ESCAP 55TH COMMISSION CLOSES WITH CALL FOR REFORM; CAREFUL MANAGEMENT OF LIBERALIZATION STRESSED
Press Release
REC/42
ESCAP 55TH COMMISSION CLOSES WITH CALL FOR REFORM; CAREFUL MANAGEMENT OF LIBERALIZATION STRESSED
19990428 BANGKOK, 28 April (UN Information Service) -- The fifty-fifth session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) ended today with a call for comprehensive economic and social recovery through reform and regional cooperation.Asian and Pacific governments unanimously adopted the report of the fifty-fifth Commission session, which contains resolutions calling for greater economic and financial monitoring and surveillance in the region, sustainable development of inland water transport, integration of older persons into the work of the United Nations and national socio-economic programmes and closer regional cooperation for tackling the Year 2000 computer problem (Y2K).
The Commission also reconfirmed the position of ESCAP as the main economic and social development centre within the United Nations system for the Asian and Pacific region. Ministers and senior officials from 49 ESCAP member and associate member countries, along with representatives from other United Nations bodies and specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, attended the Commission session.
The theme chosen for this year's session was "Asia and the Pacific into the Twenty-first Century: Information Technology, Globalization, Economic Security and Development".
In her closing statement Nyam-Osoryn Tuya, Chairperson of the fifty- fifth session, urged governments in the region to sustain efforts and speed up reforms towards economic recovery and enhance international and regional initiatives for revamping global economic frameworks.
"Considering that the Asian crisis was not the first one in the last few years and that it may not be the last one in the coming years, countries are encouraged to fully participate in the formulation of the new international financial system", Ms. Tuya said.
Emphasizing the need for growth with equity, Ms. Tuya said that the liberalization process had to be managed carefully by countries in line with
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the condition of domestic institutions, level of human resource development and economic governance.
"While the top priority in the short run will have to be the provision of social safety nets, in the medium run, developing countries in the region should establish an effective and efficient framework for social protection", Ms Tuya said. The Chairperson also urged countries in the region to adopt proper policies for use of information and communication technology in national development and enhance regional trade and economic cooperation.
In his closing remarks to the fifty-fifth Commission session, Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, thanked member and associate member countries for their interest and support for various programmes being implemented by ESCAP.
"With the continued support of the membership, I have no doubt that the Commission will continue to prevail as a truly representative intergovernmental body for addressing the major economic and social issues of our time", Mr. Mooy said. The Executive Secretary also stressed that ESCAP remained committed to exploring new avenues and modalities of regional cooperation that could benefit members, especially the neediest of them.
The Commission, in a resolution on economic and financial monitoring and surveillance in the region, requested ESCAP to study possible regional mechanisms for the exchange of information and early warning systems to tackle the financial and economic situation. It also urged greater sharing of information about policies adopted by countries in the region in response to the Asian economic crisis.
The Commission requested ESCAP to pay special attention to the implications of the financial crisis for developing countries by providing them with appropriate advisory services and technical assistance.
Another resolution on sustainable development of inland water transport urged concerned members and associate members of ESCAP to integrate inland water transport into their overall transport network and also work towards facilitating international traffic.
The resolution called for adoption of appropriate legislation for the protection and effective utilization of inland waterways, strengthening of inland water transporters in the informal sector and the development of tourism along inland waterways.
The Commission requested ESCAP to assist concerned member States to formulate policies, provide technical assistance and promote human resource development for improving inland water transport.
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In a resolution on strengthening regional cooperation for addressing the Y2K problem, the Commission urged all governments to take early and effective action to bring their countries to the highest possible level of Y2K readiness in order to minimize adverse effects on vital sectors. It encouraged all members to share their experiences in resolving the problem and asked the secretariat to facilitate such regional cooperation.
The Commission endorsed the Macau Declaration and Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific, and urged all governments to pay attention to older persons in severe poverty and enable them to have access to basic health services. It called upon members and associate members to set up and strengthen national mechanisms on ageing to enable them to coordinate the observance of the International Year of Older Persons during 1999.
The Commission also called for strengthening the main areas of ESCAP work in promoting regional economic cooperation, poverty alleviation, environment and natural resources development, transport, communications, tourism and infrastructure development, and statistics, as well as in providing effective utilization of development assistance to least developed, landlocked and island developing countries.
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