The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Intergovernmental Development Servicesunescap.org

ESCAP is the UN's regional development arm for Asia and the Pacific, serving 53 member states and 9 associate members through intergovernmental cooperation, policy advisory, capacity building, and a portfolio of data platforms, databases, publications, and six regional institutions, funded entirely by member-state assessed contributions.

Company typePrivate
Founded1947
HeadquartersBangkok, Thailand
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific does

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region, established in 1947 in Shanghai as the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) and renamed ESCAP in 1976 when it relocated to Bangkok. As one of five UN regional commissions, ESCAP operates under a UN Charter-derived mandate to convene 53 member states and 9 associate members for intergovernmental cooperation on macroeconomic policy, trade, transport, environment, ICT, disaster risk reduction, social development, statistics, and energy. Its core products are a portfolio of digital knowledge platforms and databases — including the Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway, Asia-Pacific Trade Analytics Portal, Trade Intelligence and Negotiation Adviser (TINA), Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Agreements Database, Cross-border Paperless Trade Database, Asia-Pacific Risk and Resilience Portal, and the ARTNeT research network — supplemented by flagship publications (Asia-Pacific Disaster Report, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Journal) and six regional institutions (APCICT, APCTT, APDIM, SIAP, CSAM, and the Bangkok-based UN Conference Centre). ESCAP delivers technical assistance, capacity building, policy advisory, and intergovernmental consensus-building services through its Bangkok headquarters, five subregional offices (Almaty, Suva, Beijing, New Delhi, South-East Asia), and an extensive network of intergovernmental committee sessions and expert working groups. Its business model is non-commercial: ESCAP is funded through assessed contributions from member states via the UN regular budget and voluntary contributions, and does not charge fees for services provided to governments, UN agencies, or development partners. Recent strategic activity includes the 2025 launch of the Central Asia+ Accelerator with ITFC, the April 2026 launch of the South Asia Heat and Health Information Network Hub, and the establishment of the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development via Resolution 82/4.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific firmographics

Firmographics

Name: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Legal name: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Website: https://unescap.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1947
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: ESCAP is the UN's regional development arm for Asia and the Pacific, serving 53 member states and 9 associate members through intergovernmental cooperation, policy advisory, capacity building, and a portfolio of data platforms, databases, publications, and six regional institutions, funded entirely by member-state assessed contributions.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific industry classification

Industry

Product category: Intergovernmental Development Services
NAICS: International Affairs (928120)
SIC: International Affairs (9721)
akta.pro primary industry: ESG Strategy & Materiality Assessment (EUAHAJAA)
akta.pro secondary industries: Stakeholder Engagement & ESG Governance (Policies, KPIs, incentives) (EUAHAJAJ), ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

Keywords

Intergovernmental policy advisory
Sustainable development cooperation
Regional economic integration
Capacity building services
Statistical data systems

Where The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Bangkok
HQ country: Thailand
HQ region: Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific product offering

Product offering

Core offering

ESCAP functions as the UN's regional development arm for Asia and the Pacific, providing policy advisory, technical assistance, and capacity building to 53 member states and 9 associate members. It operates a portfolio of digital knowledge platforms and databases (including the Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway, Trade Analytics Portal, TINA, ARTNeT, and Trade Agreements Database) alongside flagship publications, statistical training, and the United Nations Conference Centre Bangkok. Core functions include intergovernmental consensus-building, regional cooperation on trade, transport, energy, disaster risk reduction, ICT, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Product overview

ESCAP functions as a platform-based intergovernmental organization offering a portfolio of interconnected digital knowledge platforms, databases, and publications rather than a unified commercial product. The core offerings include the Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway for data access, multiple trade analytics and intelligence platforms (Trade Analytics Portal, TINA, Trade Agreements Database), regional institution networks (ARTNeT, APCICT, APCTT, APDIM, CSAM, SIAP), and major publications (Asia-Pacific Disaster Report, Economic and Social Survey, Sustainable Development Journal). These are complemented by the UN Conference Centre Bangkok providing physical and virtual conference services, and e-learning platforms for capacity building. The products serve member states, policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners across 53 member countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway A comprehensive data portal providing access to SDG indicators, dashboards, and progress tracking for the Asia-Pacific region.
Asia-Pacific Trade Analytics Portal
Trade Intelligence and Negotiation Adviser (TINA)
Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Agreements Database
Asia-Pacific Trade Indicators Portal
Asia-Pacific Risk and Resilience Portal
Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT)
Cross-border Paperless Trade Database
UN Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation
ESCAP e-learning Platform
Asia-Pacific Disaster Report
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific
Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Journal
Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP)
Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT)
Asian and Pacific Center for Transfer of Technology (APCTT)
Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM)
Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM)
United Nations Conference Centre Bangkok (UNCC)
Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development Regional centre to promote digital cooperation and solutions for sustainable development across Asia and the Pacific.
South Asia Heat and Health Hub South Asia Hub of the Global Heat Health Information Network coordinating heat early warnings, training, and policy action across South Asia.
Central Asia+ Accelerator (CA+A) Startup support accelerator programme jointly by ESCAP and ITFC supporting selected startups across Central Asia and Azerbaijan with mentorship, network access, and financing support.

Quantifiable outcome

14 startups supported through Central Asia+ Accelerator with measurable outcomes including first sales and international market entry
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Hosted the South Asia Hub of the Global Heat Health Information Network on World Health Day in New Delhi. CEEW serves as one of five coordinating partners working in tandem with IITM and IMD to improve heat early warnings and coordinated policy action.
SFC (Organization)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026One of five coordinating partners in the South Asia Heat and Health Hub consortium
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026One of five coordinating partners in the South Asia Heat and Health Hub consortium working on heat health information network
BRAC JPGSPHsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026One of five coordinating partners in the South Asia Hub of the Global Heat Health Information Network
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Technical partner working in tandem with the South Asia Heat and Health Hub on heat early warnings
India Meteorological Department (IMD)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Government agency partner working in tandem with the South Asia Heat and Health Hub on heat monitoring and warnings
International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint launch of the Central Asia+ Accelerator (CA+A) in 2025 to support 14 selected startups across Central Asia and Azerbaijan. The programme combined mentorship from Gobi Partners, entrepreneurship organization GUIDE, and individual investors to accelerate integration of Central Asian startups into global entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Gobi PartnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Pan-Asian venture capital firm providing mentorship to startups in the Central Asia+ Accelerator programme
GUIDE (Entrepreneurship Organization)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Entrepreneurship organization providing mentorship and support to startups in the Central Asia+ Accelerator programme
Statistics Indonesia (BPS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped the 'Mixed Method approach' combining satellite imagery with ground-truth survey data to improve rice production estimates, part of the One Data in Rice program
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support alongside ESCAP for Statistics Indonesia's rice production monitoring initiative, with funding from the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund
BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment research agency collaborating on the rice production statistics initiative with Statistics Indonesia
Bappenas (National Development Planning Agency, Indonesia)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational planning agency collaborating on the rice production statistics initiative
Ministry of Agriculture (Indonesia)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry collaborating on rice production statistics initiative
Eurasian Development BanksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerESCAP participated in the Eurasian Development Bank's Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan to present on new power transmission projects in Central Asia

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE): Sister UN regional commission serving Europe (and North America/Central Asia), with comparable intergovernmental mandate, subregional structure, statistical capacity building, and SDG-tracking data platforms. Most directly analogous peer by structure and function.
UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC): Sister UN regional commission with the same institutional design — intergovernmental convening, technical assistance, annual flagship publication, subregional offices — operating across Latin America and the Caribbean. Direct functional peer to ESCAP.
UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA): One of the five UN regional commissions, with parallel mandate in policy advisory, statistics, trade, and sustainable development support for African member states. Same governance model and funding structure as ESCAP.
UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA): Fifth UN regional commission, covering Arab states with comparable intergovernmental convening, research publication, and capacity-building functions. Closest structural peer among the UN regional commission family.

Broad incumbents

Asian Development Bank (ADB): Founded out of ECAFE (ESCAP's predecessor) in 1966, ADB is the largest Asia-Pacific regional development finance institution. Operates across overlapping themes (infrastructure, climate, trade, SDGs) but with a lending-led rather than advisory-led model.
World Bank Group: Global development institution with deep Asia-Pacific country engagement through IBRD/IDA lending, policy advice, and analytics. Overlaps with ESCAP on macroeconomics, poverty, climate, and trade but operates at country/project level with vastly larger resources.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): UN's primary operational development agency with country offices across the Asia-Pacific. Shares mandate on SDG implementation, capacity building, and policy advisory but executes projects rather than convening intergovernmentally.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): UN agency focused on trade, investment, and development. Overlaps directly with ESCAP's Trade, Investment and Innovation Division and produces parallel trade databases (e.g., UNCTADstat). Functional peer on trade policy and statistics.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Intergovernmental policy forum producing comparative economic and development statistics across member and partner economies. Comparable in publishing authoritative regional outlooks and statistical products, though OECD operates with different membership criteria.
World Trade Organization (WTO): Intergovernmental organization governing international trade rules. Overlaps with ESCAP's trade facilitation and paperless trade work (e.g., Cross-border Paperless Trade Database, Trade Agreements Database) and convenes Asia-Pacific members on shared trade policy issues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries5 records

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

What does The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific do?

Is The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific a public or private company?

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific founded?

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific was founded in 1947. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific based?

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, in the Asia region.

Who are The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Broad incumbents are Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank Group, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

Does The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific have an API?

No public API is recorded for The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

What industry is The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in?

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's product category is Intergovernmental Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAJAA, ESG Strategy & Materiality Assessment, with a secondary code of EUAHAJAJ, Stakeholder Engagement & ESG Governance (Policies, KPIs, incentives). Its NAICS code is 928120 and its SIC code is 9721.