The Asian and Pacific region faces new and continuing challenges from global and regional development trends that impact deeply on individuals, families and communities. Many in this region face barriers to equal participation and full enjoyment of the right to development because of gender, age, disability, income or other factors. There are other threats to “human security” relating to the rise in HIV/AIDS infection and human trafficking and other crimes.

Furthermore, new regional challenges arise from the rapidly ageing population and international migration, which impact on overall socio-economic development.

The Committee on Emerging Social Issues shall be responsible to the Commission for assisting members and associate members in meeting the theme objective of designing and implementing effective policies and strategies to promote equal opportunities for the productive participation of all social groups and the overall improvement of the quality of life.

Under the overall supervision of the Commission, the Committee shall:

1. Review and analyse major development trends so as to anticipate and identify emerging social development challenges and issues having an impact on the Asian and Pacific region, focusing on socially vulnerable groups, including women, youth, people with disabilities, especially women with disabilities, the ageing population, migrants and people living with HIV/AIDS.
2. Promote social policy development and the mainstreaming of social dimensions in national development programmes.
3. Promote the goals of Education for All, particularly through mainstreaming education in all relevant programmes, especially for socially vulnerable groups.
4. Recommend appropriate national capacity-building strategies at all levels for improving the development and delivery of basic social services such as education, health and nutrition, removing barriers to equal participation and threats to human security, focusing on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, in tackling persistent and emerging social issues.
5. Recommend multisectoral strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support, including preventive education and public awareness programmes.
6. Provide guidance to the secretariat on the formulation of medium-term plans and biennial programmes of work to prevent or mitigate critical social problems and promote the right to development of all social groups focused on key areas under item 1 above, through support for normative and operational activities, including:
   (a) Implementing technical assistance projects, providing advisory services, conducting training and research and fostering information development and exchange;
   (b) Identifying and disseminating best practices;
   (c) Conducting integrated, multisectoral social policy analyses and dialogue.
7. Review the implementation and effectiveness of the relevant programme of work of ESCAP in addressing persistent and emerging social issues and recommend measures to strengthen the programme’s impact and relevance, taking into account the comparative advantages of ESCAP.
8. Promote regional cooperation among ESCAP members and associate members to strengthen political commitment and advocacy and generate action at all levels to prevent and mitigate any adverse social impacts of development trends. In this regard, attention should be paid to those emerging social issues that could best benefit from close regional cooperation and collaboration.
9. Accelerate national-, subregional- and regional-level follow-up to the decisions and recommendations of relevant global conferences, monitor and evaluate progress and provide guidance on the formulation and implementation of regional action programmes, taking into account pertinent recommendations of the Commission for Social Development, the Commission on the Status of Women and other intergovernmental United Nations subsidiary organs.
10. Promote closer collaboration and joint activities with relevant United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, as well as increased liaison with other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and the business sector, and liaise with financial institutions, donors and supporting countries within and outside the ESCAP region so as to maximize resources and the impact of the Commission’s work in addressing critical social development challenges in the region.
11. Work closely and coordinate with other subsidiary bodies of the Commission.
12. Carry out such other activities as the Commission may direct from time to time in matters relating to emerging social issues.
    

Within the context of its terms of reference, the Committee shall identify the tasks to be undertaken during a specified period. The Committee shall indicate the outcomes expected for each task, set a time frame for the achievement of each task and monitor its implementation and effectiveness.
The Committee shall be composed of all members and associate members of the Commission. The Committee shall meet biennially and present its report to the Commission to facilitate deliberations on emerging social issues.

The Committee shall be assisted in its work by the following two subcommittees:
(a) Subcommittee on Socially Vulnerable Groups;
(b) Subcommittee on Health and Development.

While the Committee shall consider overall policy aspects of addressing emerging social issues, the subcommittees shall focus on specific sectoral aspects of the mandates given to the Committee under its terms of reference.The subcommittees shall meet in the intervals between sessions of the Committee, preferably in alternate years. The Committee shall provide overall direction to the subcommittees on the issues to be addressed and the prioritization of their work, which shall guide the subcommittees in determining their agendas. The reports of the subcommittees shall be submitted to the Committee at its subsequent session as a basis for deliberations at an intersectoral/thematic level.