The
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (
UNESCAP or
ESCAP), located in
Bangkok,
Thailand, is one of the five regional commissions of the
United Nations Economic and Social Council, under the administrative direction of the United Nations headquarters. It was established in 1947 (then as the
UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East,
ECAFE) to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. The name was changed to the current in 1974. ESCAP has 53 member States and nine Associate members. As well as countries in Asia and the Pacific, it includes France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.