The 60th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) ended in Shanghai Wednesday. Executive Secretary Kim Hak-su said at the closing ceremony that the 60th session will be a milestone in the development of ESCAP and inject new vitality into the organization.  

During the seven-day session, more than 800 representatives from ESCAP members and associate members, related international organizations and the business community held discussions on the topic of meeting the challenges in the era of globalization by strengthening regional development cooperation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who also chaired the session, concluded that consensus had been reached on strengthening regional cooperation and meeting the challenges of globalization. 

Li said that Asian countries should work together to safeguard regional peace, develop friendly ties with neighboring countries, promote regional cooperation and realize common prosperity. 

Asian countries should travel a multilateral road, he said. They should try to safeguard the authority of the United Nations and strengthen its role. 

The Shanghai Declaration emphasizes ESCAP's role as the most representative body for the Asia-Pacific region. It also recognizes ESCAP's mandate as the main general economic and social development center within the United Nations system for the region, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, globalization and addressing emerging social issues.

Through the declaration, members and associate members of ESCAP committed to multilateralism and to addressing global issues through dialogue, consultation and cooperation.

ESCAP will encourage member countries to give priority to issues like reducing poverty and hunger, with a view toward halving poverty in the region by 2015.

ESCAP promised to revitalize the current round of multilateral trade negotiations, the international financial system and the Doha Development Round. It seeks to enable those countries in the region that are not yet members of the World Trade Organization to accede to it.

ESCAP will also continue to support regional and sub-regional cooperation in energy and water resource management and environmental protection, as well as in building public healthcare capacity. It seeks to coordinate a more effective and comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS and other diseases in the region. Greater regional cooperation will strengthen public safety and security.

ESCAP will fully implement the Monterey Consensus, cooperate with United Nations regional commissions, promote South-South cooperation and encourage the establishment of a regional network of research institutions and universities by 2006 in order to promote education, technical skills development and technology transfer.

The declaration also requests ESCAP to review on a regular basis the progress made in implementing the provisions of the declaration.

The 61st ESCAP Session will be held from April 21 to 27, 2005, in Bangkok, Thailand, on the topic of implementing the Monterey Consensus in the Asia-Pacific Region to achieve coherence and consistency.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2004)