Description:Having been created in 1947, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is now 60 years old and is entering its seventh decade at a time when the United Nations system as a whole is going through a period of reflection and reform. This book attempts to embed ESCAPs story into that of the Asian and Pacific region as a whole, which has moved from a region stamped by the effects of a long colonial history, to its emergence as a major player on the global scene.