United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.[1] It was established in order to increase economic activity in Asia and the Far East, as well as to foster economic relations between the region and other areas of the world.[2]

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
AbbreviationESCAP
Formation28 March 1947 (1947-03-28)
TypePrimary Organ – Regional Branch
Legal statusActive
HeadquartersBangkok, Thailand
Head
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Parent organization
United Nations Economic and Social Council
Websitewww.unescap.org
 Politics portal

The commission is composed of 53 Member States and nine Associate members, mostly from the Asia and Pacific regions.[3] In addition to countries in Asia and the Pacific, the commission's members includes France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The region covered by the commission is home to 4.1 billion people, or two-thirds of the world’s population, making ESCAP the most comprehensive of the United Nations' five regional commissions.[4]

History

The commission was first established by the Economic and Social Council on 28 March 1947 as the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) to assist in post-war economic reconstruction. Its main mandate was to "initiate and participate in measures for facilitating concerted action for the economic reconstruction and development of Asia and the Far East."[2]

On 1 August 1974, the commission was renamed to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) by the Economic and Social Council to reflect both the economic and social aspects of the Commission's work, as well as geographic location of its members.[5][6]

Scope

The commission works to address some of the greatest challenges facing the region through results-oriented projects, technical assistance and capacity building to member states in the following areas:[4]

  • Macroeconomic policy and development
  • Trade and investment
  • Transport
  • Social development
  • Environment and sustainable development
  • Information and communications technology and disaster risk reduction
  • Statistics
  • Sub-regional activities for development
  • Energy

Additionally, the commission provides a forum for its member states to promote regional cooperation and collective action in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.[4]

Member states
Map showing the member states of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Full members

The following are all full members of the commission:[3]

Associate members

The following are all associate members of the commission:[3]

Locations

Headquarters

The commission was originally located in Shanghai, Republic of China, from its foundation until 1949, when it moved its headquarters to Bangkok, Thailand.[5]

Subregional offices

The Commission maintains five subregional offices in order to better target and deliver programs, given the large size of the region.[7] The subregions are as follow:

Executive secretaries

The following is a list of the executive secretaries of the commission since its foundation:[8][9]

Secretary Country Term
Armida S. Alisjahbana Indonesia2018–present
Shamshad Akhtar Pakistan2014–2018
Noeleen Heyzer Singapore2007–2014
Kim Hak-Su Republic of Korea2000–2007
Adrianus Mooy Indonesia1995–2000
Rafeeuddin Ahmed Pakistan1992–1994
Shah A M S Kibria Bangladesh1981–1992
J. B. P. Maramis Indonesia1973–1981
U Nyun Myanmar1959–1973
Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan India1956–1959
Palamadai S. Lokanathan India1947–1956

Publications

The commission releases a variety of publications detailing its work and updates on its mandate, as well as on a wide variety of issues affecting its member states. Some of these publications include:[9][10]

See also

References
  1. United Nations Economic and Social Council (n.d.). "Subsidiary Bodies of ECOSOC". United Nations Economic and Social Council. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  2. United Nations Economic and Social Council Resolution 37(IV). Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East E/RES/37(IV) 28 March 1947. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  3. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (n.d.). "ESCAP Member States and Associate Members". United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  4. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (n.d.). "About ESCAP". United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  5. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (n.d.). "History". United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  6. United Nations Economic and Social Council Resolution 1895(LVII). Change of name from "Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East" to "'Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific" E/RES/1895(LVII) 1 August 1974. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  7. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (n.d.). "Subregional Activities for Development". United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  8. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (n.d.). "Previous Executive Secretaries". United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  9. Dag Hammarskjöld Library (24 August 2018). "Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)". Dag Hammarskjöld Library. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  10. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (n.d.). "Publication Series". United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
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