ESCAP

Escap is a term that can refer to more than one concept, most notably the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, which is commonly abbreviated as ESCAP. ESCAP is a United Nations regional commission established in 1947 to promote economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific. It is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, and operates as a forum for intergovernmental dialogue, policy analysis, and technical cooperation among its member and associate member states, UN agencies, and other partners.

The commission focuses on a range of development priorities, including trade and investment, transport and infrastructure, energy, environment and disaster risk reduction, statistics, and macroeconomic policy. ESCAP conducts research, collects and analyzes regional data, and provides technical assistance and capacity-building to governments and institutions. It also serves as a regional platform to monitor progress toward development goals and to implement regional programs aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addition to publishing reports and statistical databases, ESCAP organizes regional conferences and facilitates collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector to advance development objectives.

Outside of this organizational usage, escap is not a widely recognized term in English. In most sources, the lowercase form may be a misspelling or variant of the word “escape,” or, when capitalized, an acronym for ESCAP. See also Escape and ESCAP for related topics.