ESCAP UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Course Summary

Regionalism in Asia. Regional trade agreements. Bangkok, Thailand. 62 Governments. Poverty reduction, globalization, statistical yearbook, trade indicators

The regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region is the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). It is located in the United Nations Building, Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, Bangkok, Thailand.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region. With a membership of 62 Governments, 58 of which are in the region, and a geographical scope that stretches from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, and from the Russian Federation (Russia) in the north to New Zealand in the south, ESCAP is the most comprehensive of the United Nations five regional commissions. It is also the largest United Nations body serving the Asia-Pacific region with over 600 staff.

Established in 1947 with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, ESCAP seeks to overcome some of the region’s greatest challenges. It carries out work in three main thematic areas:

• Poverty reduction
• Managing globalization
• Tackling emerging social issues.

Sample of the Course:

ESCAP focuses on issues that are most effectively addressed through regional cooperation, including:

• Issues that all or a group of countries in the region face, for which it is necessary to learn from each other;
• Issues that benefit from regional or multi-country involvement;
• Issues that are transboundary in nature, or that would benefit from collaborative inter-country approaches;
• Issues that are of a sensitive or emerging nature and require further advocacy and negotiation.

ESCAP secretariat comprises the Office of the Executive Secretary and eight divisions. The main legislative organ of ESCAP is the Commission, which meets annually at the ministerial level and reports to the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It provides a forum for all Governments of the region to review and discuss economic and social issues and to strengthen regional cooperation.

Regional Institutions:

• APCAEM: Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery
• APCTT: Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology
• CAPSA: Centre for Alleviation of Poverty through Secondary Crops’ Development in Asia and the Pacific
• SIAP: United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific

In recent years the ESCAP region has experienced a rapid increase in the number of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) signed and implemented both at the bilateral and regional levels. This phenomenon has effectively changed the landscape of trade relations in the region and increased the complexity of regional markets.

Member states
1. Afghanistan
2. Armenia
3. Australia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Bangladesh
6. Bhutan
7. Brunei Darussalam
8. Cambodia
9. China
10. Fiji
11. France
12. Georgia
13. India
14. Indonesia
15. Iran (Islamic Republic of)
16. Japan
17. Kazakhstan
18. Kiribati
19. Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)
20. Korea (the Republic of)
21. Kyrgyzstan
22. Laos People's  Democratic Republic
23. Malaysia
24. Maldives
25. Marshall Islands 
26. Micronesia
27. Mongolia
28. Myanmar
29. Nauru
30. Nepal
31. Netherlands
32. New Zealand
33. Pakistan
34. Palau
35. Papua New Guinea
36. Philippines
37. Russian Federation
38. Samoa
39. Singapore
40. Solomon Islands
41. Sri Lanka
42. Tajikistan
43. Thailand
44. Timor-Leste
45. Tonga
46. Turkey
47. Turkmenistan
48. Tuvalu
49. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern  Ireland
50. United States of America
51. Uzbekistan
52. Vanuatu
53. Vietnam

Associate Members:   1. American Samoa  2. Cook Islands   3. French Polynesia  4. Guam  5. Hong Kong China 6. Macao China 7. New Caledonia  8. Niue  9. Northern Mariana  Islands

Asia Scholarships

Economic, Social, Commission, Asia, Pacific, ESCAP, Regionalism, Bangkok, Thailand, Governments, Poverty, reduction, Globalizataion, Statistical, yearbook, Trade, Indicators, Master, International Business