Interview with H.E. Mr. Oscar R. de Rojas, deputy Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the UN and Chairman of the Second Committee of the 52nd UNGA session
RC Newsletter: You have been an architect of the GA resolution 50/227 which, inter alia, mandated the ECOSOC to undertake a review of the regional commissions (RCs). The Secretary-General's Track II reform proposals also contain provision for their review by the ECOSOC. Should the two processes converge, bearing in mind that the 1997 substantive session of ECOSOC has favourably evaluated the reforms carried out by the five RCs so far?
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| "This is where the regional commissions - with their universality and impartiality as regional arms of the UN in economic and social fields - can make enornous contributions to support, safeguard and advance open regionalism in the world today." |
Amb. Rojas: From the procedural point of view, the General Assembly, under the able leadership of President Udovenko, is just now considering how to deal with the Secretary-General's set of proposals for the reform and restructuring of the United Nations. I should say at the outset that, in my view, the Secretary-General's proposals constitute a very logical, positive and coherent whole. Undoubtedly, certain elements of the programme do overlap with some of the on-going processes of reform that have already been agreed to by Member States and started before July of this year.
For instance, the substantive session of ECOSOC in the summer carried out a review of the reform and restructuring already undertaken by or underway in the various regional commissions, in compliance with the relevant provisions of resolution 50/227. In my view, the Secretary-General's proposal on the regional commissions should not be seen as a new, different process; rather they should be converging exercises. I think many delegations would find unnecessary yet another separate review of the regional commissions, especially when these have responded effectively to the GA's call for reform, under guidance of the ECOSOC. With regard to our particular experience with ECLAC, which we hold in very high esteem throughout Latin America, I believe that the Mem-ber States will insist on strengthening it in every possible way.
For the reform and restructuring of the UN's economic and social sectors, now is the time for consolidation, as the Secretary-General himself has said. Let us get done with the reform work in these areas now, so that the UN can get on with its substantive work in the areas of development and international economic cooperation. For the regional commissions, therefore, I would hope that the ECOSOC, perhaps in its resumed session early next year, will be asked by the General Assembly to pronounce itself conclusively on the review process, including all reform proposals.
RC Newsletter: All these years, the normative work and the operational activities of the RCs have been considered to be indispensable and mutually reinforcing. But, there are now advocates for separating these roles. How do you see the future of the RCs in this context?
Amb. Rojas: I know that for the RCs, the normative work and the operational work have gone hand in hand, supporting each other. They have been mutually reinforcing, each sustaining the other. For them, I think, the two roles are indispensable. I believe it would be very difficult for the developing countries to accept a separation between the normative and operational work of the RCs. What is needed, nonetheless, is to retain a balance between the two.
RC Newsletter: From your experience of working with SELA and of ECLAC, what role do you envisage for the RCs to advance open regionalism and regional cooperation?
Amb. Rojas: From my experience with SELA, we view ECLAC's work as being complementary and mutually supportive. Regional integration groupings in Latin America and the Caribbean have small secretariats with very limited capacities. This is true for organizations like MERCOSUR or ANDEAN Group or CARICOM, - even for SELA which is more universal. They all depend tremendously on ECLAC for data, information and analytical work in various fields including trade and finance, and for identifying the potential areas of development cooperation. Together with IDB and OAS, ECLAC is now working to promote the idea of economic integration of the Hemisphere through establishing a free trade area. For us, this type of support by ECLAC is indispensable.
The key word is "open regionalism" which is now an irreversible process. Even the European Union is integrating in order to globalize. The same is happening in Asia and Latin America. This is where the regional commissions--with their universality and impartiality as regional arms of the United Nations in economic and social fields--can make enormous contributions to support, safeguard and advance open regionalism in the world today.
A Regional Presence for a Global Organization
The ongoing debate about the role of the regional commissions, in the context of the UN reform process, compels a closer examination of a number of issues: What are the common and specific roles of the commissions in their respective regions? What is their place in the architecture of regional institutions? And are they still needed?
First, a prefatory comment about their place within the United Nations system. An international organization with universal membership, the United Nations operates at three levels: global, regional and country. The regional commissions are the regional expressions of the UN with a mandate to foster economic and social development in their respective regions. In most of the regions the UN regional commissions are the oldest organizations, predating some of the regional political institutions, and in some regions remain the only regional forum for policy dialogue and economic and social development issues. While antiquity is no warranty of continued existence, a record of creative adaptations and innovativeness certainly is.
Many of today's regional and sub-regional inter-governmental economic groupings, including development finance institutions, were created either as a direct result of initiatives by the regional commissions, or with the commissions' close involvement and technical support. Examples of their landmark interventions are numerous: ESCAP's initiatives in the 1950s and 1960s led to the establishment of the Asian Development Bank (AsDB), as well as such ventures as the Asian Highway and the Mekong River basin project. ECA spearheaded the initiative to establish the African Development Bank (ADB), the region's premier multilateral development finance institution, in 1964. The commission was also pivotal in the setting up of the Preferential Trade Area (PTA) of Eastern Africa, and gave strong technical support for the creation of 16-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECE provided the forum for initial discussions that led to the establishment of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Eastern Europe (CSCE, now OSCE).
As a group, the regional commissions play an active role as advocates in the regions. They promote common technical standards in areas ranging from transport, environment and industry by offering technical assistance to their member states.
Today's regional landscape may be littered with institutions working in the development domain. However, the regional commissions stand out -- both as regional arms of the United Nations in economic and social matters, and as an important part of the architecture of regional institutions.
ECLAC's creation in 1948 was opposed by a major power on the grounds that it would constitute a duplication of the work of the OAS. It was initially given a two-year, trial basis, lease of life. However, in the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy launched the "Alliance for Progress", a formal partnership was established between ECLA (as it then was), the IDB and the OAS, to promote development in Latin America and the Caribbean, through joint technical assistance missions, training and seminars. The partnership was re-created in December 1994, when Heads of States of 34 countries, meeting in Miami, decided to forge a hemisphere-wide free trade area by the year 2005. A tripartite committee, made up of the IDB, the OAS and ECLAC, was mandated to provide technical backstopping. This partnership is functioning very successfully.
ECE's symbiosis with other European institutions is profound: it assists OSCE in the economic dimensions of security, in particular by providing the main substantive contributions to the OSCE Economic Forum and to seminars; its comprehensive agenda on environmental issues complements the Council of Europe's focus on nature conservation; the European Union has taken up a number of ECE's norms and standards, while ECE uses EU directives as a basis for adopting norms and standards at the regional level within the ECE framework -- particularly in the transport sector; and similar cooperation exists with the OECD.
ESCAP, being the only region-wide organization in the Asia-Pacific region, provides a much-needed forum for the specially disadvantaged countries, including the least developed, landlocked and island developing countries. The commission also promotes partnership alliances among subgroups of countries and the growing number of subregional organizations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the South Pacific Commission and the Forum Secretariat. To foster closer cooperation with the subregional organizations, a system of annual consultations between the executive heads of these organizations and ESCAP was initiated in 1994.
"The regional commissions stand out--both as regional arms of the United Nations in economic and social matters, and as an important part of the architecture of regional institutions."
ESCWA was instrumental in propagating international norms, standards and concepts such as the implementation of the 1993 System of National Accounts. In 1996-97, the commission's role as a focal point, convener and catalyst was demonstrated by the fact it was able to further regional cooperation in various fields with some 32 organizations. This year, as part of its strategy to assist countries to get attuned to the globalization process, ESCWA established a subsidiary body - a technical committee on liberalization of foreign trade and economic globalization. The Committee will start meeting annually in 1998.
A resolution of the OAU summit of Heads of State and Government in 1989 constituted a joint secretariat made up of the OAU, ECA and ADB, for the purpose of supporting the establishment of the African Economic Community (AEC). Within this framework ECA has participated in the preparation of protocols elaborating various components of the Treaty establishing the AEC, as well as in providing technical support to the sub-regional economic communities. More recently, in 1996, ECA was mandated by the member states as the lead organization in the region for the African Information Society Initiative (AISI), a framework for putting in place a development-serving information infrastructure for the continent.
"Without the commissions, the United Nations would be devoid of a regional perspective as well as a regional presence and mechanism for reporting to region-specific needs in the development field."
The record of creative adjustments and involvement of the regional commissions in regional cooperation provides part of the answer to the report on Global Governance which recognizes the importance of regional cooperation but questions whether regional commissions are the bodies to be strengthened.
The commissions offer a forum for dialogue between the different subregional groupings, a shared umbrella under which harmonization of norms and practices between all countries of the region can take place. In addition they provide a well-tried and tested inter-governmental machinery, and their work is adapted to specific needs. Their experience and multidisciplinary approach allows them to take up regional issues of a cross-sectoral nature (sustainable development, poverty eradication, infrastructure development, human development, the transition process, etc) that are not covered by other institutions, within and outside the UN system.
To contemplate the future of the regional commissions is to draw inspiration from the Charter of the United Nations. The preamble of the Charter saw in the UN an international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples. The Regional Commissions derive their mandate from this vision of the Charter. In addition, they further exemplify the Charter by being the only regional bodies that are par excellence politically neutral and democratic and where each country of the region has an equal voice
The oldest regional commission was established in the context of the UN's contribution to the effort in the reconstruction and development of a continent devastated by war. Today, in varying degrees, the challenges of reconstruction, rehabilitation and development are evident in every region. And the regional commissions remain an essential component of the architecture of UN institutions for meeting those challenges. Without the commissions, the United Nations would be devoid of a regional perspective as well as a regional presence and mechanism for reporting to region-specific needs in the development field. Moreover, the regional commissions ensure that global and regional aspects of development are harmonized and brought to bear. It is for these reasons that the regional commissions are vital for the UN.
K.Y. Amoako
Executive Secretary of ECA
Current Coordinator of the Regional Commissions
Cooperation between ESCAP - APCTT and ECA - ARCT
The Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), a regional institution under the aegis of ESCAP and the African Regional Centre for Technology (ARCT) established under the aegis of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and ECA have agreed to strengthen inter-regional cooperation in areas of mutual interest by exchanging information and databases and by jointly organizing workshops, seminars and technology exhibitions to enhance skills and capabilities. ESCAP and ECA will strengthen networking and evolve mechanisms by contacting important sources and users of technology, S&T ministries, R&D institutions, technobanks, trade and industry associations, financial institutions, NGOs and UN agencies. They will set up joint pilot plants in specific sectors of interest and provide advisory services for strengthening technology transfer capabilities.
Joint ECE/ESCAP Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia
The Executive Secretaries of ECE and ESCAP visited Almaty and Tashkent, respectively on 2-4 October and 5-6 October 1997, to discuss the substance and the modalities of the implementation of the joint ECE/ESCAP Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA). Discussions were held with the President of Kazakhstan and the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. Consultations are also planned at the highest level with the other countries before the formal launching of the Programme.
The goal of SPECA is to facilitate the economic integration of Central Asian countries, who are members of both commissions, into both Europe and Asia. The Programme will help to harmonize policies, norms and practices in the areas of transport, trade, including cross border operations, investment promotion and environment.
It is expected that five priority projects will be selected by the recipient countries and each country will take the lead for the implementation of one of the projects. A networking of the UN offices in each country will provide support. ECE and ESCAP will collaborate with the countries at all stages of the process, providing assistance and expertise as appropriate. UNDP is expected to extend financial assistance. SPECA will also be open for supporting states and observers from countries outside of the subregion.
Regional commissions and other regional and sub-regional organizations: Partners in development
The Regional Commissions are leaders in forging and promoting regional cooperation with other regional and sub-regional bodies active in the economic and social development fields. Their initiatives have spawned other regional institutions and many other modes for cooperation arrangements in the establishment of formal agreements, such as memorandums of understanding (MOU), as well as other less formal arrangements. These consultative mechanisms, both at the intergovernmental and secretariat levels, promote an appropriate division of tasks through programme adjustments and harmonizing of activities. The cooperation is based on complementarity in mandates, membership and areas of expertise.
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) focuses on military, diplomatic and institutional aspects of security, with specific initiatives for reconciliation in zones of conflict. ECE assists this organization in the economic dimension of security by providing regional data and analyses to the OSCE Economic Forum and other seminars.
The Council of Europe deals primarily with institutional issues, human rights, democracy and social and environmental matters. Environmental matters is the only common sector between the two organizations and yet there is a clear division of labour: ECE has a comprehensive agenda on environmental issues while the Council addresses issues related to nature conservation.
The European Union uses a two-way cooperative arrangement with ECE in the normative field: a number of ECE norms and standards are taken up by the EU in its directives while, some EU directives are adopted as norms and standards at the regional level. This applies in particular to the transport sector.
OECD uses a similar arrangement as the one the EU has with ECE. For example, the Environmental Performance Reviews initiated by OECD in some of its member countries are now extended by ECE to a number of countries in transition.
OECD, EUROSTAT (European Union) and the ECE. This partnership relation is best exemplified in the field of statistics. The Conference of European Statisticians, a principal subsidiary body of the ECE, includes all the national statistical offices of their member countries and international organizations active in this field.
ECE assists the Central European Initiative, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. These sub-regional groupings are mainly political and most of them have an extremely limited secretariat. ECE increasingly provides them with technical support for activities related to its fields of expertise and organizes joint workshops. More recently, ECE brought its technical expertise and instruments (conventions and standards) facilitating good neighbourly relations and economic cooperation to the Southeast European Cooperation Initiative. Concrete projects in the fields of transport, energy, environment, border-crossing and trade facilitation have been developed by the ECE at the request of participating states.
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ESCAP cooperate over wide-ranging areas. ESCAP provided ASEAN advisory services on the drafting of their 1996-1998 plan of action on transport and communications, and on the framework agreement on the facilitation of goods in transit (December 1996). ESCAP organized a joint seminar with the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta in February 1997 on trade and investment cooperation, focusing on the expected accession of Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar to ASEAN. Within the context of the Forum for the Comprehensive Development of Indo-China, ESCAP contributed inputs and expertise to the Working Group on Economic Cooperation for Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar in the fields of trade and investment review, tourism and transport.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and ESCAP signed an MOU in 1994, and they have been collaborating closely in the implementation of the SAARC seven sister district project with funding support from UNDP. Coordination is also pursued between the SAARC Seven Sisters project and another UNDP project on institutional development at the grassroots level for poverty alleviation.
The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and ESCAP signed an MOU in 1993. Currently, they are working together with UNCTAD and the Islamic Development Bank, finalizing a joint project on international transport development in the region. ECO and ESCAP are also planing on holding a Roundtable Conference on Mining Industry and Minerals. ESCAP is conducting a study on the investment and trade opportunities between the ASEAN and ECO regions.
The ESCAP Pacific Operations Centre, which is the ESCAP arm in the Pacific, collaborates with the Forum Secretariat, South Pacific Commission, and the South Pacific Regional Energy Programme, in association with UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, ADB, IMF, World Bank and the Commonwealth Development Corporation. ESCAP assists these subregional organizations in their organizational structures, workshops and regional projects. ESCAP also assists UNDP in formulating subregional work programmes for the Pacific subregion programming cycle.
The North-East Asian Subregional Programme of Environmental Cooperation is a recent environmental initiative promoted by ESCAP in collaboration with UNDP, UNEP, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. It involves China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation. The next meeting of their Senior Officials, to be held in Moscow in October 1997 will discuss a biodiversity management project for the subregion.
The Asian Development Bank and ESCAP signed a MOU in 1993. They have jointly implemented many projects such as: the Asia Least-cost Greenhouse Gas Abatement Strategy project; the organization of a private sector forum back-to-back with the Ministerial Conference on Subregional Economic Coopera-tion in the Greater Mekong Subregion, in Manila in April 1997; and the implementation of follow-up activities to the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
The General Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States and ECLAC signed an agreement in March 1997 to encourage and conduct joint activities aimed at strengthening and facilitating sustainable development in the Caribbean.
The Latin American Energy Organization and ECLAC signed, in November 1996, a Technical Cooperation Agreement which has allowed the implementation of an important project in the energy field funded by the German Technical Cooperation GTZ.
The Interamerican Development Bank broad agreement with ECLAC in April, opens the way for joint studies and programmes in the areas of economic integration, intraregional trade, population issues, statistics, social policies, citizens' security, macroeconomics, transport and the environment.
The Organization of American States signed two agreements with ECLAC: one that combines their statistics to better assists Governments in the region, and the other in the field of social development. The first one has led to two jointly organized meetings of national chiefs of statistics. Under the second agreement, there have been one regional training course and seven national courses. These courses deal with the joint implementation of a programme on social policies called PROPOSAL, aimed at the preparation of methodologies for evaluating the impact of social projects, and carrying out training activities in the field of social development.
The Latin America Economic System (SELA) became a partner with ECLAC in 1980. Within the framework of the SELA-UN agreement, the cooperation between ECLAC and SELA has consisted in the joint implementation, since 1994, of the projects "Coordination of economic and social policies in Latin America and the Caribbean" and "Social aspects of integration". This joint organization, together with the Secretariat of Economic Integration of Central America, organizes annual courses on Central America integration, and involves the participation of ECLAC in different activities organized by SELA in the area of industrial policy.
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
The African Economic Community (AEC) has a joint Secretariat which consists of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the African Development Bank (ADB) and ECA. The Secretariat assists African member States in the implementation of the Abuja Treaty, which aims to establish an African Economic Community by the period 2025-2030 in six gradual stages. The Executive heads of the three Organizations meet regularly to take stock of progress in the implementation of Phase I of the programme on the strengthening of subregional economic communities, the building blocs of the African Economic Community. The next meeting of the Executive heads of OAU, ECA and ADB is scheduled to take place in December 1997, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The meeting will include representatives of the subregional economic communities and UNDP.
ECOWAS, UEMOA, MRU, COMESA, SADC, IGAD, EAC, ECCAS, CEMAC, CEPGL, UMA are eleven African subregional economic communities established mostly by ECA. The group shares the objective of establishing a common market and an economic community in their subregions. ECA assists them through advisory services and servicing meetings . These focus on issues, such as: the possible impact of implementation of WTO Agreements on the integration process in Africa, and the identification of physical and other non-tariff barriers to trade liberalization. ECA recently assisted one of the subregional economic communities COMESA, in the establishment of a self-financing mechanism and an equalization fund, and conducted a study on the integrated management of Lake Victoria for the EAC, another subregional economic community. ECA has also helped mobilize resource for the funding of studies for other subregional communities on the interconnection of electric grids and railways, environment management, and river basin development.
The United Nations Transport and Communications Decade (UNCTADA II) is being piloted by ECA. The Commission has helped to define UNCTADA II objectives and design its Programmes, which include continental highways and communications links.
The ECA Conference of Ministers in 1997 endorsed measures to rationalize some thirty regional institutions originally established after their independence by ECA to assist them in building their development capacities. The Conference of Ministers requested ECA to identify which institutions would the Commission develop programmes with, in order to transform them into regional centres of excellence with the help of partners such as the World Bank and UNDP. ECA is consulting with the governing bodies of these institutions to implement the recommendations which call for maintaining some institutions in their present form, merging those with similar or overlapping mandates and closing others.
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
The Council of Arab Ministers for Housing and Reconstruction of the League of Arab States and ESCWA are preparing a draft Arab Strategy for Follow-up to the UN Conference on Habitat II.
The Arab Industrial Develop-ment and Mining Organization, UNIDO and ESCWA are cooperating in the preparation of a regional directory on sources of industrial information in the Arab countries, to be published in 1997.
The Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) and ESCWA cooperated in organizing a regional workshop on gender statistics held in Tunis in June 1997.
The Islamic Development Bank and ESCWA are carrying out a project that will establish a Regional Water Training Network among ESCWA member States. So far, a nucleus network was organized with selected institutes in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic. The objectives are to upgrade regional capabilities to meet the water training needs of ESCWA member States, and to disseminate information on training activities in the water sector. A draft project document is ready and other member States are being approached to participate in the network, before the document is sent to funding agencies.
The Arab Gulf Programme for the United Nations Development Organizations and ESCWA cooperated in the implementation of programmed activities related to community development services and the Arab Regional Computer Training Centre for Blind Women in Amman.
Regional Commissions Calendar (November-December 1997)
ECE
November
5-7 Committee on Sustainable Energy
11(+) Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency Standards and Labels
(Florence,
Italy)
11-14 Regional Conference on Transport and Environment (Vienna, Austria)
December
9-11 Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development
15 -19 Executive Body for the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
ESCAP
November
3- 7 Sixth regional remote sensing seminar on tropical ecosystem management (Viet Nam)
6- 7 Fifth meeting of the ESCAP network on
trade facilitation issues in the region
(Sri Lanka)
10-12 Regional seminar on enhancing efficiency in external aid utilization in the least developed countries
17-19 TCDC and Tripartite cooperation in trade and investment between North-East Asia and South-East Asia
December
10 RICAP Subcommittee on water for Asia and the Pacific, fortieth session 11-13 Third Dialogue on Space Technology Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific. (Chiangmai, Thailand)
Open Fourth senior officials meeting on environmental cooperation in North-east Asia (Moscow)
15-19 Regional expert group meeting on capability-building to alleviate rural poverty under economic adjustments
ECLAC
November
26-28 Regional experts meeting on new informatics trends (CLADES)
ECA
November
4 - 9 Workshop on Development of Minimum National Datasets to Monitor Plans of Action of International Conferences
13-18 Working group of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development
17-21 Working Group on Environment Statistics Indicators and Accounting
20-25 Second meeting of the Follow-up Committee of Fifteen of the Conference of African Ministers responsible for Human Development
22-24 Meeting of Governmental Experts on Transport and Communications (Cairo)
December
1 - 3 17th meeting of the Governing Council of Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS) (Accra)
2 - 5 Second meeting of the African Regional Conference on Science and Technology (Venue to be determined)
ESCWA
November
12-18 Expert Group Meeting on Industrial surveys and the requirements of the 1993 System of National Accounts (Beirut)
16-18 Expert Group Meeting on Eradication of Poverty in Western Asia: Towards a Plan of Action (Cairo)
17-19 Expert Group Meeting on Population Policies and Sustainable Development in the Arab Region: Population Dynamics, Urbanization and Environment (Amman)
17-19 Expert Group Meeting on Promoting regional coordination and integration in food and agriculture (Beirut)
18-21 Expert Group Meeting on Intra- and inter- regional transport links and infrastructure (Beirut)
24-26 Expert Group Meeting on Challenges and opportunities of the new international trade agreement (Uruguay Round): Post- Uruguay preparation and adjustments (Kuwait)
25-27 Expert Group Meeting on Prospects for a regional and interregional electricity net work (Amman)
25-27 First session of the Committee on Energy (Amman)
Open Expert Group Meeting on Secondary Cities and sustainable urban development (WadiMousa, Jordan)
December
1- 3 Expert Group Meeting on Privatization efforts: governance and institutional aspects (Beirut or Amman)
1-3 Expert Group Meeting on Promotion of research and development capabilities in the region: Local technological inputs (Beirut)
3- 4 Second Meeting of Heads of National Population Commissions in the Arab Region (Amman)
6-10 Expert Group Meeting on the 2000 Round of population and housing censuses, 1997 (Cairo)
9-11 Expert Group Meeting on Prospects of networking among non-governmental organizations in the Occupied Territories and under the Palestinian National Authority (West Bank)
Regional Commissions Ministerial Meetings for 1997 and 1998
ECE:
12-14 November 1997 - Conference on Transport and Environment (Geneva)
ESCAP:
5-11 November 1997 - Fifth Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Social Development, (Manila)19-24 February 1998 - Meeting of Ministers of Industry and Technology, (Bangkok)
16-22 April 1998 - Fifty-fourth session of ESCAP (Bangkok)
ECLAC:
19-21 November 1997 - Seventh Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean, (Santiago)11-16 May 1998 - Twenty-seven session of ECLAC, (Aruba)
15 May 1998 - Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (DCC) Ministerial level, (Aruba)
ECA:
17-22 November 1997 - Second Regional Conference of African Ministers on Mineral Resources and Energy (Durban)25-27 November 1997 - Eleventh meeting of the Conference of Ministers of Transport and Communication (Cairo)
25-27 November 1997 - West-Africa sub-regional meeting preparatory to the mid-decade Review of the implementation of the Platform for Action (Dakar)
2-5 December 1997 - Second Meeting of the African Regional Conference on Science and Technology
9-13 February 1998 - Conference on Problems and Perspectives of Good Governance (venue to be determined)
March/April 1998 - Meeting of Ministers of Finance
28 April-1 May - International concertation on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of ECA--Meeting of the Ministerial Follow-up Committee of the Commission will be held during the celebrations
General news about the Regional Commissions
General news about the Regional Commissions
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| Delegations gathered with the Executive Secretaries after attending a one-day seminar on the role of the regional commissions, held at the Wainwright House Conference in Rye, NY, on 7 June 1997 |
ECE's New Sulphur Protocol expected to be operational in 1998
Sixteen more ratifications will be needed for the new Sulphur Protocol to the ECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution to enter into force in early 1998. Ten countries have already ratified it and six others have indicated that they would ratify it very soon. The new ECESulphur Protocol will save US$ 9.5 billion a year in Europe alone in reducing damage to buildings, according to estimates by experts at Imperial College, London.
UN/CEFACT: Ready for Business
The United Nations is making international business easier through its Centre for Facilitation of Procedures and Practices for Administration, Commerce and Transport (CEFACT). At the Centre, over 1000 experts contribute to the facilitation of its procedures and processes. At the end of its second session held in Geneva from 15-17 September 1997, delegations with strong industry representation, emphasized the importance of CEFACT's support in the simplification of their businesses, as well as the potential created by CEFACT's cooperation with the private sector in a time of rapid technological change.
The Centre has also established a network of partnerships between its secretariat, located at ECE, and the other regional commissions. One of the highlights of the second session was the appointment of special representatives to CEFACT with the Commissions of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and Western Asia (ESCWA). Preliminary discussions are under way with the Commission for Africa (ECA). You can reach CEFACT at: http://www.unece.org/trade/ trafix.
Heavy Metal in the Air: ECE negotiations in full swing
The member States of ECE met in Geneva to negotiate a protocol on heavy metals to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution from 15-19 September 1997. This new protocol will deal primarily with lead, mercury and cadmium. It aims to reduce emissions in the iron and steel industry, non-ferrous metal industry, power generation, road transport and waste incineration. Also, under negotiations are measures to reduce the heavy metal content in batteries, measuring instruments, electrical components, fluorescent light tubes, paints and plastics, etc. All these measures are to reduce the emissions of heavy metals finding their way into the atmosphere, damaging the environment, and causing probable harmful effects on our health -- effects that have not been yet fully assessed.
Like the new protocol on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the negotiations for the heavy metals protocol are now entering their final stages. ECE aims to have both protocols in final form for the Aarhus Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" in June 1998.
Forest Products Recover
ECE's Timber Committee held its fifty-fifth session 6-9 October 1997, and issued quantitative estimates and forecasts for the European forest products markets which are expected to continue to rise. Forest products markets in some transition countries began to feel the benefits of the successes of the transition reforms, leading to stronger domestic demand.
ESCAP's Regional Space Applications Programme (RESAP)
ESCAP's Regional Space Applications Programme (RESAP) continues its work in the field of space technology applications. The annual session of the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on RESAP was held in May 1997 in Taejon, Republic of Korea to strengthen the networking mechanisms between developers and end users of space technology. In addition, ESCAP serviced the annual meeting of the regional working group on Remote Sensing, GIS and Satellite-based Positioning Systems (May 1997), which is one of the four regional working groups under RESAP. The ESCAP/FAO/ European Space Agency Joint Seminar on Spatial Information Technology Applications for Planners and Decision Makers, was held in Baku, Azerbaijan in October 1997.
NGO activities
The NGO Forum on Social Development in Asia and the Pacific met in Kuala Lumpur, 8 - 10 September, to address pressing social problems in the region. The meeting decided on recommendations that will be submitted to Governments at the Fifth Asian and Pacific Ministerial Confer-ence on Social Develop-ment in Manila from 5 to 11 November 1997. The NGO Forum was funded by the Government of the Netherlands and the Asian Deve-lopment Bank, and was jointly organized by ESCAP and the International Council on Social Welfare in cooperation with the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, the Australian Council for Overseas Aid and the National Council of Social Welfare Malaysia.
An ESCAP regional workshop met in Bangkok with participants from fourteen countries, NGOs and journalists from 30 June to 2 July 1997, to present papers on their experiences in rural communities.
A workshop on Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and Public Participation for Electricity Generation Projects was organized by ESCAP in partnership with the E-7 Network of Expertise for the Global Environment and the Tehaga National Research in Kuala Lumpur on 23-26 June, 1997. As part of the UNDP-funded regional Programme for Asian Cooperation in Energy and Environment, participants from six Asian `cluster countries', NGOs, academics, private sector engineering firms and environmental consultants took part in the discussion on field methodologies and site-specific issues which need to be addressed as part of SIAs.
Follow-up to ICPD
ESCAP's High-level Meeting to Monitor Progress in the Implementation of the Bali Declaration on Population and Sustainable Development and the Programme of Action is slated for March 1998. The meeting will serve as a model for the other regional commissions to follow in order to obtain input from all regions for the ICPD plus 5, a five-year review meeting on the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, which will be held in 1999.
Conference on Urbanization
ESCAP plans to hold a Second Asia-Pacific Ministerial Confer-ence on Urbanization to review progress in implementing the global action plan by countries of the region in Bangkok in November 1998. ESCAP plans to use the preparation and the outcome of the Second Ministerial Conference as a catalyst for action at the local level. ESCAP also plans to hold a Pacific Habitat Forum to discuss and exchange ideas on addressing critical habitat issues specific to the unique ecology of Pacific Island countries.
ECLAC organizes an Intra-Regional Seminar on Trade and Investment
ECLAC, with the financial support of the Netherlands, organized an Intra-regional Seminar on Trade and Investment in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 23-24 September 1997. The seminar generated an open exchange of views on the multiple commitments adopted in the WTO, and the compatibility of national policies with those commitments. The meeting addressed specific aspects such as the trade in services and trade related investment and the position of small economies.
ECLAC Stresses the Importance of Education in Democracy
The XI Meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Rio Group, met in Asuncion, Paraguay on 22-24 August 1997, to discuss development issues. ECLACs Executive Secretary addressed the meeting on the importance of education in democracy. ECLAC studies point that education is a fundamental factor in innovation and competitiveness and plays a crucial role in social integration and mobility, all of which are essential for a functioning democracy.
ECLAC and Reform in the Energy Sector
The work of ECLAC in the sustainable development of the energy sector in Latin America and the Caribbean has centred on the reform of three main areas: the oil industry, the rational use of energy and renewable sources.
Studies of the oil industry by the Commission have included an analysis of the world oil market and their implications for direct foreign investment.
In relation to the rational use of energy, two international seminars were held on efficient energy use and new and renewable sources. ECLAC has a cooperative agreement planned with the European Union, and has signed with the Latin American Energy Organization and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), to promote consensus for sustainable development in the energy field.
The main focus of ECLAC's work in the area of renewable resources is the development of geothermal energy. A joint project with the EU is identifying the use of such energy sources in sixteen countries.
Youth NGOs
ECLAC hosted the UNESCO Global Collective Consultation of Youth NGOs which met from 8-10 September 1997, to review the collaboration between Youth NGOs and the United Nations System in the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond. There were discussions on the participation of Youth NGOs in the World Youth Forum of the United Nations and the World Conference of Youth Ministers, both of them to take place in August 1998 in Portugal.
Seventh Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean
High-level representatives of the member countries of ECLAC, representatives of academic centres, NGOs and specialized UN agencies will meet 19-21 Nov-ember 1997 for the Seventh Regional Conference on the Integration of Women at ECLAC's headquarter in Santiago, Chile. This Conference will propose ways of accelerating the implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 Beijing Conference and the current Regional Programme of Action for the Women of Latin America and the Caribbean. Debates will take into account the results of other UN Summits since the Beijing Conference, especially the First Regional Conference in Follow-up to the World Summit on Social Development held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 6-9 April 1997.
ECA organizes a mini-programme fair
ECA staged a one-day mini-programme fair on September 26, 1997, to promote collaboration among the divisions of ECA and showcase different programme areas. The mini-fair was the precursor of a Commission-wide fair in 1998 which will provide a unique opportunity to highlight ECA's programmes under the new strategic structure put in place by the Commission on 1 January 1997.
The mini-fair also provided a platform for the African Information Society Initiative (AISI)--a framework for the building of an African Information Infrastructure. AISI was adopted by African Ministers of Planning in 1996 and ECA
is the lead AISI agency, working with such partners as IDRC, UNDP, UNESCO, ITU, and the Rockefeller Foundation. The first meeting of the African Technical Advisory Committee to the AISI took place at the ECA headquarters 20-21 October 1997.
ECA believes that the Internet can help end economic marginalization in Africa. With the opening of a Cyber Café ECA will provide staff and constituents with a wealth of information via the Internet, as well as training in IT use. The location of the Café is in the ECA Library, which will be 100 per cent automated within the year.
Several events are being planned by ECA for the observance of its 40th anniversary.
ECA will hold a major conference to focus attention on the role of women in development as part of a series of events in April 1998. Entitled 'Africa and the Future: New Partnerships for Gender Equality', the conference will clarify the whole concept of gender, and will sensitize high-level policymakers and the public at large to the importance of the gender approach to African development.
Several Heads of State are expected to attend the conference, as well as heads of international organizations and prominent dignitaries. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has been invited to open the conference and to officially inaugurate the new UN Conference Centre. There will also be parallel exhibitions and a number of other major events. A whole day will be devoted to population issues focusing on women's reproductive rights.
Other News
In early 1998, ECA will launch an African network of science and technology policy-makers and policy-making institutions. The network will offer web pages of interest to policy-makers (samples of science and technology policies, useful addresses, bibliographies, protocols, resolutions, potential consultants, management tools, meetings and events, connections to other sites related to science and technology policies, etc) and will provide some material and logistic support to least developed countries of Africa in order for them to benefit most from the network.
ECA is organizing for early 1998, an Executive Seminar for twelve to fifteen high-level decision-makers from Africa. The seminar will focus on the role and contribution of science and technology to the transition from high to low population growth, from extensive to intensive and productive agriculture and from environmental degradation to conservation.
ECA conducted a study to review the legal instruments establishing the existing river/lake basins organizations, the institutional setups and the responsibilities of countries involved in transboundary basins. Africa has about 54 transboundary basins shared by two or more countries, and the fostering of cooperation among riparian states is critically important for the realization of the sustainable development of water resources.
| The Lebanese Foreign Minister, Mr. Faris Bouez is seen signing the ESCWA Headquarters Agreement with its Executive Secretary, Dr. Hazem El-Beblawi (right). ESCWA moves back to Beirut later on this year, and their address will be: Riad El Solh Square, P.O. Box 4656 Chouran, Beirut, Lebanon. |
ESCWA's Expert Group Meetings on Impact of the Peace Process on Selected Sectors
ESCWA held an Expert Group Meeting on Impact of the Peace Process on Selected Sectors in Amman, 23-25 June 1997, to deliberate on: the impact of the progress achieved in the peace process on the development of the industrial sector in the ESCWA region; to assess the opportunities and challenges brought about by such progress; to review the changes that have taken place in Arab-Israeli industrial relations; and to discuss the expected impact of the peace process on industrial relations between countries of the region and the rest of the world, particularly European Union countries.
ESCWA Promotes National Strategies for the Advancement of Women
ESCWA provided technical assistance and advisory services to the governments of Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon in formulating national strategies for the advancement of women in imple-mentation of the recommendations of the FWCW. Efforts have been also made to streamline gender issues in policies and programmes of ESCWA, as reflected in the adoption of a multidisciplinary and thematic approach to databases on social policies, community development, environment, and poverty alleviation
ESCWA-CAWTAR Regional Workshop on Gender Statistics
ESCWA organized, together with the Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) and UNDP, a Regional Workshop on the Development of National Gender Statistics Programmes in the Arab Countries in Tunis, 9-14 June 1997. The major objectives of the workshop were to train participants to: identify critical gender issues in their country; specify statistics and indicators needed to assess and monitor the situation of women and men; select statistical tables to be used to highlight the gaps and disparities between women and men; and choose effective ways of presenting and disseminating the information to a wide range of users. The workshop established a framework and formulated preliminary plans for the development of national gender statistics programmes, with particular reference to the production, presentation and distribution of booklets on women and men for each participating country.
ESCWA Training Workshop on Formulating Population Policies and Sustainable Development: Food and Environment
ESCWA organized a training Workshop on Formulating Population Policies and Sustainable Development: Food and Environment in Amman, 29 June - 3July 1997. The goal of the workshop was: to enhance the technical capabilities of technicians of national population commissions in the Arab region; provide a forum for discussion of working papers on population growth, food supply and environment; train on software packages such as CAPPA and ECOZONE systems; and exchange data and information on population and sustainable development issues. A similar workshop with a special focus on reproductive health and human rights was held in September 1997.
ESCWA provides advisory services in demographic surveys and national accounts
ESCWA provides advisory services to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in their demographic surveys and in drafting a project document for a three-year statistical plan. ESCWA also assists the Planning Department of the Abu Dhabi Emirate on the results of their household budget survey and on a workshop on the household survey to be held at the end of 1997.
Regional and Subregional Coordination Frameworks
The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) published the report Coordination of Policy and Programming Frameworks for more effective development cooperation (A/51/ 636--JIU/REP/96/3) in October 1996. The report, quoting from General Assembly resolution 50/120 on the triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, focuses on Regional and Subregional Coordination Frameworks, and requests the Secretary-General to consider ways of enhancing the coordination of United Nations development activities, including ways of enhancing the role of the regional commissions and of promoting the national ownership of regional programmes.
The JIU recommends that the regional commissions should be the main development forum for reviewing and interconnecting the different sectoral and cross-sectoral regional programmes of the Organization, and draws attention to the phenomenal increase in regional and subregional economic cooperation and integration groupings which are gaining force in virtually all regions as the principal mechanisms for development coordination. Its report stresses that the United Nations system is yet to evolve a coherent strategy of cooperation with these grouping or organizations, and that the regional commissions could provide the best possible context for integrating the Organization's intercountry programme frameworks.
Mr. Gus Speth, Administrator of UNDP, addressed the issue of coordination of all regional programmes during the informal dialogue with heads of UN funds and programmes on operational activities, held in Geneva on 30 June, during the 1997 ECOSOC high level segment. Mr. Speth noted that it would be worthwhile to explore giving regional coordination functions to the commissions within the framework of regional ACCs.
In this connection, there are three types of coordinating arrangements at the regional level that could be srengthened to ensure the interconnection of the different sectoral and cross-sectoral regional programmes of the Organization. First, in response to the Secretary-General's directive of March 1994, the regional equivalent of ACCs have been established under the leadership of the Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions. Thus, in ESCAP, there is the Regional Inter-agency Committee for Asia and the Pacific (RICAP). ECA chairs the Inter-agency Task Force on the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) and co-Chairs the ACC Steering Committee on the UN System wide Special Initiative on Africa (SIA). ESCWA chairs the regional Inter-agency Coordination Group in Amman. Likewise, ECLAC and ECE have convened such meetings periodically. The Funds and Programmes, now known as the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) are represented on all these regional coordinating arrangements.
Another existing coordinating vehicle between the regional commissions and the UNDG is the presence of regional liaison offices or liaison officers in the regional commissions. These offices have served both the purposes of reviewing projects submitted by the regional commissions for funding and also of exchanging views on the inter-country programmes of the UNDG.
Then, there is the coordinating arrangement between the regional commissions, on one hand, and the individual UNDG, on the other. The most prominent example of this arrangement is the UNDP/Regional Commissions Task Force established in June 1994, for the purpose of providing a forum to address issues of common concern to UNDP and the regional commissions, especially on such issues as collaboration on policy analysis on selected issues, incorporation of regional commission in Country Strategy Notes (CSN) as appropriate, and using the expertise of the regional commissions in the preparation of CSN's.
Recent publications of the regional commissions
ECE
Statistics of Road Traffic Accidents in Europe and North America (Sales No. 97.II.E.9). Includes data on causes, types and results of accidents in Europe, Canada and the United States.
Trends in Europe and North America. (Sales No. E.97.II.E.5). Just published by ECE, it gives very down to earth information on the Commission's 55 countries.
Country Profiles on the Housing Sector, Bulgaria. (Sales No. E.96.II.E.28 (English) or R.96.II.E.28 (Russian)). The first in a series of country reports which examines the trends in the housing sector in countries in transition and puts forward recommendations.
The Steel Market in 1996 and Prospects for 1997. (Sales No.97.II.E.13 ). This annual review focuses on rising new crude steel-making capacity, particularly in North America and Asia.
Annual Bulletin of Trade in Chemical Products. (Sales No. E/F/R.97.II.E.12). The publication gives detailed 1995 import and export trade data, based on statistics reported to ECE by the leading 22 producing and consuming countries trading with 60 partner countries worldwide.
ESCAP
ESCAP Tourism Review, No. 16: Promotion of Tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion (ST/ESCAP/1519), and No. 17: Integrated Tourism Planning in Pacific Island Countries (ST/ESCAP/1638). Two publications examine cooperation in tourism development among countries along Mekong River and Pacific Island countries.
Implications of the Single European Market for Asian and Pacific Economies: Opportunities and Challenges (ST/ESCAP/1744). The studies in this volume offer assessment of the effects which European integration has had on trade between the European Union and Asia.
Economic Liberalization and rural poverty (ST/ESCAP/1686). A study on the effects of price liberalization and market reforms in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Towards Social Security for the Poor in the Asia-Pacific Region (ST/ESCAP/1673). It contains an analytical study and a regional study on social security and their effectiveness in providing social security to the poor in eight countries.
Incorporating Sustainable Development Considerations into Economic Decision Making: A Case of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu (ST/ESCAP/1614). A discussion on sustainability issues with special reference to urbanization and energy sector in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
ECLAC
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean (Sales No. 97.II.G.1) Tables cover population, national accounts, agriculture, industry, import-export goods and services, balance of payments and transports at the regional and country levels.
1996 Report on Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean (S.97.II.G.7 ) Spanish only. Annual publication prepared by the Joint ECLAC/UNCTAD Unit on Transnational Corporations.
La apertura económica y el desarrollo agrícola en América Latina y el Caribe (S.97.II.G.6) Spanish only. Prepared by ECLAC and FAO with a view to encouraging the consideration of the financial in-flows received in Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years.
Políticas Sociales: Resúmenes de documentos II. (S.97.II.G.8) Spanish only. Contains bibliographical references and summaries of documents dealing with Social Policies (education, employment, health and poverty eradication).
CEPAL Review No. 62 (Annual subscription and individual issues) This issue is available presently only in Spanish. Features the article "State, community and social development" by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President of Brazil.
ECA
African CD-ROM for Development (ACDD) A first edition for African Development which contains several databases, full text documents and other information relevant to socio-economic development in Africa. Contact faye@un.org.
African Woman Report 1995. This report is the first of a biennial series that will review topical issues of interest from a gender perspective. The focus of the 1995 ECA Report is participation in the economic sector.
The Cartography and Remore Sensing Bulletin, Issue No. 6, July 1997. The Cartography and Remote Sensing Bulletin of ECA is an annual publication. The Sixth issue includes information on recent, ongoing or future events and occurrences in geoinformation that are of interest to Africa.
Traditional and Cultural Practices Harmful to the Girl-child: A Cross-sectional Review. This review covers a range of cultural and traditional practices which affect girls negatively and how these could be eliminated.
Index to African Official Publications, E/ECA/Lib/Ser.G/1/97. This bi-annual publication of ECA provides a lit of indexed African Official and inter-governmental publication deposited by governments of ECA member States as well as African inter-governmental and non-governmental institutions as part of existing depository library arrangements.
ESCWA
Trade of the Arab World with China (E/ESCWA/ED/1996/2, Suppl. 1, 2, 3) Four volumes on the composition, trends, imports and exports classified by countries and by SITC (Rev. 2) Groups.
Water legislation in selected ESCWA countries (E/ESCWA/ENR/1997/2). This study provides a framework for effective water resources development and management in seven ESCWA countries (Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen).
Population Bulletin, No. 44. (E/ESCWA/POP/1997/1; Sales No. 97.II.L.2). This Bulletin covers infant mortality in Iraq in view of economic sanctions; infant mortality in Palestinian camps in Lebanon; and fertility and fertility rates in Yemen.
Biotechnology in the ESCWA member countries: Sectoral issues and policies.(E/ESCWA/TECH/ 1997/1) This study reviews recent biotechnological trends of interest and its anticipated impact on the region.
Study on environmentally sound technologies in the leather tanning industry. (E/ESCWA/TECH/ 1997/2). This study examines environmentally sound technologies with potential for improving the environmental profile of the tanning industry.
Regional Commissions' Surveys
Economic Survey of Europe in 1996-1997 (Sales No. E.97.II.E.1)
1997 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific (ST/ESCAP/1727, Sales No. E.97.II.F.8)
Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 1996-1997 (LC/G.1980, Sales No. 97.II.G.2)
Economic and Social Survey of Africa
Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the ESCWA region, 1996-1997 (E/ESCWA/ED/ 1997/2, Sales No.97.II.L.5).
RCNYO
For information on the publications of the Regional Commissions, or for any other matter relating to the newsletter, please contact the Regional Commissions New York Office, Room S-3127, United Nations, NY, NY 10017, tel. (212) 963-6905, fax (212) 963-1500
WWW sites of the regional commissions
ECE: www.unece.org/welcome.html
ESCAP: www.un.org/Depts/escap
ECLAC: www.eclac.cl
ECA: www.un.org/Depts/eca
Regional Commissions Development Update: www.un.org/Depts/rcnyo/cover.htm