2011 Regional Meeting for Asia and the Pacific on “Promoting productive capacity, employment and decent work in Asia and the Pacific: a regional approach to sustained, inclusive and equitable growth and achieving the MDGs”

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Date: - Location: Kyoto, Japan

A regional meeting on the theme “Promoting productive capacity, employment and decent work in Asia and the Pacific: a regional approach to sustained, inclusive and equitable growth and achieving the MDGs”, will be held on 7 December 2011, in Kyoto, Japan. The meeting is organized in preparation for the 2012 ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), to be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York in July 2012, on the theme: “Promoting productive capacity, employment and decent work to eradicate poverty in the context of inclusive, sustainable and equitable economic growth at all levels for achieving the MDGs”. It will be hosted by the Government of Japan, in cooperation with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The meeting aims to bring together a diverse and comprehensive range of policy makers from the countries in the region, representatives of multilateral institutions, key donors, representatives of employers, trade unions and other members of civil society and the private sector, to identify trends and challenges in regards to productive capacity, employment and decent work in Asia and the Pacific. Considering the slowing global economic recovery, particularly in the developed economies, this focus aims to gain a better understanding of how the Asia and Pacific region can sustain growth and MDG progress by increasing productive capacity and aggregate demand while addressing issues of equity and inclusiveness. 

The regional meeting will consist of two plenary sessions. The first session will be devoted to a discussion of lessons learned and good practices from the region in regard to productive capacity and employment.  Countries which have recently undergone the Annual Ministerial Review of ECOSOC will be invited to share their progress on the MDGs and this year’s theme. The perspectives of civil society, the donor community and the private sector will also be included.  The second and concluding session will be devoted to a discussion of the main messages and policy recommendations to be transmitted to the 2012 ECOSOC AMR.  

For more information on the meeting, please contact Mr. Alberto Padova, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UN/DESA (+1 212 963-4759, @email)