ECAFE's Annual Session Opens in New Zealand

The twenty-first session of the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) was opened today in Wellington by Keith Holyoake, the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Attended by about 300 delegates from 34 Asian and non-Asian countries, the session is expected to end on 29 March. The Commission elected J. h. Marshall, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, as Chairman, and Manubhai Shah, India's Minister for International Trade, and Bunchana Atthakor, Thailand's Deputy Minister of National Development, as its two Vice-Chairmen, The Commission adopted its agenda and began debate on the economic situation of the region.
At the presiding table, from left: Mr. H. Kitamura, Acting Chief of ECAFE's Research and Planning Division; U Nyun, ECAFE's Executive Secretary; Mr. J.R. Marshall, Chairman; Mr. B. Atthakor, Vice-Chairman; and Mr. Victor Hoo, UN Commissioner for Technical Assistance, who delivered a message from the Secretary-General at the inaugural session.