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UNESCAP
eNews Bulletin United Nations Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |
February 2004
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MDGs
report launch in Manila and Kathmandu
The Sub-Regional Workshop on Disseminating the First Regional Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report will be held in Metro Manila, Philippines, from 4-5 February. The Workshop is orgainzed by UNESCAP, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and local partner, the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies. The Report, entitled Promoting the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific: Meeting the Challenges of Poverty Reduction, was first released in June 2003. It reviews the progress and challenges faced by Asia-Pacific countries in attaining the MDGs which were agreed to by world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000. Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, will attend the event which aims to raise awareness about the MDGs and further develop coalitions and multi-sectoral partnerships, as well as identify key roles for target groups. During a recent visit to UNESCAP, Ms. Erna Witoelar, the UN Ambassador for MDGs in the Asia-Pacific, called for greater regional cooperation. “We have the technology, we have the knowledge, we have the resources, we have the mechanisms and the processes to reach it... So this is the generation that really can reduce poverty and we have no more excuses not to do that,” she said. A similar Workshop will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 28-29 February with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as the local partner.
The Sub-Regional Workshop on Disseminating the First Regional Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report will be held in Metro Manila, Philippines, from 4-5 February. The Workshop is orgainzed by UNESCAP, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and local partner, the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies. The Report, entitled Promoting the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific: Meeting the Challenges of Poverty Reduction, was first released in June 2003. It reviews the progress and challenges faced by Asia-Pacific countries in attaining the MDGs which were agreed to by world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000. Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, will attend the event which aims to raise awareness about the MDGs and further develop coalitions and multi-sectoral partnerships, as well as identify key roles for target groups. During a recent visit to UNESCAP, Ms. Erna Witoelar, the UN Ambassador for MDGs in the Asia-Pacific, called for greater regional cooperation. “We have the technology, we have the knowledge, we have the resources, we have the mechanisms and the processes to reach it... So this is the generation that really can reduce poverty and we have no more excuses not to do that,” she said. A similar Workshop will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 28-29 February with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as the local partner.
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Poverty statistics to be reviewed
The first session of the Subcommittee on Statistics will be held in Bangkok from 18-20 February, bringing together over 60 representatives from inter-governmental organizations, UN agencies and national statistical offices from the Asia-Pacific region. The Subcommittee will review progress in the development of statistics in the region and discuss a number of global and regional issues which have significant implications for statistical offices. Issues of particular concern include: improving and harmonizing methods of collecting poverty, economic and social statistics; and improving the quality of data available on the informal sector, gender, and the environment. The Sub-Committee is expected to produce a draft action plan for improving poverty statistics and monitoring in the UNESCAP region.
The first session of the Subcommittee on Statistics will be held in Bangkok from 18-20 February, bringing together over 60 representatives from inter-governmental organizations, UN agencies and national statistical offices from the Asia-Pacific region. The Subcommittee will review progress in the development of statistics in the region and discuss a number of global and regional issues which have significant implications for statistical offices. Issues of particular concern include: improving and harmonizing methods of collecting poverty, economic and social statistics; and improving the quality of data available on the informal sector, gender, and the environment. The Sub-Committee is expected to produce a draft action plan for improving poverty statistics and monitoring in the UNESCAP region.
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Harnessing
new technology for trade
The Trade and Investment Division of UNESCAP will bring together 20 mid-level officials from Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries between 5-6 February for talks on IT development. The Seminar on Trade and Investment Policies for the Development of the IT Sector of the Greater Mekong Subregion in Bangkok aims to discuss the role of regional cooperation in the areas of trade and investment policy for the development of the IT sector. Major issues topping the agenda include: regional trade in information and communication technology (ICT) goods and services, and the role of trade and investment policies and their capacity to harness ICT for development. The outcomes of the Seminar will be reflected in two UNESCAP studies to be prepared by international experts.
The Trade and Investment Division of UNESCAP will bring together 20 mid-level officials from Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries between 5-6 February for talks on IT development. The Seminar on Trade and Investment Policies for the Development of the IT Sector of the Greater Mekong Subregion in Bangkok aims to discuss the role of regional cooperation in the areas of trade and investment policy for the development of the IT sector. Major issues topping the agenda include: regional trade in information and communication technology (ICT) goods and services, and the role of trade and investment policies and their capacity to harness ICT for development. The outcomes of the Seminar will be reflected in two UNESCAP studies to be prepared by international experts.
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Ministers to discuss food security
The Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, is expected to open a high level meeting on food security and the eradication of poverty at the UN Conference Centre from 23-24 February. The Regional High-Level Roundtable Meeting: Spearheading Sub-regional Programmes and Cooperation for Eradication of Poverty and Food Insecurity in Asia and the Pacific is jointly organized by UNESCAP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Guests include regional Ministers of Agriculture, Secretary Generals of ASEAN, SAARC and the Pacific Islands Forum - Forum Island Countries (PIF-FIC), as well as representatives from UN agencies, NGOs and inter-governmental organizations. The meeting aims to: spearhead the process of identifying the priority issues affecting poverty, food security, agriculture and rural development, and derive lessons towards realigning regional rural and agricultural development policies towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, is expected to open a high level meeting on food security and the eradication of poverty at the UN Conference Centre from 23-24 February. The Regional High-Level Roundtable Meeting: Spearheading Sub-regional Programmes and Cooperation for Eradication of Poverty and Food Insecurity in Asia and the Pacific is jointly organized by UNESCAP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Guests include regional Ministers of Agriculture, Secretary Generals of ASEAN, SAARC and the Pacific Islands Forum - Forum Island Countries (PIF-FIC), as well as representatives from UN agencies, NGOs and inter-governmental organizations. The meeting aims to: spearhead the process of identifying the priority issues affecting poverty, food security, agriculture and rural development, and derive lessons towards realigning regional rural and agricultural development policies towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
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| A vendor selling peppers in a Kyrgyzstan bazaar. |
Building
trade infrastructure in Kyrgyzstan
UNESCAP in cooperation with the Ministry of External Trade and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, is organizing a National Training Workshop on Trade Finance Infrastructure Development, to be held on 11-12 February 2004 in Bishkek. This workshop is the fourth of a series of 10 national training workshops in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Mongolia. The aim is to increase the capacity of government officials involved in trade and infrastructure development to create a national trade finance infrastructure that will increase small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) access to the financial and risk management tools they need to participate in international trade. A lack of access to capital is one of the key reasons why many SMEs cannot take advantage of export opportunities in Armenia and other transition economies.
UNESCAP in cooperation with the Ministry of External Trade and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, is organizing a National Training Workshop on Trade Finance Infrastructure Development, to be held on 11-12 February 2004 in Bishkek. This workshop is the fourth of a series of 10 national training workshops in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Mongolia. The aim is to increase the capacity of government officials involved in trade and infrastructure development to create a national trade finance infrastructure that will increase small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) access to the financial and risk management tools they need to participate in international trade. A lack of access to capital is one of the key reasons why many SMEs cannot take advantage of export opportunities in Armenia and other transition economies.
Calendar
of Observances
- International Mother Language Day (21 February)
- International Year of Rice (2004)
- International
Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1994
- 2004)
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United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995 - 2004)
- United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997 - 2006)
- International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (2001 - 2010)
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