The 82nd session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has opened at the United Nations Conference Centre, which serves as the Commission’s headquarters. The forum is taking place in Bangkok and will run until 24 April. Turkmen delegation led by Perhat Yagshiyev, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, is taking part in the session, according to the press service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan has been a full member of ESCAP since 1992. During this time, the country has established active cooperation with the Commission in the fields of statistics, economic analysis, energy and transport, and has also authored a number of ESCAP resolutions aimed at deepening regional cooperation in the transport and environmental sectors.

The agenda of the 82nd session covers a wide range of issues: regional cooperation, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as issues relating to social development, environmental protection, disaster risk reduction, energy, transport, macroeconomic policy, development finance, trade, investment and entrepreneurship. Issues relating to information and communication technologies, science and innovation will be given special attention.

A Ministerial Meeting of SPECA member states is scheduled to take place during the session. It will focus on coordinated regional actions to establish a sustainable, efficient and environmentally-oriented transport and logistics system in the region. Participants will discuss the digitalisation and ‘green’ transformation of transit corridors, the development of e-commerce, the expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises’ participation in value chains, as well as the development of human resource capacity in the transport, logistics and digital sectors.