Kazakhstan chairs 77th session of UN ESCAP
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi was elected Chairman of the session.
In his welcoming statement at the opening of the session Tileuberdi outlined the key challenges that the countries of the region face today and offered his vision of solving the existing problems.
Heads of State and Government of Asia and the Pacific region, including the heads of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, heads of international organizations and other dignitaries took part in the high segment of the 77th session under the theme «Building back better from crises through regional cooperation in Asia and the Pacific».
The speakers at the session exchanged views on the issues of regional cooperation and increased connectivity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ways to increase resilience to crises and accelerate socio-economic recovery from the pandemic.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) was established in March 1947. ESCAP is headquartered in Bangkok. The Commission’s goal is to assist the socio-economic development of the countries in Asia and the Pacific through the enhancement of regional and subregional cooperation.
The Commission includes 53 countries and 9 territories, endowed with the status of associate members. ESCAP is the most universal organization in the Asia-Pacific region and the largest of the UN regional commissions in terms of geographical coverage and population (about 60% of the world's population).
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was Chairman of the 61st session of ESCAP in 2005.