The third meeting of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Asia-Pacific Population Journal took place on 30 August 2006, coinciding with 20th anniversary of the publication.

Asia-Pacific Population Journal’s website attracts record number of hits

The sky-rocketing web traffic statistics on the Asia-Pacific Population Journal’s website - about 190,000 users’ visits a month on average in 2006, including about 30,000 successful downloads - were among the topics actively discussed during the recent meeting of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal.
Soaring from 30,000 a month average in 2005, the number of visits to the Journal’s website (www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/index.asp) pleasantly surprised the Board members who commended the good work done by the editorial team to further exploit the potential of the publication, in particular to support research, policy formulation and advocacy in the field of population in the region.
Held on 30 August 2006 at UNESCAP, Bangkok, the third meeting of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Asia-Pacific Population Journal coincided this year with the 20th anniversary of the publication, which was first launched in March 1986.
“The Journal has certainly lived up to the expectations of its initiators. It has filled an important gap in the international exchange of knowledge, experiences, ideas, information and data on all aspects of population and development in the Asian and Pacific region”, commented Shigeru Mochida, Deputy Executive Secretary of UNESCAP in his opening remarks.
“It has grown to be a highly respected publication in which leading population experts share their evidence-based findings, theories and opinions on population policies and programmes… The Journal has gone from strength to strength”, Mr. Mochida said, highlighting the publication’s successful image upgrade and its remarkably strong online presence.
Bringing together a handful of prominent experts in the field of population and development from the region, the Editorial Advisory Board discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the Journal’s editorial management, capacity-building, visibility and publicity.
The Board recommended, among others, that press releases be prepared for each special issue (usually once a year) and possibly also to highlight articles deemed especially interesting and significant. Among others, the Board also recommended the organization of a high-profile event to mark the launch of the 20th anniversary special issue.
“The line-up of the world-class population experts contributing articles in the special 20th anniversary issue is another testimony to the authority of the publication”, Mr. Mochida said, referring to articles contributed by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA, award-winning demographers John Caldwell and Mercedes Conception, among other big names.
Quoting a letter by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid to Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of UNESCAP regarding the Journal, Mr. Mochida reaffirmed “the eminent position that the Asia-Pacific Population Journal enjoys as a source of information, research and opinion on population and development issues in Asia and the Pacific”, saying Ms. Obaid “looked forward to strengthening and renewing our [UNESCAP-UNFPA’s] partnership in the years to come”.
The 20th anniversary special issue will be launched in November and will be available in full-text from the above-cited website. Electronic subscription to the Journal is also possible free of charge from the same address.