she was the first woman to serve as the executive secretary of the united nations economic and social commission for asia and the pacific (escap) since its founding in 1947. as the executive secretary (august 2007-january 2014), she strengthened escap's capacity and effectiveness to support the countries of the region, using its convening powers and standard-setting authority, rigorous analysis, technical and policy assistance to build the economic and social foundations for inclusive and sustainable development. she worked with key political leaders and decision-makers in 54 member states to shape regional policy agendas for asia pacific’s transition towards sustainable and shared prosperity, and established regional cooperation mechanisms to address the "new normal" of volatility, such as the food-fuel-finance crises and climate change. she focused on harnessing development opportunities through multi-stakeholder alliances and partnerships to sustain development gains, reduce poverty and inequalities, transforming the quality of people’s lives.