E/2000/39 E/ESCAP/1197 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC ANNUAL REPORT 29 April 1999-7 June 2000 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OFFICIAL RECORDS, 2000 SUPPLEMENT No. 19 UNITED NATIONS E/2000/39 E/ESCAP/1197 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC ANNUAL REPORT 29 April 1999-7 June 2000 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OFFICIAL RECORDS, 2000 SUPPLEMENT No.19 UNITED NATIONS New York, 2000 NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. E/2000/39 E/ESCAP/1197 ISSN: 0252 - 2284 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page Abbreviations................................................................................................................................ (iv) Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 1 1 Chapter I. ISSUES CALLING FOR ACTION BY THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OR BROUGHT TO ITS ATTENTION................................................... 2-3 1 A. Issues calling for action by the Economic and Social Council.................................. 2-3 1 B. Resolutions brought to the attention of the Economic and Social Council............... 1 II. WORK OF THE COMMISSION SINCE THE FIFTY-FIFTH SESSION...................... 4-6 2 A. Activities of the subsidiary bodies............................................................................. 4 2 B. Other activities.......................................................................................................... 5 2 C. Relations with other United Nations programmes.................................................... 6 2 III. FIFTY-SIXTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION.................................................... 7-428 3 A. Attendance and organization of work....................................................................... 7-20 3 B. Agenda........................................................................................................................ 21 4 C. Account of proceedings.................................................................... ........................ 22-428 5 Inaugural address by the Prime Minister of Thailand.......................................... 23-27 5 Statement by the Executive Secretary of ESCAP................................................. 28-31 5 Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations................................. 32-36 6 Membership of the Commission............................................................................... 37-38 6 Policy issues for the ESCAP region.......................................................................... 39-97 6 Policy statement by the Executive Secretary......................................................... 39-50 6 Implications of recent economic and social developments................................... 51-76 8 Development through globalization and partnership in the twenty-first century: an Asia-Pacific perspective for integrating developing countries and economies in transition into the international trading system on a fair and equitable basis..... 77-97 11 Implementation of Commission resolution 53/1 on restructuring the conference structure of the Commission....................................................................................... 98-106 14 Emerging issues and developments at the regional level.......................................... 107-313 14 Regional economic cooperation............................................................................. 107-147 14 Report of the Steering Group of the Committee on Regional Economic Cooperation on its eleventh meeting........................................ ......................... 108-115 14 Emerging issues and developments relevant to the subprogramme: regional economic cooperation........................................................................... 116-129 15 Economic and financial monitoring and surveillance in the ESCAP region....... 130-134 17 Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology.................................... 135-140 18 Regional Network for Agricultural Machinery................................................ 141-147 19 (i) CONTENTS (continued) Paragraphs Page Environment and natural resources development.................................................. 148-190 19 Report of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Development on its second session..................................................................... 148-160 19 Report of the Second Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific............................................... 161-171 21 Preparations for the fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000........................................................ 172-177 22 Emerging issues and developments related to environment and natural resources development: mineral supply and land-use planning.......................... 178-187 23 Regional perspective on energy for sustainable development.......................... 188-190 24 Socio-economic measures to alleviate poverty in rural and urban areas.............. 191-237 24 Report of the Committee on Socio-economic Measures to Alleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas on its second session.................................................. 192-197 24 The empowerment of the rural poor through decentralization in poverty alleviation activities............................................................................................ 198-202 25 Progress in the implementation of resolutions and decisions.............................. 203-215 26 Report of the Senior Officials' Meeting on the Agenda for Action on Social Development in the ESCAP Region.................................................................... 216-220 28 Guidelines on the implementation of the Macao Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific...................................................................................... 221-222 28 Report on the observance of the International Year of Older Persons and on progress in the implementation of the Macao Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific...................................................................................... 223-224 28 Equalization of opportunities: inclusion of disabled persons in the development process........................................................................................... 225-227 29 Report of the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Review Regional Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action............................................ 228-232 29 Regional Coordination Centre for Research and Development of Coarse Grains, Pulses, Roots and Tuber Crops in the Humid Tropics of Asia and the Pacific.......................................................................................................... 233-237 30 Transport, communications, tourism and infrastructure development................ 238-266 30 Statistics................................................................................................................. 267-303 33 Emerging issues and developments in statistics.................................................. 267-287 33 Progress achieved and difficulties encountered in addressing the Y2K problem 288-291 36 Report on the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific............................... 292-303 36 Least developed, landlocked and island developing countries.............................. 304-313 37 Programme planning.................................................................................................. 314-340 38 Draft medium-term plan of ESCAP for the period 2002-2005............................... 314-322 38 Implementation of the programme of work for the biennium 1998-1999................ 323-335 39 Proposed programme changes, 2000-2001 ............................................................. 336-339 40 Tentative calendar of meetings and training programmes, April 2000-March 2001 340 41 Technical cooperation activities of ESCAP and announcement of intended contributions.............................................................................................................. 341-390 41 (ii) CONTENTS (continued) Paragraphs Page Reports of regional intergovernmental bodies.......................................................... 391-418 46 Asian and Pacific Development Centre................................................................ 391-397 46 Coordinating Committee for Coastal and Offshore Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia.................................................................................... 398-401 47 Mekong River Commission.................................................................................. 402-405 47 Typhoon Committee.............................................................................................. 406-410 48 Panel on Tropical Cyclones.................................................................................... 411-418 48 Activities of the Advisory Committee of Permanent Representatives and Other Representatives Designated by Members of the Commission........................ 419-425 49 Date, venue and any other subject pertaining to the fifty-seventh session of the Commission...................................................................................................