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United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

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United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
AbbreviationESCAP
Formation28 March 1947; 78 years ago (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
Websiteunescap.org Edit this at Wikidata
icon Politics portal
Map showing the member states of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP or UNESCAP) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.[1][2] 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.[3]

The commission is composed of 53 member states and nine associate members, mostly from the Asia and Pacific regions.[4] 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.[5]

History

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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."[3]

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.[6][7]

Member states

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There are a total of 53 full ESCAP member states and nine associate members, four of the member states are not geographically located in Asia or Oceania.[8]

Full member states

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The following countries are the full member states of the commission:[4]

Notes:

* Not geographically located in Asia or Oceania

# Least Developed Country

† Continuation of membership of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

ǂ Continuation of membership of the Republic of China (ROC)

^ Continuation of membership of the French Fourth Republic

Associate members

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The following countries and territories are the associate members of the commission:[4]

Notes:

* Not a member state of the United Nations

† 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

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Headquarters

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The commission's headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand

The commission was originally located in Shanghai, China, from its foundation until 1949, when it moved its headquarters to the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand.[6]

Subregional offices

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The commission maintains five subregional offices in order to better target and deliver programs, given the large size of the region.[9]

The subregions and their headquarters are as follows:[10]

Executive secretaries

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The following is a list of the executive secretaries of the commission since its foundation:[11][12]

Member states
Secretary Country Term
11 Armida S. Alisjahbana  Indonesia 2018–present
10 Shamshad Akhtar  Pakistan 2014–2018
9 Noeleen Heyzer  Singapore 2007–2014
8 Kim Hak-su Republic of Korea 2000–2007
7 Adrianus Mooy  Indonesia 1995–2000
6 Rafeeuddin Ahmed  Pakistan 1992–1994
5 Shah A M S Kibria  Bangladesh 1981–1992
4 J. B. P. Maramis  Indonesia 1973–1981
3 U Nyun  Myanmar 1959–1973
2 Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan  India 1956–1959
1 Palamadai S. Lokanathan 1947–1956

Themes and programmes

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Implementing Sustainable Development Goals

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The road map of ESCAP on coherent implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals has not prioritized specific SDGs, but rather it has identified priority areas. Third-party consultations have fed into this road map, which also aimed to activate third parties, such as UN funds, specialized agencies, and regional organizations, to provide more support to Member States. The commission furthermore engages with other regional actors to link their agendas to the SDGs. One example is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community Vision 2025. However, regional agendas outside the SDG framework are continually evolving, as exemplified by the new ASEAN Recovery Framework and ASEAN’s Vision 2040.[13]

ESCAP has also established novel tools to structure its support to its member states and others. Examples include ESCAP’s SDG Rapid Response facility, used for individual and shared support requests, and its SDG Helpdesk, which offers a platform with tools, knowledge products, expertise, good practices, advice, opportunities for peer learning, and regional South-South Cooperation.[13] ESCAP also seeks to create interaction between debtors and creditors with a focus on the small island states in the Pacific. To date, this has been done through a Regional Debt Conference, rather than some more permanent tool.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Staff writer (2024). "United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)". UIA Global Civil Society Database. uia.org. Brussels, Belgium: Union of International Associations. Yearbook of International Organizations Online. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  2. ^ United Nations Economic and Social Council (n.d.). "Subsidiary Bodies of ECOSOC". United Nations Economic and Social Council. United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ a b c 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "ESCAP Members and Associate Members". ESCAP.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ List of countries in the Asia-Pacific region and subregions
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b c van Driel, Melanie; Biermann, Frank; Kim, Rakhyun E.; Vijge, Marjanneke J. (2023). "The UN Regional Commissions as Orchestrators for the Sustainable Development Goals". Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations. 29 (4): 561–590. doi:10.1163/19426720-02904006. ISSN 1075-2846. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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