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| The suggested theme of the meeting is "Increased coherence, coordination and cooperation for the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus at all levels a year after Monterrey". A Note by the Secretary-General raising a number of questions for consideration at the meeting is now available online, together with additional information. In preparation for the meeting, hearings and a dialogue of the Economic and Social Council with representatives of civil society were held on 20-21 March. Nine panel discussions took place, on the following themes:
The meeting concluded with b riefings by business representatives on the status of private sector initiatives in the area of financing for development. Contact: Sarbuland Khan, DESC, Tel. (212) 963-4628, E-mail: khan2@un.org (Back to top ) Establishment of the Secretariat for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/pfii/ The Secretariat for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was established on 27 February 2003 within the Division of Social Policy and Development of DESA. The functions of the Secretariat are designated in General Assembly resolution 57/191 (A/RES/57/191 ). The central function is to provide substantive assistance and support to the Permanent Forum in carrying out its mandate. The other functions indicate how this is to be done:
Please visit its new web site at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/pfii/ Contact: Elissavet Stamatopoulou, DSPD, Tel. (917) 367-5100, E-mail: stamatopoulou@un.org (Back to top ) Third World Water Forum
The following was contributed by our colleague Marcia Brewster of DSD, who attended. The Forum, held every three years in a different country, is sponsored by the World Water Council and other NGOs. The Third World Water Forum in Japan was exciting and well organized, with far too much going on at any one time -- four venues where events and sessions were taking place simultaneously, and thirty or more competing topics at the same time. The sessions on financing, including those led by the Camdessus Panel and the CEO Panel (which included CEOs of the three major private sector water providers), were the ones that drew the most protests and fireworks. The men on the podium were shouted down by protesters against the privatization of water. Still, the Panels made a number of useful recommendations, calling for a doubling of ODA, emphasizing grants, drawing on local currency mobilization, and channeling funds to municipal and community borrowers. The Forum continued the pressure to put water at the top of global economic and social agenda. It is important to maintain the momentum during this International Year of Freshwater. President Jacques Chirac announced in a videotaped message that water would be one of the most important issues to be discussed by the G-8 at Evian (France) in June. As several keys spokespersons stated, even if we meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) targets, there will be many millions without access to water. There was a general call to provide access to water and sanitation for all by 2025. The UN played a very important role at the Forum. It led the sessions on water and environment, cities, agriculture, climate change, culture, peace and disasters. The World Bank, IMF and regional development banks framed the work on financing. The MDGs and WSSD provided an overall framework for the challenges ahead. Some of the major initiatives:
Other commitments were made by banks, regional organizations, donors and NGOs. A number of action commitments to water supply and sanitation for the poor were also made. The consensus was that sanitation and hygiene need to be given more attention. Availability of sanitation in schools is crucial for girls’ education and security. This was very much emphasized by Ms. Annan, Sir Richard Jolly, the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) campaign, WASH in schools (UNICEF) and the Children’s Water Forum. Contact: Marcia Brewster, WNR & SIDS/DSD, Tel. (212) 963-8590, E-mail: Brewster@un.org (Back to top ) Restructuring DESA In line with the indications contained in the Secretary-General's report on "Strengthening of the United Nations: an agenda for further change" (A/57/387) and GA resolution 57/300, DESA's programme of work contains a number of significant changes, aimed at aligning activities and resources to the priorities of the Millennium Declaration and the outcomes of the major international conferences, and reflecting a renewed emphasis on advancing their integrated implementation. The realignment, as being pursued in the Secretary-General's programme budget in 2004-2005, is aimed at enhancing the Department's leadership with regard to development policy and reinforcing the Department's capacity to manage the wide breadth of subject areas and responsibilities entrusted to it. An important feature of the realignment is the configuration of three central offices reporting directly to the Under-Secretary-General. This is geared to strengthening the direct support that the head of the Department receives, both in the exercise of his policy coordination functions vis-à-vis the central inter-governmental bodies, and in his interface with the Secretary-General's office and heads of UN programmes and entities, particularly in the context of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs. The three offices have distinct but mutually reinforcing responsibilities:
The Special Adviser on Gender Issues exercises its system-wide responsibilities on gender issues including the progress made by the UN Secretariat and the Secretariats of the UN system in mainstreaming a gender perspective in every sector and the status of women in the UN Secretariat, and reports in that capacity, directly to the Secretary-General, and will continue to oversee the Division on the Advancement of Women and guide gender mainstreaming in the work of the Department. The other DESA substantive divisions will be reorganized into two clusters, each reporting to an Assistant Secretary-General and focusing respectively on data analysis and information and on support for intergovernmental processes in the functional areas covered by the Department, and related operational responsibilities. The clustering of divisions under Assistant Secretaries-General is, together with the three central offices referred to above, an integral part of the effort to strengthen management and policy coherence within the Department, and its impact on furthering the integrated implementation of relevant aspects of the Millennium Declaration and international conferences. The Assistant Secretaries-General will work closely with the three central offices in the exercise of both their policy development and management responsibilities. The first cluster, expected to report as of 2004 to a proposed new post of Assistant Secretary-General, will comprise an Economic Monitoring and Assessment Unit, the Statistics Division, and the Population Division. The second cluster will include the Division for Sustainable Development, the Secretariat of the UN Forum on Forest, the Division for Social Policy and Development (including the new Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues), and the Division for Public Economics and Public Administration (to be reorganized and renamed Division for Public Administration and Development Management). It will report to the existing Assistant Secretary-General post in DESA. (Back to top
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Working Group on the Integrated and Coordinated Follow-up to ConferencesExpert Group Meetings Regional Meeting of Experts on Ageing and Health Chief Executives Board (CEB) Working Group on the Integrated and Coordinated Follow-up to Conferences
The Open-ended ad hoc working group of the General Assembly on the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields completed its first session on 12 March, 2003. The session was devoted to a brainstorming on the various issues to be addressed by the group (implementation in the countries; follow-up; work of GA; +5 and +10 reviews). The session helped to chart the territory that the group will address on each aspect. The second session, started on 27 March, is expected to move into a more concrete discussion of recommendations. The group decided that its work would be consistent with GA res. 57/270 and 50/227 and the reform process of the UN. It will consider in a balanced manner the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed development goals. 1. Regarding the integrated implementation of conference outcomes, the following was underscored: Different sectors of the society have responsibilities, but the crucial responsibility is in the hands of each Government, which must provide consistent and coherent policies with the internationally agreed development goals including through financial resources, technology, and capacity building. The UN system including the Bretton Wood Institutions (BWIs) should provide support to the member states through a better link between policy and operations. Other institutional stakeholders such as the regional development banks, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the private sector, should orient their work to achieve and follow-up internationally agreed goals. Finally, it is important to measure the progress against agreed goals at all levels. The developments of indicators by the Statistical Commission received attention, as did indicators on MDGs and the need for coherence and intergovernmental oversight.
The UN’s role in the economic, social and related areas has gained renewed importance with major UN conferences and summits. A full use of the structure of the GA, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and subsidiary bodies and an improvement of their work methods would be necessary to maintain the momentum for implementation of conferences. ECOSOC should strengthen its role as the central mechanism for system-wide coordination. Functional commissions should address implementation of conference outcomes in their entirety and contribute notably on themes address by ECOSOC. Regional commissions should play their role as regional focal points in implementing the conference outcomes. Executive Boards of Funds and Programmes should bring to ECOSOC’s attention approaches and guidance from their work, which are of relevance to all.
The work of Second and Third Committees should reinforce the work of the GA through more interactive debates, and greater use of round tables and panels. Reports should be further improved to maximize the impact on Governments, public opinion, the BWIs and other institutional stakeholders and the private sector. The Group felt that a numbers of provisions of GA resolutions 50/227 are yet to be implemented notably those on cooperation between the Second and Third Committee.
The Group noted that the existing structure should be fully used for reviewing conference implementation. A principle of flexibility should be applied in the review of implementation of outcomes conferences. Its periodicity and format should be decided on a case-by-case basis. It should take into account political, economic and social developments requiring high-level engagement and normative guidance. Further information on the work of the working group is available online. Commission on Population and Development
The theme of the Commission’s meeting is “Population, education and development”. There are expected to be two resolutions, one on the importance of education for population and development, and another on agenda items for 2005-2006. Two keynote addresses are planned, by Dr. Paul Demeny of the Population Council (1 April), and Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen (2 April). Economic and Social Council
Economic and Social Council This one-day informal meeting of ECOSOC will bring together Ministers, Ambassadors, agencies and organizations of the UN system, members of the Interagency High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) and the Chief Executive Board, representatives of civil society, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, academia and others, to discuss measures to promote an integrated approach to rural development within the context of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. The informal meeting will consist of an HLCP panel discussion with the Council, followed by ten roundtable discussions, organized by agencies of the United Nations system. Each roundtable would review progress made towards rural development, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and follow up to UN conferences and summits. Particular attention will be devoted to a sharing of views on possible solutions to further their achievement. The outcome of two Council dialogue sessions held on 24 March will be presented (see below). The meeting will end with a plenary consisting of reports of the Roundtables and a statement from the President of ECOSOC. On 24 March 2003 two informal ECOSOC dialogue sessions were held. The morning was devoted to: “ Integrated approaches to rural development policies, goals and commitments”. This event set the stage by identifying the major policy issues related to integrated approaches to rural development and analyzed goals established and commitments made in this regard. International, regional and national implementation policies such as PRSPs, MDG core strategy, UNDAFs were discussed. The afternoon was devoted to: “Implementation and best practices: tools, approaches and the role of actors.” This event focused on identifying integrated approaches for promoting implementation of policies, goals and commitments adopted at the UN conferences and summits and the advancement of the MDGs in relation to rural development. International regional and national implementation tools such as conventions, laws, rules, regulations, strategies were discussed as well as tools and approaches to track implementation such as good practices, networks, discussion groups etc. with specific examples. The focus was on the role of actors involved; how to get them committed; how to engage them in partnerships, particularly in the field of rural development; how stakeholders can be more effectively involved in applying UN policies, goals and commitments adopted at UN conferences and summits and the advancement of the MDGs; and how can stakeholders mutually reinforce their work through better coordination. ECOSOC Member States, representatives of UN agencies, funds and programmes, NGO representatives, parliamentarians, media, local authorities, women’s groups, academics, professional groups and foundations attended. (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Commission on Sustainable Development
CSD-11 Chair, South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa, convened informal consultations in preparation for CSD-11 on 24-25 February 2003, at UN headquarters in New York. The purpose of the meeting was to hear initial views of delegations on the scope and nature of the future programme of work of CSD and, in particular, to allow for informal discussions on the Report of the Secretary General on implementation of the Plan of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburgh, 2002, and the proposed organization of work for CSD-11. The second meeting of the Bureau of CSD-11 took place on 24 and 16 March 2003. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. Valli Moosa, and attended by the four Vice-Chairs, namely Ms. Nadine Gouzée (Belgium), Mr. Hossein Moeini Meybodi (Islamic Republic of Iran), H.E. Mr. Bruno Stagno Ugarte (Costa Rica), and Ms. Irena Zubc evic (Croatia). The meeting was held in conjunction with the second round of informal consultations organized in the lead up to the 11th session of the CSD. This will be the first session of the CSD after the WSSD and a significant milestone as it will deliberate and adopt a programme of work for the next 5 to 10 years, including new modalities for CSD operation. CSD-11 will start with 3 days of a high-level ministerial segment, which will guide the decisions to be taken at this session. Delegations have emphasized the importance of having not only environment ministers but also development and finance ministers participate in the CSD. Consistent with the focus on implementation, the CSD-11 will have regional implementation forums, multistakeholder involvement in the CSD deliberations, a Partnership Fair where partners engaged in concrete WSSD-inspired initiatives would be coming together to exchange experiences, and a Learning Centre to promote capacity-building. The latter two will be running in parallel to the plenary sessions. In follow-up to the decisions made during the first Bureau meeting, it was agreed that "framework for discussions " papers would be circulated by the Chairman in early April 2003. These papers will take into account any relevant comments made by delegations in the course of informal consultation. The purpose of the papers would be to focus the discussions and enable the Ministers to give guidance to governments, UN agencies and other international institutions, major groups, partnerships and other stakeholders on "Who should do What and How" to implement the outcomes of WSSD. Due attention will be given to the main sectoral and "cross-sectoral" provisions of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), as well as the future role of the CSD in advancing implementation of sustainable development at all levels.A new sustainable development web site was launched in conjunction with the meetings. Contact: Maria Mercedes Sanchez, DSD, Tel. (212) 963-9421, E-mail: sanchezmm@un.org Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The theme for this upcoming second session is "Indigenous Children and Youth". The members of the Permanent Forum have chosen this theme in order to focus the attention on the survival of indigenous peoples. It is the physical and mental health of indigenous children who will ensure the survival, growth and prosperity of the peoples from whom they come. Without ensuring that they are appropriately educated in their indigenous languages, cultures and values with indigenous pedagogy as the basis of their learning, indigenous peoples and their unique cultures will not survive in this globalized world. Contact: Elissavet Stamatopoulou, DSPD, Tel. (917) 367-5100, E-mail: stamatopoulou@un.org United Nations Forum on Forests
Multi Stakeholder Dialogue An integral part of UNFF sessions (see below), Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue (MSD) provides a forum for direct interchange of ideas between governments and civil society, represented by all 9 major groups of the United Nations (youth, women, business, farmers, local authorities, environmental NGOs, indigenous peoples, trade unions and the scientific/technological communities). This meeting will help create linkages between the needs of governments major constituencies and the development of global policy on sustainable forest management. Collaborative Partnership on Forests Meeting
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests is a unique inter-agency partnership comprised of 13 organizations with programs on forests. Members include: CBD, CIFOR, FAO, GEF, ITTO, ICRAF, IUCN, UNCCD, DESA, UNPD, UNEP, UNFCCC and World Bank. IUFRO will also be joining CPF at UNFF3. This meeting will further explore collaboration on global forest policy between member organizations. United Nations Forum on Forests
The Forum will treat three elements: Economic Aspects of Forests; Forest Health and Productivity; and, Maintaining Forest Cover to Meet Present and Future Needs. Enhanced Cooperation and Policy Coordination on Forests will also be a major discussion topic. Online pre-registration and side event applications for UNFF3 as well as registration for UNFF Newsletter is now available at: http://esa.un.org/UNFF/personInfo.asp (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Outcomes of Functional Commissions Commission on the Status of Women
The forty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place from 3-14 March, and on 25 March 2003. One Deputy Prime Minister, 8 Ministers and 10 Vice-Ministers or other senior officials from national machineries for the advancement of women participated in the session, including the high-level round table. Approximately 15 other delegations were headed by representatives from capitals.
A total of 96 speakers participated in the general debate. This included 70 country delegations, 17 UN system organizations and 9 NGOs representing the five regions. The substantive focus of the debate was on the two thematic issues before the Commission (the role of media and ICT in gender equality; human rights of women and violence against women). Progress in the use of the gender mainstreaming strategy, and its role in promoting gender equality, was also discussed by many speakers. Continuing attention was given to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), its Optional Protocol, and measures to enhance implementation. Health issues, and in particular the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on women, were raised by several delegations, as were issues of women, peace and security and the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325. Some attention was given to the MDGs and the relevance of gender equality to all the goals.
It was the first time that the CSW held such high-level round-table and participants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity provided to exchange good practices, lessons learned and obstacles encountered in institutional capacity building, in particular in relation to the two themes of the CSW: media and ICTs, and violence against women. The Chairperson’s summary of the high-level round table is available on the DAW website (E/CN.6/2003/CRP.8).
The Commission considered this theme on the basis of a report by the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/2003/6) and a panel discussion (see DAW website, including the Moderator’s summary E/CN.6/2003/CRP.5). It adopted a set of agreed conclusions which will also be an input to the World Summit on the Information Society (see the advance unedited text on the DAW Website).
The Commission considered this theme on the basis of a report by the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/2003/7, E/CN.6/2003/7/Corr.1) and a panel discussion (see DAW website, including the Moderator’s summary E/CN.6/2003/CRP.7) Some 900 NGO representatives accredited with ECOSOC participated in the session and its related activities. The Division for the Advancement of Women, which services the Commission, facilitated 137 events. The Division has distributed 300 information kits and over 1,000 publications on women’s rights, including “Women 2000 and Beyond” issues. The CD Rom “Women Go Global” was shown during the Commission session and an exhibition of DAW publications was organized. Resolutions The Commission adopted:
Contact: On the work of the Commission, Christina Brautigam, GAS/DAW, Tel. (212) 963-0535, E-mail:
brautigamc@un.org (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Commission for Social Development
The 41st session of the Commission for Social Development was held from 10-21 February. The priority theme was “National and International Cooperation for Social Development”. The Commission also reviewed the relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups, including:
The outcome documents from the meeting, which can be found at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd/2003draft.htm , include:
For more information about the Commission, including additional information on the 41st session, reports of the expert group meetings, pre-session documentation and statements made at the Commission, please see the web site. The bureaux of the Commission and ECOSOC held a joint meeting, for which an issue paper was prepared to frame the discussion. Such joint bureaux meetings were also scheduled with the Statistical Commission (6 March) and the Commission on the Status of Women (11 March), for which discussion papers were prepared. Contact: Gloria Kan, DSPD, Tel. (212) 963-5873, Fax (212) 963-3062, E-mail: kan@un.org (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Regional Meeting of Experts on Ageing and Health
Hosted by the Pan American Health Organization, this expert meeting has the objective of analyzing the conditions of health of older people in the region and to prepare recommendations for the implementation of the International Plan of Action on Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean. Contact: Alexandre Sidorenko, DSPD, Tel. (212) 963-0500, Fax: (212) 963-3062, E-mail: sidorenko@un.org Committee for Development Policy
The Committee will discuss and finalize its contribution to the June 2003 high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council on promoting an integrated approach to rural development for poverty eradication and sustainable development, as requested by ECOSOC resolution 2002/36 of 26 July 2002. The Committee’s session will also devote special attention to its triennial review of the list of least developed countries, and to an analysis of the concept and role of global public goods (GPGs) in development policy. Contact: Anatoly Smyshlyaev, Secretary, Committee for Development Policy, Tel. (212) 963-4687, E-mail: Smyshlyaev @ un.orgCommittee of Experts on Public Administration
The Second session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration will be held from 7-11 April at UN Headquarters in New York. The main topics for discussion are:
To date, twenty-one experts have confirmed their participation. In addition, 20 observers from government and non-governmental agencies as well as academic institutions in public administration will attend. As part of the discussions of the above topics, four eminent government officials and experts have also been invited to make presentations. In order to improve the direct communication between the President of ECOSOC and the experts of the Committee, a special briefing meeting has been arranged between the President and the Bureau Members of the Committee. During this session, a UN Interagency Meeting on Public Administration will be held on 9 April. Nine UN-related agencies have confirmed their participation in this meeting which will discuss:
Contact: Guido Bertucci, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-5761, E-mail: bertucci@un.org OR Haiyan Qian, Tel. (212) 963-3393, E-mail: qianh@un.org (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Project LINK Meeting
The programme will focus on the global economic outlook at this crucial time. With more than 100 experts from 60 countries and several international organizations and a few invited speakers, the meeting will have in-depth deliberations on various scenarios facing the world economy, contingent on the development of the Gulf crisis. Experts will discuss the likely path for the world economy in the aftermath. The meeting will also cover special topics, including the possibility and the consequence of a global deflation, changing dynamics for international trade, and the dilemmas of fiscal policy in many economies, developed as well as developing. The proceedings will contribute to the forthcoming World Economic and Social Survey 2003 . Contact: Ian C. Kinniburgh, DPPO, Tel. (212) 963-4838, E-mail: Kinniburgh@un.org (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Chief Executives Board (CEB)
Executive heads will be taking up the issue of system-wide follow-up to the Secretary-General’s report on sustainable development, the first of the two special themes to be covered in the 2003 annual report to the General Assembly on the follow-up to the Millennium Declaration. It this connection it is expected that system-wide arrangements and the state-of-play in building partnerships for the follow-up to Johannesburg will be discussed. These deliberations will also serve to guide the participation of the system in key inter-governmental discussions during the rest of 2003, beginning with the Commission for Sustainable Development to be held immediately after the CEB meeting. The Committee will also review the report of the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) and will be briefed by the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union on preparations for the World Summit on the Information Society. CEB will hold a retreat on 26 April focussing on water and energy and on the system-wide implications of the work of the World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalization. They will be addressing water and energy issues from both a development and a peace-building perspective. They will draw on relevant inter-agency discussions in the HLCP, as well as the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), on water and sanitation, energy, health, agricultural productivity and biodiversity and ecosystem management (WEHAB). Contact: Eric Lacanlale, CEB Secretariat, Tel. (212) 963-6889, E-mail: lacanlale@un.org OR Karina Gerlach, Tel. (212) 963-5858 OR visit http://ceb.unsystem.org (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) High Level Committee on Programmes
The meeting focussed on:
The recommendations of the High Level Committee will be presented to CEB for consideration at its meeting on 25-26 April. The session was followed by a retreat, 27 February-1 March, which focussed on: Engagement of the international community with the Millennium Declaration, including the contribution of the UN system in helping countries to achieve the goals of the Declaration in the context of the system's response to globalization; and Identification of key issues for HLCP's work programme for the coming years with emphasis on emerging system-wide priorities. (Back to "Global dialogue in development"
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Inter-American Center of Tax Administration Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations
The Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) is participating on the meeting whose theme is “ Strategies and Instruments for Increasing the Effectiveness and Efficiency of the Tax Administration.” Contact: Jacinto de Vera, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-0525, E-mail: devera@un.orgUN/INTOSAI Together with the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), DPAM is organizing the 16th Interregional Seminar on Government Auditing. This year's theme is "The Role of Supreme Audit Institutions in Auditing the Utilization of Funds in the Field of Education." DPADM will present a lecture on "School Audits and Parental Choice". Contact: Larry Willmore, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-4758, E-mail: willmore@un.org(Back to "Trends and analysis" ) (Back to top ) 2003 Seoul Anti-Corruption Conference
, including: The Third Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity (GF3) is an inter-governmental gathering at the ministerial level that was first convened in the United States under the auspices of then-U.S. vice president Al Gore in 1999. The International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) is a forum for delegates from civic society, academia and other private sectors to find strategies to combat corrupt practices. This is the first time the anti-corruption fora are being held back-to-back under the name 2003 Seoul Anti-Corruption Conference. More than 2,000 participants from around the world, including ministerial-level officials from approximately 150 countries, are expected at this event which the Korean Ministry of Justice will host. DPADM has been a member of the International Organizing Committee for GF3, representing the UN system. I t will be chairing two panels on E-Corruption and Decentralization and Corruption as well as making a presentation at a panel on Culture and Corruption. At the IACC, DPADM is coordinating with the World Bank a workshop on Depoliticizing the Civil Service, which it will chair. Contact: Elia Yi Armstrong, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-2926; E-mail: armstronge@un.org OR Shabbir Cheema, Tel. (212) 963-4533, E-mail: cheemas@un.org International Research Conference on Social Security
DPADM will present a paper titled "Universal Pensions in Mauritius: Lessons for the Rest of Us ” at the conference, which is sponsored by the International Social Security Association. Contact: Larry Willmore, Tel. 212-963-4758; e-mail: willmore@un.orgInternational Day of Families
The theme for this year's Day will be "Preparations for the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2004" . Organized jointly by the Programme on the Family of the Division for Social Policy and Development of DESA, the Department for Public Information and the New York NGO Committee on the Family, the event will provide various speakers the opportunity to discuss preparations regarding the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family from their perspective. Contact: Amr Ghaleb, DSPD, Tel. (212) 963-3238, Fax: (212) 963-3062, E-mail: ghaleb@un.org International Symposium on the South Asian Citizens’ Social Charter
The Socio-Economic Governance and Management Branch of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management supported the South Asian Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS), a civil society networking organization of the South Asia countries (the SAARC countries) to formulate the South Asian Citizens’ Social Charter . With support from DESA, the draft Citizens' Charter was formally launched by the SACEPS and its partner organizations at the International Symposium held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 25-27 February 2003. About eighty delegates from Civil Society Organizations of South Asian countries attended the meeting. The draft Charter, which was extensively discussed during the meeting, is now being revised and an Action Plan is being drawn up. The final Charter will be used as a framework document for advocacy, dialoguing and activism for pro-poor policies, both at the country as well as at the regional level. Mr. Nitin Desai, USG, Mr. M. Adil Khan, Chief, Socio-Economic Governance and Management Branch and Mr. Alexei Tikhomirov, Head of the Asia Unit of the same Branch, attended the Symposium. In his inaugural speech, Mr. Desai emphasized the importance of partnership in poverty reduction. Mr. G. L. Peiris, the Minister for the Constitutional Affairs of Sri Lanka who inaugurated the Symposium, underscored, the importance of citizens' participation in the formulation of social policies. He also commended the role played by UNDESA in launching the Citizens' Charter and in strengthening pro-poor partnerships at the regional level. Contact: Adil Khan, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-6168, E-mail: khan4@un.org(Back to "Trends and analysis" ) (Back to top ) Panel on Institutions and Change: Do Women Make a Difference?
The Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) together with the Focal Point for Women organized on 12 March 2003, at the United Nations Headquarters, New York a panel discussion on “Institutions and change: do women make a difference?" The following panellists provided different perspectives on the issue, based on their particular experience with the Untied Nations, government, operational agencies and peace operations. (Full text of some of the panellists' presentations are available on the OSAGI website at www.un.org/osagi ). 1. Mr. Iqbal Riza (Chef de Cabinet of the Office of the SG) - reiterated the commitment of the Secretary-General to reaching equal gender representation at all levels, illustrating why this is important to do and how it will improve the Organization overall. 2. Ms. Catherine Bertini (Under Secretary-General for Management, United Nations) – spoke briefly about her experience at the World Food Programme in the area of gender balance, stating which policies and lessons learnt could also be applied to further improve the situation of women in the UN. She addressed the qualitative differences made, in her view, by women and gender balance in an institution. 3. H.E. Mr. Don MacKay (Ambassador of New Zealand) - spoke of New Zealand's own experience in gender balance in institutions and how this forms the basis of its conviction that other Member States must assist the UN in meeting the 50:50 gender balance mandate that they have set out for the institution. 4. Ms. Lena Sundh (Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General - United Nations Mission in the Congo) - focused on her experience in the Congo and, against the fact that today's wars often target civilian populations, on the importance of women becoming essential members of peace operations, of the difference women can make and on encouraging Member States to motivate women to apply for this line of work in UN peace operations. 5. Blanca Antonini (Deputy Director, Americas and Europe Division – Department of Political Affairs) – spoke of her experience in Latin America and the Balkans, with particular reference to the importance of women becoming essential members of peace operations and the significant role they have played in effecting change. Illustrating from her experience, she emphasized the critical importance of gender balance, encouraging developing Member State countries to assist in increasing the representation of women in peace operations. |
Preparatory Seminars and Workshops on a Convention on Disability To contribute to the second session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, 16-27 June , and in accordance with General Assembly resolution 57/229, the following regional seminars and workshops on norms and standards related to the rights of persons with disabilities and development are being organized with funds from the Development Account and the support of the Division for Social Policy and Development: Asia and Pacific Regional Meeting Americas Regional Meeting Western Asia Regional Meeting Africa Regional Meeting Judicial colloquium on the application of international human rights law at the domestic level, and Regional training workshop on reporting on the implementation of the CEDAW Convention in English speaking African countries The Women's Rights Section of the Division for the Advancement of Women in collaboration with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania will be holding the colloquium and the training workshop. It is expected that 20-30 senior judges and magistrates from African States in the region will participate in the colloquium. 20-30 government officials responsible for the preparation of reports under the Convention are expected to attend the training workshop. Contact: Juliet Solomon, Women's Rights Section, Tel: (212) 963-6052, E-mail: solomonj@un.org
Regional workshop on reporting on the implementation of the CEDAW Convention for countries and territories in the Pacific which have ratified but have not yet reported under the Convention The workshop will focus on the preparation of reports under article 18 of the Convention. Participants will be drawn from government departments responsible for preparing such reports. It is being organized by the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with NZAid, UNIFEM and UNDP. The Division for the Advancement of Women provides substantive support, including resource persons. Contact: Juliet Solomon, Women's Rights Section, Tel: (212) 963-6052, E-mail: solomonj@un.org
As a result of DESA's support to the Subregional Network to the Follow-up of the Social Summit Commitments, consisting of eight Latin American countries, i.e., Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, this partnership has announced the launch and full operation of its web page: http://www.redsocial.net . Interested researchers may find on this website information about social issues related to each of these countries as well as updated activities that the participating institutions undertake, both jointly and individually in order to achieve the internationally agreed goals. Contact: Mr. Julio D’Arcy, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-5603, E-mail: darcy@un.orgWorkshop of Government-designated Experts on the Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies for the Sustainable Management of Mangrove Forests in Latin America and the Caribbean Inaugurated by the Vice-President of the Republic, the workshop was co-sponsored by the Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, FAO, ITTO, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Central American Commission for Maritime Transportation (COCATRAM) and the Secretariat of the Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP). 40 experts participated. The workshop produced four principal outputs. First, the overview paper on the transfer of environmentally sound forest technologies relevant to the sustainable management of mangrove forests with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean was revised to reflect the needs and priorities of the Governments of the region. Two draft regional strategies for the sustainable management of mangroves were elaborated for the Pacific and for the Wider Caribbean. An informal interagency group comprised of ITTO, FAO, the World Bank, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention and the UNFF Secretariat was formed to provide technical and/or financial support to the implementation of the two regional strategies. Subsequently, the Second Intergovern |