HELP WOMEN WEATHER ECONOMIC CRISIS, UN OFFICIAL TELLS ASIA-PACIFIC NATIONS

The top United Nations official in the Asia-Pacific region has called on countries to help women weather the ongoing economic crisis, including by promoting their interests as part of governmentstimulus packages.

Noeleen Heyzer urged members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bloc to seize the opportunity to build not just a new economic infrastructure but also a progressive one.

"We must make sure that growth is more inclusive and socially equitable," said Ms. Heyzer, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

"This includes ensuring that women have access to opportunities to participate in national economic recovery and that they emerge from this crisis in a better position to participate in our region's bright economic future," she said in a keynote address to the 14th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) meeting in Bangkok.

The region's poor, particularly women, could face tough times ahead as countries in Asia and the Pacific seek to restart their economies in the aftermath of the global economic slowdown, she warned.

At the same time, she noted that the Asia-Pacific region has the second highest ratio of employed women of working age in the world at 49 per cent, even constituting the majority of low-skilled workers in labour-intensive manufacturing industries such as textiles and apparels, leather products and electronics.

However, the crisis has revealed a number of issues affecting women in the workplace, such as the trends toward outsourcing and subcontracting.

Research carried out by the Economic Commission shows that restricting women's access to work, education and health services comes at significant economic costs, totalling between $42 billion and $47 billion each year in losses to countries in Asia and the Pacific.

Ms. Heyzer noted that while fiscal stimulus packages containing large infrastructure and public works projects are one of the most effective ways to reach a wide range of unemployed workers without regard to skills, most of these jobs are in construction where 80 to 90 per cent of jobs are held by men.

One of the ways to create employment opportunities for women, she said, is to ensure funding for health, education and agricultural extension services, and investments in small- and medium-scale enterprises.

APEC members already had some of the most successful practices of social development and vibrant businesses in the world, she noted. "Let us build upon these successes. Releasing the full potential of women is not only good for women, it is also smart economics."
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TOP UN ASIA-PACIFIC OFFICIAL PUSHES FOR POOLING OF FISCAL RESOURCES TO BEAT RECESSION

Large-scale government stimulus packages are closed off to many nations across Asia and the Pacific, the top United Nations official for the region told a gathering of senior finance and central bank representatives, promoting a cooperative approach to jump-starting economies out of the global recession.

"We need to recognize that not all countries have the fiscal space to implement counter-cyclical measures at significant scales due to budget constraints," Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said yesterday.

Shrinking resources and other fiscal issues have left several countries in the region with little room to manoeuvre in their efforts to reignite suffering economies, Ms. Heyzer said in a message to the regional high-level workshop on the role of monetary, fiscal and external debt policies in responding to the financial crisis.

In her address, Ms. Heyzer pointed to the international community's response to the crisis and noted that the Asia-Pacific region, with over $4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, can work together to spur recovery and restore economic growth.

Ms. Heyzer added that ESCAP can bring countries together to share experiences and coordinate their development activities for greater regional results, as exemplified by the high-level meeting in December 2008 in Bali, Indonesia, on the food and fuel hike, financial market meltdown and climate change crisis.

"The huge scale of government spending in the pipeline in many countries offers an unprecedented opportunity to design policies that will bring about more inclusive and sustainable development," she told participants at the four-day workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The ESCAP workshop looking into various economic policies used by governments in the region to deal with the global financial crisis, hosted by the Bangladesh Bank, has brought together top officials from the finance ministries and central banks of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Also attending are experts from international organizations, including those from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and civil society organizations.
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ECONOMIC CRISIS ROLLING BACK ASIA’S DEVELOPMENT GAINS – UN OFFICIAL

The economic crisis is rolling back the significant progress made to date in Asia and the Pacific in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – according to a senior United Nations official.

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said her organization has responded to the crisis by encouraging policies that include social programmes such as health coverage, pensions, education and agricultural extension services, as well as investment in small and medium scale enterprises.

"The huge scale of government spending in the pipeline in many countries offers an unprecedented opportunity to design development policies that will bring about more inclusive and sustainable development," Ms. Heyzer said during the course of the substantive session of the UN Economic and Social Council, which is currently taking place in Geneva.

"Pro-poor policies aimed at strengthening social protection systems not only create the social foundations for more inclusive societies, they free up spending of consumers. In other words social protection systems also make good economic sense."

She added that financial stimulus packages and reforms could help create a more integrated and coordinated Asia and the Pacific that builds upon collective regional strengths and resources.

In addition, she highlighted the need for appropriate investments in infrastructure to create economic corridors that link less developed countries to economic centres in the region, thereby increasing intra-regional trade.

As a result, the recovery of larger economies like China, India and the Republic of Korea will have "greater reciprocal positive spin offs" for their smaller neighbours.

Ms. Heyzer noted that ESCAP has sought to provide its member States with the necessary strategic analysis, policy options and technical assistance.

"Our flagship publication, the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2009, provides a compelling analytical basis for the policy reforms that the region will need to collectively implement in response to the economic crisis," she said.

The report predicts that developing nations in the region will see their growth drop from 5.8 per cent last year to 3 per cent this year, with as many as 23 million people – particularly women in the manufacturing sector – potentially losing their jobs.

For its part, the Asian Development Bank estimates that the number of poor people in Asia and the Pacific could climb by 60 million in 2009 and approach 100 million by 2010, thwarting the region's achievement of the MDGs.
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UN-BACKED TRANS-ASIAN RAIL AGREEMENT GOES INTO EFFECT

A railroad agreement aimed at linking 28 countries in Asia and Europe went into effect today, the United Nations announced in Bangkok.

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network became operative 90 days after China became the eighth country to have ratified it. The other parties to the agreement – developed with UN assistance – are Cambodia, India, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Thailand.

The network comprises 114,000 kilometres of rail routes linking 28 countries in the region. The aim is to offer efficient rail transport services for the movement of goods and passengers within the region and between Asia and Europe, ESCAP said.

The network will also provide improved access for landlocked countries to major ports, ESCAP said.

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, told an inaugural ceremony in ESCAP's Bangkok headquarters, "Modern economies cannot generate long-term growth and employment without highly efficient transport networks that are developed with a high level of integration.

"The timing of this agreement is particularly significant as leaders from our region promote intra-regional trade to stimulate recovery from the economic crisis. It will provide a more cost effective way of doing business and ensure the benefits of trade are more evenly distributed across the region," Ms. Heyzer said.

"Countries worldwide are now realizing that rising demand for transport services can no longer be met by roads alone," said Ms. Heyzer. "The recent fluctuation in the oil price, growing concern over energy-dependency and the environmental impact of the transport industry are pushing policy-makers to promote more environmentally-friendly and sustainable rail transport solutions."
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ISRAEL MUST OPEN GAZA, FREEZE SETTLEMENTS, SAYS BAN

ISRAEL MUST OPEN GAZA, FREEZE SETTLEMENTS, SAYS BAN
New York, Jun 8 2009 1:00PM
Underscoring the need for a two-State solution and a durable peace in the region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Israel to allow fuel and building materials into Gaza, freeze settlements in the West Bank and make fundamental changes in its security practices and policies.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3907">message to the two-day meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Mr. Ban expressed his serious concern over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

"Nearly five months after the end of the hostilities, nothing beyond basic needs such as food and medicine is allowed in," he said, noting that current conditions preclude the success of recovery efforts and long-term development initiatives.

"I call on Israel to allow in the fuel, funds and materials that are urgently required to repair destroyed and damaged schools, clinics, sanitation networks and shelters and to restore a functioning market," the Secretary-General said in the message to the gathering in Jakarta delivered by Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

In the West Bank, he said, progress is blocked by the Israel Defence Forces' routine incursions.

"Palestinians continue to endure unacceptable unilateral actions, such as house demolitions, intensified settlement activity, settler violence, and ever increasing movement restrictions due to permits, checkpoints and the wall and fence barrier," Mr. Ban stressed. "The time has come for Israel to fundamentally change its policies in this regard, as it has repeatedly promised to do."

A "full settlement freeze" in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem is necessary, he added.

The Secretary-General said that there had been almost no progress on the Security Council resolutions calling for a durable and fully respected ceasefire, prevention of the illicit supply of weapons to Gaza, the reopening of the crossings and Palestinian reconciliation under the legitimate Palestinian Authority.

"We have a clear objective," he said, which is "an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region."

He said he is encouraged by United States President Barack Obama's commitment to the objectives and said he is looking forward to a meeting, in the near future, of the Middle East Quartet – made up of the UN, European Union, Russia and US – to discuss peace in the region.
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ASIA-PACIFIC REGION FACES ‘TRIPLE THREAT’ TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WARNS UN REPORT

ASIA-PACIFIC REGION FACES 'TRIPLE THREAT' TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WARNS UN REPORT
New York, Mar 26 2009 12:00PM

The triple threat of the global economic recession, volatile food and fuel prices, and bearing the brunt of the world's natural disasters has hit countries in the Asia-Pacific region particularly hard, a new United Nations report warned today.

With almost two-thirds of the world's poor and half of its natural disasters, the region is at the epicentre of these crises, according to the report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The report, entitled "Addressing Triple Threats to Development," noted that record high oil prices in 2008 of $147 dollars a barrel, in combination with hording and price speculation drove the price of rice – the region's staple – up by 150 per cent, hitting the poor the hardest.

At the same time, another ESCAP report showed that almost a quarter of a million people died in 2008 as a result of natural disasters in the region, representing 97 per cent of fatalities worldwide.

"The converging triple threat highlights the need for a more comprehensive, inclusive approach to development," stressed ESCAP Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer.

"Not only is there an urgent requirement to resume economic growth, but we have to re-think where that growth takes place and whom it benefits," added Ms. Heyzer.

Prudent macroeconomic policies, implemented in reaction to the previous economic crisis which swept the region in 1997, bolstered the Asia-Pacific at the beginning of the current slump. However, that resilience started to erode, when in the fourth quarter of 2008, trade – the region's engine of growth – moved from double digit growth to double digit declines.

Among the reasons for this reversal in trade is that the region's economy is more integrated with the rest of the world than with itself.

Ms. Heyzer noted that "intra-regional trade among developing countries accounts for only 37 per cent of exports in our region, compared with NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] at 51 per cent and the EU [European Union] at 68 per cent.

"By strengthening our domestic markets, the region can provide a buffer to global market fluctuations and move from being crisis resilient to crisis resistant. A key component in this will be how governments use fiscal policy as a tool of development."

The Survey calls for more intra-regional trade and investment by accelerating the implementation of regional economic cooperation agreements, as well as improved basic social protection. Currently only an estimated 30 per cent of the elderly receive pensions and 20 per cent of the population have access to health-care assistance.
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COOPERATION AMONG ASIA-PACIFIC NATIONS CRITICAL TO REDUCE DISASTER RISK – UN

Collaboration between Governments in Asia and the Pacific is key to saving lives from natural disasters in the world's most prone region, a senior United Nations official stressed today at the first session of a new committee on disaster risk reduction.

The vulnerable Asia-Pacific region accounts for 42 per cent of the world's natural disasters, and a disproportionate 65 per cent of its victims.

In 2008 alone, almost a quarter of a million people died as a result of natural disasters in the region, representing 97 per cent of fatalities worldwide.

"Natural disasters pose a significant challenge to development in our region," said UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer, in her opening address to the three-day meeting.

"A person living in our region is four times more likely to be affected by natural disasters than someone living in Africa and 25 times more likely then someone living in Europe or North America," Ms. Heyzer told participants of the Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction (CDRR), which was formed by ESCAP.

At a high-level round table, delegates exchanged knowledge and experience with disaster risk reduction, and discussed the implications of integrating it into economic and social development planning and policy.

The group concluded that as complex information regarding danger, vulnerability and resources is spread throughout the region and often out of reach of decision-makers, cooperation is critical to effectively reduce the loss of lives and the social, economic and environmental impact of disasters.

Ms. Heyzer said that ESCAP would establish a mechanism for sharing information among disaster risk management authorities in the region, as well as produce the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report, which brings together information from Member States, provides socio-economic analysis of disaster risk reduction trends, identifies good practices, evaluates the state of reduction efforts in the region and highlights future priorities and trends.

Participants at the round table included ministers and senior officials responsible for disaster management from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Pakistan, Republic of Korea and Thailand.
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