..Press Release................................ UNESCAP News Services

Date 21 May 2007
Press Release No. G/16/2007/CS63/16

UNESCAP Annual Meeting Addresses Challenges Facing Asia-Pacific

 President of Kazakhstan Inaugurated Ministerial Meeting in Almaty

Almaty (United Nations Information Services, Bangkok) — Despite impressive economic growth, Asia-Pacific region still faces daunting challenges in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As the 62 member governments of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) gathered in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for the annual high-level meeting, this message was underlined by Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kim Hak-Su, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, and President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, who inaugurated the ministerial segment of the Commission session this morning.

In his message, delivered by Under-Secretary-General Jose Antonio Ocampo, Mr. Ban noted that “with Asia-Pacific now home to two thirds of the world’s population, the level of progress achieved in your region will be a critical factor in determining whether our global efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals will succeed or fail”.

“The ESCAP region has achieved a great deal”, Mr. Ban added, “and yet there is much that remains to be completed.”

In his statement, Mr. Kim observed that, while hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, “One out of every three people lives in extreme poverty in our region.”

Improving health – the theme of this year’s meeting – is crucial for tackling poverty, Mr. Kim said. “Half of the world’s maternal deaths still occur in the region. Moreover, the region as a whole is off-track in relation to reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS, with prevalence still on the rise.”

President Nazarbayev noted in his inaugural address that economic growth did not always solve old problems – quite often it created new ones.

 “High levels of economic activities in many cases lead to social stratification and widen the income gap between the rich and the poor”, President Nazarbayev said. He added that it was in the interest of countries in the region to fulfil their commitments to achieving the MDGs. A first item discussed by the ministers after the opening was on achieving the MDGs in the Asia-Pacific region.     

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of UNESCAP, which was established in Shanghai, China, in 1947 as ECAFE -- Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East. This is also the first time that the Commission is meeting in Central Asia.

“Since its foundation, the activities of ESCAP were aimed at creating open and equal opportunities for the cooperation of member states in accelerating measures to eliminate social and economic disparity”, President Nazarbayev observed.

Mr. Ban said the annual sessions “have provided a unique forum in which all countries of the region can come together to discuss issues of common concerns, build consensus on the way forward, and foster collaboration in tackling the region’s challenges.”   

The three-day ministerial meeting will focus on ways to help poor countries in the region to achieve the MDGs by 2015, and on promoting investment in health services. A study by UNESCAP presented to the meeting points out that investment in health is clearly linked to improved economic performance. Yet, for about 20 developing countries in the region which spend less than $20 per person per year in health, an extra $25 billion a year is needed to meet the minimum requirement. The study also points out that, besides boosting investment, Asia-Pacific nations need to make their health system more accessible to the vulnerable groups.

At a special ceremony on Tuesday, 22 May, the first Asia-Pacific MDG Media Awards will be presented to winners. The awards, jointly sponsored by UNESCAP, the United Nations Development Programme and the Asian Development Bank, aim to encourage  journalists to put a human face on the MDGs and to demonstrate how they are related to everyday life. The awards carry a prize of US$7,000 for winners in each category – print, radio and TV - and US$2,000 for runners up. 

Further information on the Commission session is available at www.unescap.org/63

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mr. Hak-Fan Lau, Chief, United Nations Information Services
In Almaty:  tel. +(7-705) 168-1553   ♦  fax: +(7-327) 244-2847
Email: unisbkk.unescap@un.org
http://www.unescap.org/63/index_media.asp.

Mr. Vlastimil Samek, Representative, Department of Public Information
United Nations Secretariat
Almaty
Tel. +(7-327) 258 26543
Email: dpi.kz@undp.org
http://kazakhstan.unic.org

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Headquartered in Bangkok, UNESCAP is the largest of the UN's five Regional Commissions in terms of its membership, population served and area covered. The only inter-governmental forum covering the entire Asia-Pacific region, UNESCAP aims to promote economic and social progress. More information on UNESCAP is available from www.unescap.org