ESCAP to launch Economic and Social Survey of Asia and Pacific 2004, 16 APRIL

Despite Setbacks, Region Posts 'Robust Growth'

(Reissued as received.)

BANGKOK, 8 April (UN Information Service) -- The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will be launching its annual Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2004 in Hong Kong, China, on Friday, 16 April 2004.

The Survey will be presented to the media by Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong, China.  The Survey is also being simultaneously launched on the same day in 12 other capitals in the region with emphasis on their country's economic and social profiles, as well as in Headquarters in New York.

Despite the SARS crisis and the war in Iraq, the ESCAP developing region continued to show robust growth in 2003.  Regional growth was broad-based, while inflation remained low.  The main driving force behind this dynamic performance was intraregional trade and domestic demand, the Survey 2004 points out.

The Survey is the flagship publication of ESCAP and is being launched as a prelude to the upcoming annual sixtieth Commission session to be held from 22 to 28 April 2004 in Shanghai, China.

“Despite the robust economic growth, the region's greatest challenge remains the fight against poverty.  The multidimensional nature of poverty makes the work to address it a complex task.  It would require addressing both the income and non-income attributes of poverty.  And effective implementation requires genuine partnership among all actors, north and south,” said Mr. Kim.

This year's Survey examines poverty reduction strategies adopted by some 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific, with particular emphasis on their effectiveness in helping reach the Millennium Development Goals.

The Survey 2004 consists of three parts.  Part one is on Global and regional economic developments: implications and prospects for the ESCAP region.

Part two of the Survey 2004 is on the region's macroeconomic performance, issues and policies.  It discusses the potential and problematic issues facing the region such as the unwinding of global imbalances and the weakening of the dollar, which are primarily international character, but individual economies should take appropriate action to shield themselves from their deleterious effects.

Part three of the Survey examines trends in selected dimensions of poverty to ascertain the nature and extent of poverty in the region.  A critical review of national poverty reduction strategies and programmes, including those dealt with within the framework of poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs), is provided.

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