UN SEMINAR EXPLORES WATER MANAGEMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA

A United Nations gathering underway in the Kazakh city, Almaty, has drawn dozens of experts and representatives of Central Asian nations to examine how to boost water management in the region.

Organized by the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the three-day seminar will examine existing UN conventions in the area of water and environment, including the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

The event, which began yesterday, will also review best practices in negotiating cooperative transboundary water agreements.

"This practical knowledge will come very handy for experts from Central Asian countries who are involved in a search for a long-term sustainable negotiated solution to the problems with water and associated resource management issues in the region," Miroslav Jenca, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of UNRCCA, said in opening marks this morning.

He expressed hope that the gathering will help the region's nations "reach sustainable and mutually beneficial arrangements in the area of water and energy."

The UNRCCA, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, was set up in 2007 to help the countries of the region respond more proactively to cross-border challenges and threats, such as terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime and environmental degradation, before they become costlier and more difficult to control.

According to the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the centre is tasked with assisting Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan "in building capacities to peacefully prevent conflict, in facilitating dialogue, and in catalyzing international support behind projects and initiatives."
________________

NEW UN SCHEME TO TACKLE COSTLY OBSTACLES TO TRADE IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

The Asia-Pacific arm of the United Nations has launched an initiative aimed at cutting through the red tape that is adding as much as 15 per cent to the cost of goods traded in the region.

The scheme will pool expertise and experience of countries in the region to remove hidden trade barriers, such as delays at border crossings, harbours and docks caused by cumbersome procedures and excessive paperwork.

The UN Network of Experts for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UN NExT) initiative was launched at a high-level meeting this week in Bangkok, which was organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).

Ravi Ratnayake, Director of the Trade and Investment Division of ESCAP, said hidden trade barriers have resulted in the "higher cost of exports and lost opportunities in trade, which the countries in the Asia-Pacific region cannot afford at a time of great economic turmoil."

While commending the fiscal stimulus packages of the region in response to the on-going global economic turmoil and the emphasis they place on physical infrastructure, Mr. Ratnayake said, "we at ESCAP believe that the region should also take this opportunity to address its 'soft infrastructure' challenges – the many forms of institutional barriers to trade."

Capacity building, training, sharing experience on successful trade facilitation measures, and sensitizing policy makers on the importance of trade facilitation were among the elements of a work programme presented by UN NeXT at the end of the meeting.
________________