifty-fourth session on 14 September 1999 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York with unanimous decision to admit three new members; the Republic Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga. The Assembly brought together the delegations of all Member States, many of them led by heads of Government or Foreign Ministers, for an examination of international issues. The Assembly also elected by acclamation H.E.Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia, as President of its final session of the millennium. In his opening remarks, Mr. Gurirab said that as the first Assembly to straddle two millennia, the aspirations, hopes and expectations of the world's people are high as they anticipated the future. "They yearn for a world that is peaceful, humane and prosperous for all," he said. "Without the United Nations, such an inclusive world led by inspiring leaders cannot come about." Noting the challenges facing the world today, the President said there were fears that globalization and the unrelenting power of transnational corporations were overwhelming governments, especially in the developing world. He urged the international community to assist in promoting economic growth that can be shaared by all nations and peoples. Globalization should be about empowerment of the people," said Mr. Gurirab. "It should not cause further impoverishment or marginalization of the poorest in the Third World." NUMBERS SHOW UNITED NATIONS IS NOT ‘TOO BIG'
Representative Chirstopher H. Smith's recent Op-Ed column in the Washington Times Asserts that the "United States pays the UN too much" (Uncertain problem, October 21). "That assertion is not accurate when compared with the actual facts", says Joseph E. Connor, Undersecretary-General for Management of the United Nations. The United Nations is not ‘too big'. There are 8,800 staff members authorized to be on the payroll. In 1985, the number was 12,000 and the number in 1996 was 10,000. By contrast, the city of Stockholm has 60,000 municipal employees. The United Nations does not spend too much. The budget each year since 1994 has decreased "some years dramatically. About 15 percent of the budget, some US$ 350 million in real costs, has been cut to keep the budget at a zero-growth level after absorbing inflation. The cost of the United Nations to each American is $1.11 per year. The United Nations does not pay its staff too much. It pays its staff on a basis comparable to that of the U.S. Civil Service. Further it is not impossible to fire staff. More than 900 members "almost 10 percent of the UN staff" have been separated from the organization in the past few years. In brief, facts speak louder than words. Back to contents A VIEW OF THE WORLD
The following is an extract from an article in UN Diplomatic Times, July 1999 written by Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Director of Communications and Special Projects in the Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations. No one disputes that there are disparities across the world- of wealth or the lack thereof, of access to services, and the opportunity of advancement. An estimated 1.3 billion people in the world subsist on less than a dollar a day; nearly a billion people are illiterate; as well as over a billion lack access to safe water; some 840 million starve to or face food shortages; and nearly a third of the people in what the United Nations calls the least developed countries, will probably not survive to their 40th birthday. The challenge facing the world today is how to widen the reach of information? how to make it available to people everywhere, whether they live in the industrialized world or the developing. We must increase access to information. The ability to receive, download and send information through electronic networks, and the capacity to share information; including publishing not just newspapers and journals, but also on-line web-site, without censorship or restrictions, have already become the new hallmarks of development. Communications and information technology, as the Secretary-General has argued, have enormous potential in furthering sustainable development. The challenge is to promote greater, freer and fairer access to information for developing countries, which means improving their infrastructure and sharing technological advances with them. On their part, this in turn means opening up to the outside word, liberalizing the mass media, resisting government control and censorship in information flows. International organizations are already thinking of pilot projects in such fields as interactive long-distance learning, telemedicine, telebanking and micro-credit schemes, environmental protection and management. The developing world must seize such opportunities when they come our way. Two years ago, the Secretary-General pointed out that "What is so thrilling about our time is that the privilege of information is now an instant and globally accessible privilege." This privilege is gradually being extended; but to many people in too many countries cannot afford it. Perhaps this is the newest challenge of the United Nations; to work to bring access to information, and the empowerment it offers, to all the world's people. Only then will egalite be brought into the Information Revolution.
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