First official China-based UN organization HQ set up

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 27, 2003

First official China-based UN organization HQ set up

The Asian and Pacific Center for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (APCAEM), the first official China-based United Nations organization headquarters, opened for business Wednesday in Beijing.

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The Asian and Pacific Center for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (APCAEM), the first official China-based United Nations organization headquarters, opened for business Wednesday.

Kim Hak Su, a UN undersecretary, said at the second session of the APCAEM the UN organization would play a role in eliminating poverty, balancing the impact of globalization on developing countries and solving common social problems.

The APCAEM is one of the four organizations under the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

The APCAEM, which now has 15 members, all China's neighboring countries, covers a wide range of research areas, including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, cash crop production and fisheries, as well as genetic engineering and agricultural information projects.

Xu Kuangdi, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said members of the APCAEM are facing tasks of solving rural unemployment problems, increasing farmers' incomes and boosting the rural economy.

The huge human resources in China will provide opportunities for cooperation between China and the APCAEM, said Xu, who is also vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the highest advisory body in China.

Xu Guanghua, Chinese minister of science and technology, said the APCAEM has advantages in agricultural information, human resources and technology. "So I hope it will benefit the 30 million poor farmers in China, who need special agricultural assistance."

More Int'l organizations to set up headquarters in China

Kim Hak-Su said China has a competitive edge in terms of hosting international organization offices due to its rapid socioeconomic development and he expects more international organizations to set up their head offices in China.

However, Kim said, Chinese cities need to enhance their facilities to attract more international organizations, including high-quality bilingual schools and leisure facilities of various kinds.

He suggested China learn from the experience of successful host cities of international organizations, such as Vienna and Geneva.

The APCAEM, founded in 1977, currently has 15 member countries. It is one of the four organizations under the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, where Kim also serves as executive secretary.

There are some 40,000 international organizations around the globe, but only a few have set up their head offices in China so far.

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