Bangkok--22 Apr--UNISBKK
Annual Meeting of UN’s Regional Arm Takes Place 23 to 29 April in Bangkok
Despite its impressive economic development, the Asia-Pacific region remains home to 62 per cent of the world’s undernourished people. This challenge has been compounded by the current global economic crisis, and by climate change. Ensuring sustainable agriculture and dealing with the triple threat of food-fuel, economic and climate change crises will be the focus of discussions when countries from across the region gather this week for the annual high-level meeting of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) — the regional arm of the United Nations.
The 65th Commission session of ESCAP will take place at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 23 to 29 of April. The annual gathering provides a unique opportunity for Asia-Pacific countries to come together and discuss their collective challenges.
Among the highlights of the event will be a ministerial round table, Towards Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific, to be held on Monday, 27 April, 14:30 — 16:45. It will feature ministers from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea. Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP , Dr. David Nabarro, Coordinator of the Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis under the chairmanship of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Ms.Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank, will join the discussion.
A press launch of a study, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific, will be held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand at 1400 on Friday, 24 April, by Dr. Heyzer.
A high-level panel on the economic crisis will take place on Tuesday, 28 April, 09:00 — 10:30. Panelists will include Mr. Kim Jong-hoon, Minister for Trade, Republic of Korea, Executive Secretaries of the UN’s regional Commissions for Africa, Europe as well as Asia and the Pacific, and Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Director of the South Centre — an intergovernmental organization of developing countries based in Geneva.
A special meeting focusing on the impacts of the triple crises on the 14 least developed countries and 12 land-locked developing countries in the region will take place on Friday, 24 April, 09:00 — 12:00.
The Commission session has two segments: a senior officials’ segment which runs from 23 to 25 April and a ministerial segment which run from 27 to 29 April. A historic photo exhibition commemorating the 60th anniversary of ESCAP’s presence in Bangkok will be inaugurated following the opening of the ministerial segment Monday morning. Another exhibition to be held during the Commission session will mark the 50th anniversary of the Asian Highway, a network initiated by ESCAP covering 141,000 km of roads in 32 countries.
For further information please contact:
UN Information Services (UNIS), ESCAP
Bentley Jenson
Tel: (66) 2 288 1869 Mobile: (66) 84 080 5025 Email: [email protected] and [email protected]
Brian Thomson
Tel: (66) 288-1862Mobile: (66) 89-927-1986
Email: [email protected]