Mr. Kim Hak-Su
United Nations Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP

The United Nations holds the key to a vast reservoir of expertise and experience gained from tackling some of the major problems of our times, chief among them is economic and social development. The UN's commitment to sharing that knowledge with the peoples of the world was underscored by the landmark document for a new century, the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which was adopted at the UN General Assembly in September, 2000.

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in the new millennium is committed to materialize the visions contained in the Millennium Declaration.  First of all, it will spread proven best practices in poverty alleviation in the region to inspire other developing countries to emulate and adapt those practices to their own advantage. In various parts of the region from Korea to Bangladesh, we have seen how initiative has come from the people who in the end are the ultimate masters of their destinies.

The second area on which ESCAP will focus its activities is to help developing countries deal with globalization. Trade negotiation skills and tactics, and environmental negotiations with a view to understanding the many protocols and conventions are some of the programmes envisaged.

Without a doubt, one of the central exciting ventures of our time is the digital revolution. However, with it has come the digital divide where poor countries do not have access to these marvelous technologies. ESCAP will address these questions by developing economic-related programmes so that rural people can benefit from the Internet technology revolution.

Thirdly, ESCAP, as the largest regional commission in the world, will also strengthen its "early warning" strategies on emerging social issues such as population aging, sexually abused and exploited children and youth, and labour migration.

We are fully aware that we must play a leading role in the economic and social development of the region by improving and fine-tuning our services; however, we cannot do so alone -- you, the public, have a role to play, too. Together, we can "light a candle rather than curse the darkness."