Continuing its history of outreach and communications for the Regional Commission in Bangkok, UNIC New Delhi organized the media launch of the 2011 ESCAP Annual Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, on 5 May 2011, in which 50 media persons, including national and international print and electronic media, participated.
In her welcome address, UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman noted that the Survey focused on Sustaining Dynamism and Inclusive Development, tackling two themes: Connectivity in the region and Productive Capacity in LDCs.
UNIC Director also flagged to the media a major concern of the Survey that a new threat to the region’s progress towards reaching MDG 1 - of halving hunger and poverty by 2015 - was the surge in oil prices, which could affect economic dynamism in Asia and the Pacific.
The Chief Guest at our launch was Dr. Kaushik Basu, Chief Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of India. In his keynote address, Prof. Basu said that high growth should not remain an end in itself, but rather be an instrument of inclusive groth and social developmet.
Prof. G.K. Chadha, economist and President, South Asian University, took the media on a chapter-by-chapter understanding of the Survey. He commented positively on ESCAP’s triple prescription for controlling inflation: action by individual countries, action by regional blocs and global action under the leadership of the UN.
ESCAP representative Dr. Amitava Mukherjee presented concluding remarks.