Economic and Social Council

 
47th plenary meeting
31 July 1998

 1998/42 - Operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation segment

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 47/199 of 22 December 1992 and 50/120 of 20 December 1995 on the triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system,

Recalling also the role of the Economic and Social Council in providing coordination and guidance to the United Nations system to ensure that policies formulated by the General Assembly, particularly during the triennial policy review of operational activities, are implemented on a system-wide basis in accordance with Assembly resolutions 48/162 of 20 December 1993 and 50/227 of 24 May 1996,

Noting the progress made and the work that remains to be accomplished by the United Nations system in the full implementation of the provisions contained in General Assembly resolution 50/120,

Recalling Council resolution 1996/42 of 26 July 1996, in which the Council urged all funds, programmes and agencies of the United Nations development system to identify measurable targets to strengthen their monitoring and evaluation capabilities, and to incorporate those targets into their respective management plans so as to implement Assembly resolution 50/120,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 52/203 of 18 December 1997, in particular paragraph 9, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General when presenting his comprehensive report on the triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system at the fifty-third session of the Assembly, to make recommendations for the implementation of reform initiatives on operational activities, bearing in mind the views of Member States,

Strongly reaffirming the need for a substantial increase in resources for operational activities for development on a predictable, continuous and assured basis, commensurate with the increasing needs of developing countries,

Stressing the need for continuous overall improvement in the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the United Nations system in delivering its development assistance, and welcoming steps that have been taken towards that end,

Noting the urgency of a productive outcome from the current discussions on funding strategies being pursued by the executive boards of the United Nations funds and programmes towards reversing the declining trend in core resources,

Considering the linkage that exists between the recommendations made in the report of the Secretary-General entitled -Advancement of women: implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the role of operational activities in promoting, in particular, capacity-building and resource mobilization for enhancing the participation of women in developmentū 1/ and the triennial policy review of operational activities,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the triennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system; 2/

2. Requests the Secretary-General, when finalizing his report on the triennial policy review for submission to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, to take into account the views and comments expressed by States during the operational activities segment of the Economic and Social Council;

3. Also requests the Secretary-General, when finalizing his report on the triennial policy review, to take into account the discussions on funding strategies currently taking place in the executive boards of the United Nations funds and programmes;

4. Further requests the Secretary-General, when preparing recommendations for the next triennial policy review, to consider the implications of steps adopted by the United Nations system to implement reform initiatives on operational activities, as agreed in General Assembly resolution 52/12 B of 19 December 1997, taking fully into account the views expressed by States in conjunction with work that remains to be completed pursuant to Assembly resolution 50/120;

5. Further requests the Secretary-General, when finalizing his report on the triennial policy review, to provide an analysis of the state of the implementation of General Assembly resolution 50/120 and other related resolutions on operational activities, and to make appropriate recommendations;

6. Further requests the Secretary-General, when finalizing his report on the triennial policy review, to take into account relevant aspects of the agreed conclusions of the humanitarian affairs segment of the Council;

7. Further requests the Secretary-General, in his report to the General Assembly on the triennial policy review, taking into account the Council's discussions on item 3 (a) of the agenda for the Council's substantive session of 1998, entitled "Advancement of women: implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the role of operational activities in promoting, in particular, capacity-building and resource mobilization for enhancing the participation of women in development", and the outcome thereof, to include a section on mainstreaming a gender perspective in the operational activities of the United Nations system, containing recommendations to that end;

8. Invites the Secretary-General, in accordance with the Council's coordination, guidance and oversight roles in the implementation by the United Nations system of the triennial policy review of operational activities, to make recommendations, when finalizing his report on the triennial policy review, on the possible themes that could be discussed at the working-level meetings of the operational activities segments of the 1999, 2000 and 2001 substantive sessions of the Council, taking into account the necessary preparatory work for the following triennial policy review;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to undertake, as appropriate, in close consultation and collaboration with recipient Governments and donors, impact evaluations of the themes on operational activities identified by the General Assembly for discussion at future sessions of the Council;

10. Stresses the importance of the continued participation of the specialized agencies and regional commissions of the United Nations system, and the ongoing collaboration with the World Bank, in relevant aspects of United Nations operational activities on the basis of the national priorities of the recipient countries.

Notes

1/ E/1998/54 and Corr.1

2/ E/1998/48 and Corr.1 and Add.1.

Date last posted: 6 December 1999 17:53:10
Comments and suggestions: esa@un.org