8 June 2001 Press Release No. G/21/2001
THIRD ASIAN DEVELOPOMENT FORUM
12-14 June 2001, Bangkok
ESCAP ORGANIZES CYBER CRIME, POVERTY SEMINARS
BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services)--- ESCAP will convene two policy seminars on Cyber Crime: Threats to the New Economy, and another on Vulnerability and Poverty at the Third Asia Development Forum – Asia’s Future Economy.
The Forum, from 12 to 14 June at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, is organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank Institute, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Bank with sponsorship from the Government of Japan.
“ESCAP is very pleased to take part in this prestigious event as one of the partners. We will contribute to two very interesting and vital areas – Cybercrime, and Vulnerability and Poverty,” said Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
The Policy Seminar on Cyber Crime will discuss emerging trends in cyber crime affecting the shape of the new economy in Asia, including electronic vandalism and terrorism, fraud, extortion and infringement of intellectual property rights. The Seminar will also examine appropriate best practices responses to these challenges. Speakers will include Mr. Ray Velez, Investigator, Microsoft Thailand; Mr. Lorenzo Valeri, Research Associate, International Centre for Security Analysis, King’s College London and Mr. Tan Ken Hwee, State Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor, Attorney Genera’s Chambers in Singapore. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, 12 June 2001 from 12:45 to 14:45 hours.
The Policy Seminar on Vulnerability and Poverty will focus on different dimensions of vulnerability and poverty in Asia and the Pacific including economic and social vulnerability; vulnerability arising from lack of knowledge and information, and arising from natural disasters. The discussions will have a special emphasis on external and internal shocks and their impact at the macroeconomic as well as household levels. Country experiences of China and Thailand, highlighting the usefulness of community-based approaches in dealing with vulnerability, reducing poverty and avoiding environmental degradation will be presented. The objectives of the Seminar will be to encourage open dialogue between policy makers, academia and NGO representatives to foster greater understanding of the core issue and identify policy options. Speakers will include Secretary Teresita Deles, National Anti-Poverty Commission, the Philippines; Prof. Ruizhen Yan, Director, Institute for Rural Development, Renmin University of Beijing; Prof. Anchana Naranong, National Institute for Development Administration, Thailand; and Dr. Raj Kumar, Director, Development Research and Policy Analysis Division, ESCAP. The Seminar will be held on Tuesday, 12 June 2001 from 16:00 to 18:00 hours.
In addition, the workshop on Vulnerability and Poverty, Session 6, will examine the use of information technology to empower rural communities. The workshop will seek to answer such questions as How can ICT be used to reduce vulnerability and to empower the rural poor?
The discussion will also explore factors leading to effective and sustainable ICT projects, from the perspective of governments, NGOs, private sector and development agencies. This workshop will be held on Wednesday, 14 June 2001 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
The Third Asia Development Forum will gather over 400 prominent politicians, policy makers, academics economists, social scientists, the corporate sector, NGO leaders and others from across Asia and the world, coming together to discuss how Thailand and its neighbors can make the most of the opportunities emerging through globalization, the information and communications revolution, the rapidly increasing importance of the knowledge economy, and exciting new innovations in community development.
Exhibition Note: The Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), a Regional Institute of ESCAP, will organize an exhibition highlighting the best examples of creative applications of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the digital empowerment of rural areas. The exhibition will showcase innovative applications of ICTs in rural areas. Various organizations which are using ICT for the rural poor, particularly in the areas of governance, poverty alleviation, health services, education and disaster management have been invited to participate.
Besides the above-mentioned Seminars and workshop,
main media interest will be the following events:
| Tuesday, 12 June | |
| 9:00 am: | Opening address by Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP; Mr. Myoung-Ho Shin, Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank; Dr. Masaru Yoshitomi, Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute; and Mr. Jamalud-din- Kassum, World Bank’s Vice-President for East Asia and the Pacific |
| 9:30 am | Plenary on New Directions for Business in the Future Economy- Restoring growth through making full use of information and communications technology |
| 11:30 am | Press Conference by the above officials at UNCC Theatre |
| 3:00 pm | Keynote Speech by H.E. Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minster of Thailand |
| Wednesday, 13 June | |
| 9:00 am | Plenary on New demands on Government - How the new knowledge century is changing the way in which economies are run |
| 2:30 pm | Press Briefing at UNCC Theatre on Asia’s economic prospects: Mr. Kim Hak-Su, ESCAP; Mr. Arvind Panagariya, ADB; Dr. Masaru Yoshitomi, ADB-Institute; Mr. Homi Kharas, World Bank |
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