23 pledge cash for ESCAP

23 pledge cash for ESCAP

BANGKOK (AFP): Twenty-three member states of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific have pledged US$13.77 million for ESCAP projects in 1995, ESCAP announced Saturday.

ESCAP Executive Secretary Adrianus Mooy of Indonesia, opening an annual pledging conference on Friday, said ESCAP was re- orienting its work program and putting more emphasis on technical cooperation activities.

An ESCAP statement said that 18 developing nations joined five developed countries (Australia, France, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand) in pledging the $13.77 million for the work program, regional institutions and special regional projects.

In addition, the German government has approved four projects for ESCAP which will boost total pledges for 1995 to slightly more than the $14.3 million contributed in 1994, the statement said.

Other contributions by member countries to the Coordination Committee for Offshore Prospecting of Mineral Resources (CCOP), the Asian and Pacific Development Center (APDC) and the Typhoon Committee were not reflected in the pledges announced, the statement added.