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]
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
There are a total of 53 full member states and nine associate members, four of the member states are not geographically located in Asia or Oceania.
Full member states
The following countries are the full member states of the commission:[3]
† Change of name from Hong Kong to Hong Kong, China (01 July 1997)
ǂ Change of name to Macau, China (20 December 1999) and further changed to Macao, China (04 February 2000)
Locations
Headquarters
The commission was originally located in Shanghai, Republic of China, from its foundation until 1949, when it moved its headquarters to the United Nations Conference Centre in 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 and their headquarters are as follows:[8]
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:[10][11]
^United Nations Economic and Social Council (n.d.). "Subsidiary Bodies of ECOSOC". United Nations Economic and Social Council. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
^ abcUnited 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.
^ abcUnited 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.
^ abUnited 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.
^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.
^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.
^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.