Asia

Iraq, SARS cloud UN forecast of Asia-Pacific region's economic growth

17 April 2003
While a new United Nations report forecasts continued growth in the Asia-Pacific economies, that positive trend could be jeopardized by new domestic and global challenges.

UN official calls for full Asian-Pacific participation in world trade forum

31 March 2003
Making a plea for multilateral cooperation, a senior United Nations official today called for full membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) by Asian and Pacific states that had yet to join.

Chronic environmental problems depleting forest resources in South Asia, UN reports

22 January 2003
South Asia suffers from excessive land degradation, desertification and habitat fragmentation, depleting the wide variety of forest products that are an important source of food, medicine and income for indigenous people, according to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

New UN publication warns of severe hardship for millions of workers in Asia

27 November 2002
Five years after the 1997 financial crisis, many workers in Southeast Asia are just one paycheque away from extreme poverty, according to a new publication by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Paralysis by Asian banks threatens to stunt region’s economic recovery – UN report

23 October 2002
Banks in Asia are afraid to lend, and companies are reluctant to borrow, resulting in a deadly circle that threatens to keep economic growth muted across much of the region, according to a new comprehensive joint-study published today by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Asia-Pacific countries paying heavy price for 'grow now, clean up later' policy, UN says

30 August 2002
Countries in Asia and the Pacific are paying heavily for a "grow now, clean up later" environmental policy, resulting in major ecological problems, including shrinking forests, widespread land degradation and an overall increase in pollution, according to a new United Nations study.

UN report finds contaminated water single biggest killer of children in Asia-Pacific

14 August 2002
Polluted water and poor sanitation are the biggest killers of children in Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the region (ESCAP) says in a new publication released ahead of an upcoming UN forum on the environment and development.

New UN study details regional, global impacts of vast pollution cloud in South Asia

12 August 2002
A new study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests that a vast blanket of pollution stretching across South Asia is damaging agriculture, modifying rainfall patterns and putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk.

Mayors from 50 Asian cities at UN forum pledge cooperation to overcome region's ills

10 July 2002
Mayors from 50 Asian cities gathered at a United Nations-sponsored meeting in Bangkok have agreed to work together to overcome poverty, the devastating effects caused by war, and lack of access to clean water.

UN Asia-Pacific commission plans changes to focus more on poverty, globalization

21 May 2002
The United Nations commission for Asia and the Pacific today announced that government officials from the region have agreed to a plan that would revamp the agency's work by focusing it more on poverty reduction, globalization and emerging social issues.