Regional Preparations for upcoming global conferences
International Conference on Financing for Development: Regional Perspective
As requested by the General Assembly, the regional commissions, in cooperation with the regional development banks and other financial institutions, have organized regional consultations (see chart below). These events have addressed broad ranging issues and problems, including recurring foreign debt and currency crises, fallen levels of foreign and domestic resource mobilization, trade barriers and systemic issues. They also considered ideas and proposals for strengthening regional and global cooperation on the subject. Their contributions have been enriching the FfD Conference Preparatory process, and will provide additional concrete inputs to the International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002.
These regional events will culminate in a joint meeting of the regional commissions on Financing for Development, which will be held in Mexico City from 14 to 15 January 2002 with the aim of arriving at an interregional perspective on various issues on the agenda. The meeting will further review selected key policy recommendation emanating from the regional consultations and expert group meetings held in 2000 and 2001.
R.C. |
Date
& Venue |
Title of Event |
Web |
FfD Theme |
ECE |
3 December, 2001, Geneva Hosted by ECE in
cooperation With EBRD |
1-day regional
consultative meeting on enhancing the benefits of FDI and improving the flow of corporate
finance in the transition economies |
(TBA) Probably :
www.unece.org/ead |
1,3 and 4 |
ESCAP |
22-23 Nov., Bangkok |
Mobilizing Domestic
Finance for Development – Bank Finance and Debt Markets (ESCAP/ADB Joint Workshop) |
1 |
|
ECLAC |
Aug.2001, ECLAC, Santiago |
First Latin American
Colloquium on Development Banks |
1 and 2 |
|
Oct. 2001, Rio Centre, Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil |
High Level Panel of
Financing for Sustainable Development (in the context of the Regional Conference
Preparatory for the WSSD |
1 and 2 |
||
Nov. 2001, ECLAC, Santiago |
Regional Experts Meeting
on FfD |
All themes |
||
ECA |
26-27
Nov. 2001, Nairobi, Kenya |
Second preparatory meeting
for the Conference on FfD |
1,2,3 and 4 |
|
ESCWA |
7 June 2001 |
Round Table Meeting on
Report of the Secretary-General |
All themes |
|
6 July 2001 |
Expert Panel |
All themes |
||
11-13 September, Beirut |
Regional Meeting on FfD in
Preparation for World Conference on FfD in Mexico in 2002 |
All themes |
Regional Perspective Essential for Success of WTO Ministerial Meeting
Within the context of the 4th WTO Ministerial Meeting, the regional commissions have been organizing consultations and workshops as well as providing technical assistance to strengthen the negotiating capacities of the developing countries and transitional economies. Among the relevant events organized by them recently are:
- ECA, together with the OAU, and in collaboration with UNCTAD, WTO and the African Economic Research Consortium, organized a High-level workshop in Addis Ababa on 25-29 June 2001. The workshop provided an opportunity for the Geneva-based African trade negotiators, their counterparts from African capitals, research economists, members of civil society and private sector operators to hammer out a common African negotiating position prior to the WTO Ministerial Meeting. Participants also addressed coordination issues around the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement negotiations, as well as the US/Africa Growth Opportunity Act.
- ESCAP and UNCTAD, in cooperation with WTO, organized a High-level meeting in Bangkok on 24-25 September 2001. Simultaneously, ESCAP organized several events toward the week of 24 September aimed at strengthening the negotiating capacity of the developing countries. Of particular note, is that countries in the process of WTO membership spoke eloquently of the need for fast-track accession to enable them to participate and benefit from future round of negotiations. The least developed countries stressed the importance of ensuring consistency in the terms of accession between newly exiting LDCs and founding LDCs.
- ECLAC and the Inter-American Development Bank jointly organized several seminars as part of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of IDB, held in Santiago in March 2001. Some of the seminars dealt with issues of direct relevance to 4th Ministerial Meeting of WTO. The topics included: (1) “Towards Competitiveness: The Meso and Microeconomic Level”; (2) “Towards Competitiveness: the Institutional Path”; and (3) “What’s Holding up Growth in Latin America? What should Governments Do?” Besides, in their yearly publication on “Trade and Trade Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean”, ECLAC reviews the participation of developing countries in GATT/WTO. ECLAC will also organize a meeting on the post-4th WTO meeting evaluation to be held in Santiago in December 2001.
- ESCWA has been organizing a number of events in preparation for the 4th WTO Ministerial Meeting, which includes: an expert group meeting, jointly organized with UNCTAD; a Ministerial meeting for Arab countries in cooperation with UNCTAD and the League of Arab States; and a meeting on “Liberalization of Trade in Services in the Arab Countries” jointly organized with the Union of Arab Banks.
Regional Preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg 2002
| Ministerial Regional PrepComs | Date | Venue |
| ECE | 24-25 September 2001 | Geneva, Switzerland |
| ESCAP | 27-29 November 2001 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| ECLAC | 23-24 October 2001 | Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil |
| ECA | December 2001 | Nairobi,
Kenya |
| ESCWA | 24-25 October 2001 | Cairo,
Egypt |
As part of the preparations to revitalize the commitments made at the Rio Conference, the regional commissions have been in the process of holding a series of intergovernmental meetings in preparation for Johannesburg.
ECE
The Environmental Ministers of the member States of ECE met in Geneva on 24-25 September and adopted a Common Declaration, which calls for a “global deal” to target problems that endanger the long-term survival of humanity, and where each country should make its own contribution to meeting the common worldwide challenge. The Ministerial deliberations were based on a publication that ECE and UNEP prepared assessing regional progress in sustainable development since 1992.
ESCAP
ESCAP will convene its final regional preparatory meeting in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia on 27-29 November 2001. Prior to that, the ESCAP sub-regional meetings were held for North-East Asia in Beijing, China on 26-28 July 2001; for South Asia in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 22-24 August 2001; for South-East Asia in Manila, Philippines on 15-17 May 2001; for the Pacific in Apia, Samoa on 5-7 September 2001; and, for Central Asia in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 19-21 September 2001. The civil society groups have also held sub-regional level meetings concurrently with the inter-governmental meetings. In preparation for these PrepComs meetings, ESCAP published: “State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific 2000”, which outlines all the global and regional issues facing its member States in the 21st century.
ECLAC
ECLAC held its regional meeting on 23-24 October 2001in Rio. A key element of the PrepCom was a high-level panel on Financing for Sustainable Development, that included the participation of Economic Ministers from several countries, top executives from international financial institutions, and all regional and sub-regional development banks. ECLAC in collaboration with UNDP provided a document as a basis for the panel discussion, which included several country-cases within the region. Prior to the PrepCom there were sub-regional meetings for the Caribbean in Havana, Cuba on 28-29 January 2001; for the Southern Cone in Santiago on 14-15 June 2001; for Meso-America in San Salvador, El Salvador on 17-18 June 2001; and, for the Andean sub-region in Quito, Ecuador, on 2-3 July 2001.
ECA
ECA held four sub-regional meetings for Northern Africa in Tunis, Tunisia on 5-7 Setptember 2001; for Southern Africa in Port Louis, on 17-19 September, 2001; for East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya on 10-12 September, 2001; and for West Africa in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire on 1-3 October 2001. The outcome of the sub-regional meetings will serve as inputs to a document on the Africa common position, which will be finalized at the ECA regional PrepCom scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya, in December 2001.
ESCWA
ESCWA convened a special session of the Joint Committee on Environment and Development in the Arab Region, the Council for Arab Ministers of the Environment, Ministers of Planning and Ministers of Economics or Finance, together with the League of Arab States, as part of the Regional PrepCom for West Asia held in Cairo, Egypt on 24-25 October 2001. The PrepCom meeting considered a regional assessment, provided by ESCWA and DESA, on progress made in the implementation of Agenda 21. The priority focus areas included issues of water supply and demand management, land degradation and bio-diversity, the marine environment, socio-economic aspect of sustainable development and governance for sustainable development.
