Some thirty representatives of the Russian government, academic circles, civil society and the media took part in the launch of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2009 report, organized by the United Nations Information Centre in Moscow.
On 26 March 2009, the
United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Moscow organized a meeting of government officials, members of the academic community and journalists in order to launch the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific’s (ESCAP) flagship publication,
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2009. Following brief opening remarks by the UNIC Director, the floor was given to the Head of Economic Research at the Institute of Energy and Finances in Moscow. He gave a concise and clear overview of the region’s economic performance in 2008 and the outlook for 2009, outlining in general terms the "triple threats to development" in the region as the cross-cutting theme of the document. He examined the rapidly evolving financial crisis, the fuel and food price hike and the climate
change-associated phenomena that impacted the region’s economic performance in 2008. He also emphasized the unique role of the Asia and Pacific region, where the majority of the global population and the bulk of the world’s poor is concentrated and which is also increasingly a target of the most devastating natural disasters.
The next speaker was the Economic Affairs Officer of ESCAP who focused in more detail on subregional variations of economic performance and the report's proposed policy responses. Having summed up the specific effect the crisis has had on the sub-regions of ESCAP, the expert pointed out that convergence of triple threats has changed the macroeconomic landscape in a fundamental way. A key issue for the region is how Asia and the Pacific will use fiscal policy in 2009, he emphasized.
He also listed the resumption of economic growth, strengthening the social cohesion and emphasis of sustainable development as three elements of inclusive recovery.
Panelists and participants engaged in a lively discussion, which involved issues related to the methodology and main findings of the survey and the specificity of the financial and economic crisis in Russia. While praising the overall high quality of the report, the participants also pointed to what they viewed as possible room for improvement, including more attention paid to country-specific analyses.