Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific located in Bangkok, Thailand, is the regional development arm of the UN for the Asia-Pacific region. Made up of 53 Member States and 9 Associate Members, it has a geographical scope that stretches from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, and from the Russian Federation in the north to New Zealand in the south. The Asia and the Pacific region is home to 4.1 billion people, or two thirds of the world’s population. This makes ESCAP the most comprehensive of the five regional commissions of the United Nations, and the largest UN body serving the Asia-Pacific region, with over 600 staff.
Subregional Offices of ESCAP
There are four subregional offices of ESCAP. They are: East and North-East Asia, North and Central Asia, the Pacific, and South and South-West Asia.
Climate Preparedness
The ESCAP Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness, established in 2005, now provides overall disaster and climate preparedness.
UN Peacekeeping Operations in Asia and the Pacific
There is one United Nations peacekeeping operations in Asia and the Pacific:
United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations has Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys to the Asia and the Pacific region.
Department of Political Affairs (DPA)
The UN’s Department of Political Affairs works in countries in the Asia and the Pacific region.
Department of Public Information (DPI)
There are 11 UN Information Centres in the Asia and the Pacific region. There is also an Information Service located in Bangkok, which is part of ESCAP.
UN System Offices in Asia and the Pacific
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP delivers country and regional programmes in Asia and the Pacific through country offices.
UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
UNCDF has country programmes in countries in the Asia and Pacific region.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF has regional offices for East Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, and a regional office in Nepal for South Asia. It also has country offices in East Asia and the Pacific, and country offices in South Asia.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
UNFPA has a Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand, a Sub-Regional Office in Suva, Fiji, and country offices for Asia and the Pacific.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
UNHCR works in four regions in Asia and the Pacific: Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, South-East Asia and South-West Asia.
World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO works in the South-East Asia region and the Western Pacific region. The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia is located in New Delhi, India. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific is located in Manila, the Philippines.
Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
UNAIDS works in countries in Asia and the Pacific.
International Labour Organization (ILO)
The ILO works in countries in Asia and the Pacific. It's Regional Office is in Bangkok, Thailand.
UN Women
The UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is located in Bangkok, Thailand. UN Women also has country offices for Asia and the Pacific.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
UNIDO has regional offices for Asia and the Pacific in Beijing, China, New Delhi, India, and Bangkok, Thailand. There are also five national offices.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
UNESCO is active in countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
OHCHR has a Pacific Regional Office in Suva, Fiji. The OHCHR Regional Office for South-East Asia is in Bangkok, Thailand.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
OCHA, part of the UN Secretariat, supports countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific. It has offices in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. It also has regional offices in Fiji and Thailand.
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
UNODC has offices in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
The UNOPS Asia, Europe and the Middle East Regional Office is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It also has country offices in Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is in Bangkok, Thailand. The FAO Subregional Office in the Pacific is in Apia, Samoa.
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
IFAD works in countries in Asia and the Pacific.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology for Asia and the Pacific (RCA) is an intergovernmental agreement among the Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency that are located in South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Far East. Currently, there are 21 parties to the RCA: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.
World Bank
The World Bank works in countries in East Asia and in South Asia.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The IMF works through its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, located in Tokyo, Japan.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
The ICAO Asia and Pacific Office is located in Bangkok, Thailand.
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The IMO has a Regional Presence Office for East Asia in Manila, Philippines. IMO also works in the Asia and Pacific Islands Region.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, and its Area office in Jakarta, Indonesia serve the ITU's Member States in the region, as well as the ITU Sector Members and Associates, most of which have their headquarters in the Region.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The WIPO Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific is responsible for provision of legal and technical assistance to developing and least developed countries in the Asia Pacific region.
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
The UN-Habitat Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), in Fukuoka, Japan, oversees UN-Habitat's activities in the Asia-Pacific region.