Case Studies - Working
with the UN system:
A selection of projects, involving cooperation
between the United Nations and the private sector, are
described in summary form. These projects cover a wide
range of activities within the diverse UN family.
New Dimensions in Cooperation:
Case Studies from the UN System
Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO), Rome
International Labour Organization (ILO),
Geneva
International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
Geneva
United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), Geneva
United Nations International Drug Control
Programme (UNDCP), Vienna
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
New York
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
Nairobi
United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
New York
The United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),
New York
United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), Vienna
Universal Postal Union (UPU), Berne
World Food Programme (WFP), Rome
World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome
FAO has introduced a demand-driven system
in several developing countries which supports the emergence
of commercial dealer networks for agricultural machinery,
tools and other inputs, and also offers pre-sales advice
and after-sales service. The project provides technical
assistance and training to dealers, facilitates contacts
with suppliers and sources of credit and also advises
governments on taxes and regulatory matters essential
for establishing the commercial viability of these new
ventures.
An "Investment Centre" helps
countries prepare projects for international financing
by the World Bank and other development institutions.
The Centre helped with the preparation of projects worth
US$2.5 billion in 1996 alone. Increasingly, these projects
include private sector components.
FAO and the government of Zimbabwe are
partners in a "Forest Industry Training Centre"
for private sector managers and machine operators from
the Southern African Development Community countries.
The Centre also runs a full-scale commercial saw milling
and plywood manufacturing plant, built with bilateral
aid. Revenue from the sawmill is now the main support
for training activities.
Cooperation with international industry
sector associations has facilitated trade, technology
transfer, and investment in developing countries. The
International Fertilizer Industry Association, for example,
supports a wide range of FAO initiatives and is now a
partner with FAO, the World Bank and others in a "Soil
Fertility Initiative" in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In order to make credit more widely available,
FAO works closely with local private sector organizations.
An example is the FAO micro-banking system, a unique banking
software package used in more than one thousand offices
in 25 developing countries. The system helps reduce the
cost and improve the management of small credit and savings
institutions. As part of this effort, FAO also helps to
establish small service companies and to train staff to
support micro-bank client needs.
Reliable market information is essential
for countries trying to develop and expand trade in commodities.
FAO has set up the "Fish Marketing Information System",
a comprehensive information and marketing service for
fisheries around the world. Initially funded by FAO, a
number of the regional centres are now self-financing
and self-sustaining.
FAO served as an "honest broker"
in bringing together public and private sector interests
to form the Asia-Pacific Seed Association, an autonomous
regional organization that will soon achieve self-sustaining
status.
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International Labour Organization
(ILO), Geneva
A recently launched International Small
Enterprise Programme aims to stimulate job creation in
small- and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in emerging
markets. ISEP will consolidate and develop ILO's current
work programme with entrepreneurs, large and small enterprises,
governments and employer's and worker's organizations
in a wide range of technical cooperation and action-oriented
research activities. Enterprise specialists from the ILO
assist 80 projects in 53 countries, as well as 26 regional
and global projects.
International Telecommunication
Union (ITU), Geneva
"WorldTel", created to boost
telecommunications in developing countries, completed
its first major project in 1997: a partnership with Telefonia
Inalambrica del Norte (Telinor) and Bell Canada International
to market local telephone services in Mexico. WorldTel
and BCI invested US$250 million in Telinor, the first
company allowed to compete with the Mexican telephone
monopoly. The project is designed to spur economic development
in Mexico, deploy an advanced telecommunications infrastructure,
provide world-class service for Mexico and create several
thousand new jobs.
"WorldNet", created as part of the UN's plans
to lay up to 50 million telephone lines in developing
countries over the next decade, competes directly with
private telecom groups. It is now independent of the ITU
and UN, but receives the full support of both. It is currently
seeking out major projects in Asia, Latin America and
Africa and aims to provide a conduit between developed
and developing countries by providing funding, technology
and management training.
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United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva
UNCTAD and ICC join forces to prepare
guide to support investment in Least Developed Countires
[5 July]
Executive
Summary
Investment
Guide Booklet UNCTAD prepared
an Investment Policy Review at the request of the General
Authority for Investment and Free Zone (GAFI), in cooperation
with the Economic Research Forum (ERF) in Egypt. A number
of experts contributed to the review. The conclusions
drawn by the Review were broadly supported by the participants,
representing public and private sector, academia and non-governmental
organizations.
During a one day Workshop in Cairo
which presented the Investment Policy Review of Egypt, it
was pointed out that issued capital had increased from 184
million Egyptian pounds in 1993 to 6094 million Egyptian
pounds in 1998. This figure reflects newly established companies,
that contribute directly to economic growth.
The Review confirms the upsurge in
the Egyptian economy. Macroeconomic policies pursued since
1991 have successfully redressed internal and external imbalances.
Egypt enjoys a low inflation rate. Compared to many countries
in the region, the factor inputs such as electricity, telephone
and shipping costs are competitive. Its economy is growing
at a high rate and recent trends indicate a steady-opening
to international trade. Besides being the largest market
in North Africa, Egypt is strategically positioned as a
gateway to the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa.
Executives of transnationals attending
the Workshop felt that Egypt had made progress, however,
there was still room for improvement in the business environment.
The availability of a skilled workforce was one of the reasons
for the big presence of Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) in Egypt.
Of the 1800 permanent and 700 temporary workers, expatriates
count for only 10. However, there is a shortage of middle
level management, which is the fabric of modern enterprises.
As one of the ABB representatives stated, Egypt should train
middle level management.
Most participants pointed to the need
to create new business network, that cut across family ties
and business lines. This was essential for creating a business
community that can speak for business as a whole rather
than for particular sectoral interests. At the global level
it was suggested that a dialogue among business leaders
from the North and the South was an effective way of strengthening
private sector participation in development issues.
WHY INVEST IN EGYPT ?
Microsoft Egypt believes that Egypt’s
large domestic market of 65 million people is a certain
lure for foreign companies to invest heavily in the country.
Thus far, market penetration has been low with only 500.000
personal computers and the market itself, for instance,
is "thirsty" for information technology. In addition,
Egypt’s strategic location in the Mediterranean offers a
tremendous opportunity for expansion into the Middle East
and Africa, as well as for out-sourcing. The representative
underlined that the country could not become a global IT
power house overnight.
ALEXANDRIA’S LARGE MARKET
A LURE FOR INVESTORS
The business community in Alexandria
is determined to regain the lost glory of this famed city.
Alexandria has a large market and a labor force which industries
can capitalize upon, according to the chairman of the Alexandria
Business Association. As it is possible to realize from
the Investment Policy Review of Egypt prepared by UNCTAD,
forty per cent of Egyptian industries are located in Alexandria.
Eighty per cent of trade passes through Alexandria. The
city has centers of higher learning and research development.
Against such opportunities lie bottlenecks that frustrate
investors. For instance, national bureaucracy and public
monopolies were placed by many participants at the top of
their concerns. Infrastructure deficiencies persist as well.
For example, although river transport may be cost-effective,
reliable and efficient, more costly and less environmental-friendly
road transport is utilized.
Egypt, and Alexandria in particular,
can learn from experiences in other countries. Italy, for
instance, a country with which Egypt has long-standing trade
and investment relations, provides such an opportunity.
Four decades ago Italy was a labor-intensive, export-oriented
country. Today, it hosts capital-intensive, high-value added
production. Egypt accounts for 15 per cent of Italian investment
in the Mediterranean region. It is characterized by large
firms, mostly connected with oil exploration, construction,
pharmaceuticals and textiles.
In Alexandria there is an increasing
number of projects with foreign participation as a means
of bringing in sophisticated technology. A trade agreement
with the European Union and regional integration with Africa
and the Arab world will give a boost to the development
of Alexandria as well as Egypt.
Egypt should consider setting up Local
Development Agencies (LDAs) to promote its territories aggressively.
An LDA as a specialized body with the unique mission of
attracting more and more foreign investors in the territory
should have three main tasks:
a) actively promote its territory and
its opportunities, based on policies and priorities established
and provide feedback;
b) support the implementation of investment
projects, by mediating between foreign investors and local
authorities;
c) facilitate the development of local
entrepreneurship, supporting start-ups and joint ventures.
The responsibilities and the structure
of each Local Development Agency need to be tailored to
meet local needs and realities.
The LDAs should plan and organize promotional
campaigns aimed at potential investors from targeted countries.
This means firstly collating relevant information on the
advantages of selected Egyptian locations and investment
opportunities, which will be of interest to potential investors.
And then, identifying the best methods to communicate this
information to those interests groups.
Another key task of the
LDAs is networking, helping to capitalize on synergies
of the whole region that have previously been unexploited.
For example, building on know-how in the region, helping
entrepreneurs to pursue win-win situations and making
the relevant information available to the right individual
at the most appropriate time.
When LDAs of the Mediterranean are
linked together, the result will be a thriving business
forum in the region. Should Egypt be among its founders,
its active business communities will attract foreign investment
as they have never done before.
ENHANCING THE PARTICIPATION
OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN LDC’s ECONOMIES
Background
Under a project funded by the Dutch
government, Enhancing the participation of women entrepreneurs
in LDCs’ economies, UNCTAD conducted an assessment of the
impact of policies and instruments on the development of
women’s entrepreneurship in nine Least Developed Countries.
UNCTAD research identified an urgent
need for policy action. The interesting and sometimes challenging
findings will be presented in a series of publications on
women entrepreneurs in LDCs and disseminated widely.
First dissemination activities are
a national seminar in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, followed
by a regional seminar with participants from governments,
the business community and other members of the civil society
from LDCs and selected developing countries from West Africa
(for more information see: www.unctad.org/fr/special/femmepma_ld.htm)
Major findings are:
* Policy gaps Few policy initiatives
focus specifically on the development of women’s SMEs.
In policies and projects on private sector and small and
medium-sized enterprise development, a component on women’s
enterprises is usually included, but there is no evidence
of results.
* Women’s enterprises, smallest enterprises
Women’s enterprises are the smallest
among the SMEs in Least Developed Countries(LDCs).
Their enterprises are concentrated
in a limited number of sectors (textile and garment manufactures
and sales, food and beverage production and sales, other
retail trading and services). Women’s enterprises produce
identical goods, have limited access to technology and their
market access is restricted. Very few women entrepreneurs
succeed in entering international market.
* Major obstacles women entrepreneurs
face
The legal environment continues to
impact negatively on enhancing women’s entrepreneurship.
Conflicts between customary practice and state law obstruct
full and effective participation of women in the enterprise
sector. Major obstacles identified remained access to capital,
land, production inputs, business premises, information
on business opportunities, networking and business and management
training. Women entrepreneurs often lack confidence, also
due to the absence of role models and continue to suffer
gender biases.
* Insufficient support programmes
By a large, governmental assistance
for the development of women’s entrepreneurship remains
insufficient, with existing support programmes focusing
on self-employment and micro-enterprise development.
The Partners for Development summit
meeting in Lyon, France in November 1998 brought together
some 2,800 representatives of the private sector, NGOs,
academic institutions and governments, from 170 countries,
in an unprecedented effort to forge development-related
projects. 18 partnership agreements were finalized between
the UNCTAD Secretariat and private and public organizations.
They covered the fields of international transport, investment
promotion, electronic commerce, the promotion of SMEs
and of entrepreneurship, the conservation of biodiversity
and sustainable development, and agricultural commodities.
Unlike most intergovernmental meetings, Partners for Development
was not concerned with the negotiation by participants
of an agreed text.
Instead, UNCTAD offered itself as a platform, or else
as a catalyst or match-maker, to bring together interested
outside parties, around established aspects of the organization's
work.
The noticeable buzz of bilateral activity, involving developing
country officials and the estimated 400 private companies
present - meeting with and without the presence of UNCTAD
staff - was testimony to the apparent success of this
approach.
Senior executives of some of the world's largest transnational
companies, such as AXA, Royal Dutch/Shell, Unilever, Siemens,
Cargill International, and KPMG, rubbed shoulders with
representatives of small enterprises and indigenous peoples
from developing countries.
...Mr. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, said
that the Partners for Development meeting had demonstrated
that the markets and the profit motive could be allied
to the causes of development and poverty eradication.
Partners for Sustainable Development website (this would
be a hyper link to the following URL www.partners.unctad.ch/english/index.htm
The first-ever meeting of fund managers
and bankers with officials from the least developed countries,
along with representatives of other governments, was hosted
by UNCTAD in 1997. The meeting highlighted often-overlooked
investment opportunities in the youngest of the emerging
markets.
An "Automated System for Customs Data" developed
by UNCTAD sets the de facto worldwide standard for automation
and modernization of customs procedures and production
of statistical data on foreign trade. The programme was
developed in cooperation with the business community,
so as to meet their specific needs. It is now being applied
in more than 70 countries worldwide and has improved trade
efficiency by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The "Trade Point Programme", developed at a
meeting of more than two thousand decision- makers from
the private and public sectors of 136 countries, is the
first worldwide manifestation of the global information
highway in the field of trade and development.
The programme brings the latest information and telecommunications
technologies to trade operators in developing countries
and to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) worldwide,
reducing the risk of exclusion, increasing participation
in international trade, and reducing transaction costs.
The Trade Points are also trade facilitation centres,
where participants in foreign trade transactions (e.g.
customs, foreign trade institutes, banks, chambers of
commerce, freight forwarders, transport and insurance
companies) are grouped together under a single physical
or virtual roof to provide all required services at a
reasonable cost.
Pending entry into force of the UN Convention on International
Multimodal Transport of Goods, the elements of the private
sector directly concerned felt that an interim measure
was needed. UNCTAD and the International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC) developed rules for multimodal transport that replace
a multiplicity of different regimes governing such transportation
and provide a universal regime for private transport contracts.
Work in this field includes enhancement of import and
export procedures and facilitation of border-crossing
issues through interchange between private and public
sector officials.
A lack of understanding of modern commodity marketing
and financing instruments acts as a barrier to international
commodity trade with many of the developing countries
and raises transaction costs. UNCTAD's expertise has helped
develop commodity exchanges — which in many cases
are private sector initiatives — in several Latin
American countries, Turkey, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
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United Nations Office for
Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP), Vienna
A drug abuse prevention project for workers
and their families has been set up in southern Brazil,
funded largely by the private sector. A preliminary evaluation
showed a positive change in the attitudes of employees
to substance abuse, a substantial savings in health costs
for the companies involved and a positive impact on management.
United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), New York
In an effort to develop new strategies
to address poverty and other development issues, UNDP
is currently collaborating with the private sector on
several development projects.
Currently, UNDP and the United Nations
Volunteers (UNV) are involved with the private sector
in an innovative development project in Kazakhstan’s Caspian
region. A Business Advisory Centre, funded by Chevron
and Citibank, has been established to provide critically
needed advisory services and training to micro and small
business owners in the region. A micro-credit facility
will soon follow, enabling access to funding for small
entrepreneurs, who are currently unable to access funding
from commercial sources. This project utilizes a number
of UN Volunteers to provide the ongoing services to local
entrepreneurs, as well as a volunteer bringing significant
expertise in small business development recruited through
UNV’s International Short Term Advisory Resources (UNISTAR)
programme.
Through the Public Private Partnership
for the Urban Environment (PPPUE), UNDP is tackling some
of the most urgent environmental problems in developing
countries by creating partnerships between the public
and private sector companies. PPPUE supports innovative
projects that focus on development challenges such as:
inadequate water supply and sanitation infrastructure,
inadequate waste management systems, water and air pollution
and ineffective and wasteful energy sources and technology.
Currently, PPPUE has selected 13 projects for implementation
in nine different countries ranging from: water treatment
and/or supply in Namibia, Poland, and Bulgaria; agricultural,
industrial and marine waste in the Phillipines; municipal
solid waste in Costa Rica to district heating in Azerbaijan.
The Private Sector Development Programme
(PSDP) is also playing an active role in promoting the
involvement of the private sector in support of UNDP’s
sustainable human development efforts. As one of its main
activites in engaging the private sector, PSDP is managing
the development of the Global Sustainable Development
Facility (GSDF). In its early stages, GSDF is currently
engaged in developing a number of test projects that can
illustrate the type of activities that GSDF could support
and where UNDP and corporations can work together. One
such project is currently underway in Venezuela. This
project, backed by UNDP Venezuela and Statoil Venezuela
and supported by Amnesty International, aims to give the
country’s judges and public defenders a grounding in human
rights through training courses in the area of human rights
and international law regulations.
Together with UNDP Africa, PSDP is also
supporting "Enterprise Africa", a programme which seeks
to build entrepreneurship in the region by facilitating
and coordinating SME support. Enterprise Africa is designed
to work in close collaboration with local private sector
groups, such as large corporations, banks, and consulting
firms, in developing efficient support systems. For example
in Botswana, the programme is working with Shell Botswana
and Debswana Mining Company on a capacity building initiative
where these private sector companies provides financial
contribution to the programme, representation on advisory
board, contribute to training programmes and participation
in bankers seminar. Through the Enterprise Africa initiative,
UNDP is also working with the private sector in Ghana,
Zimbabwe and South Africa to provide financial contribution
to the programme, support access to credit and contribute
to training programmes and post training services as well
as collaboration in programme implementation.
In addition, in an effort to support informal
micro-enterprises, Citicorp supported UNDP’s "MicroStart"
programme, which provides small-scale loans to the poor.
MicroStart is now operational in 15 developing countries
and works to involve local private sector in this initiative.
Another UNDP/private sector initiative
is the Money Matters programmes facilitated by the Office
of Development Studies (ODS). The "Money Matters: Private
Finance for Development" assists LDCs and emerging markets
in mobilizing and attracting private capital, while finding
new ways to use private finance for sustainable human
development. The project has so far attracted six global
corporate co-sponsors, including Fidelity Investments,
Arthur Andersen, Banque Nationale de Paris and State Street
Bank. Recent initiatives included the convening of meetings
that brought together leaders from both the private and
public sectors, to mobilize financial and political support
for constructive reform of monetary, financial and development
institutions.
In addition to these examples, many of
the 137 UNDP country offices are also working increasingly
to engage the private sector through various collaborative
development efforts. For a more in depth view of UNDP’s
work to engage the private sector please go to the "UNDP
and the Business Community" website at
United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), Nairobi
Since its creation in 1972, UNEP has always
worked to encourage economic growth compatible with protection
of the environment and has worked cooperatively with the
private sector for over 25 years. Some recent highlights
from the UNEP Technology, Industry and Economcis Division
(TIE) of such projects include:
1. In 1992, UNEP launched the UNEP Financial
Services Initiative on the Environment. The principle
aim of the Initiative is to generate constructive debate
between commercial banks, investment banks, venture capitalists,
insurance and reinsurance concerns, multilateral development
agencies and asset managers, all those involved in economic
development and managing risks and environmentalist. A
secondary objective is to foster private sector investment
in environmentally sound technologies and services. By
the end of 1998, more than 120 bankers had signed a statement
on the environment and sustainable development. More than
75 insurance and reinsurance companies had signed the
statement of environmental commitment by the insurance
industry, and the lists are still growing.
2. The Tourism programme has also developed
a number of joint activities with the private sector.
For example, the co-operation developed between UNEP TIE
and three main industry associations: the International
Hotels Association (IHA), the International Hotel Environment
Initiative (IHEI) and the International Hotel and Restaurant
Association (IHRA) has led to the development of joint
publications:
Environmental Action Pack for Hotels
Environmental Good Practice in Hotels:
Case Studies for the IHRA Environmental Award
Dissemination of information through the
industry association magazine "Green Hotelier"
joint regional workshops with regional
hotel associations
3. To assist small and medium-sized enterprises
in meeting the various challenges posed by environmental
protection, UNEP, the International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC), and the International Federation of Consulting
Engineers (FIDIC) produced an environmental management
system (EMS) training resource kit. This Kit provides
trainers and managers the tools necessary to conduct training
courses in environmental management systems for companies
in their own region. The Kit has been translated into
14 languages and training seminars are conducted by national
focal points.
4. UNIDO and UNEP, in partnership with
local host organizations, have supported policy analysis,
training activities, in-plant demonstrations and information
networking through a number of National Cleaner Production
Centers around the world (Brazil, China, the Czech Republic,
India, Mexico, the Slovak Republic, Tanzania, Tunisia
and Zimbabwe). The UNIDO/UNEP NCPC activity aims to strengthen
the local capacity to introduce, implement, and further
develop cleaner production initiatives at the national
level.
5. UNEP, in cooperation with UNCTAD, WorldWide
Fund for Nature (WFF), E& P Forum (Exploration &
Production Forum), the Ministry of Transport Public Works
& Water Management, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate
and Petrobas in Brasil have together created ‘The
Offshore Oil & Gas Environment Forum'. This Forum
is a structured, interactive, web-based system where users
are able to upload their own information. The system is
predominantly a roadmap to existing information sources,
not a mega database. In the initial phase of operation,
the following categories of information should be accepted
into the system:
- bulletin boards: news, events, related
sites, Who's Who's
- sources: drilling, produced water, gas
release, decommissioning
- impacts: climate, water
- management & regulations. as well
as:
-regional forums
-technologies
-education & training
6. In November 1998, UNEP convened fourteen
experts from eleven countries to review current practice
in the application of environmental impact assessment
(EIA) in industry and recommend options for action by
UNEP and other stakeholders. Participants also examined
the linkages between EIA and other environmental management
tools and systems, and reviewed current practice in teaching
and training on EIA in industry professions.
7. In October 1998, UNEP and the Regional
Institute of Environmental Technology (RIET) in Singapore
held a 3-day workshop on environmental management of industrial
estates. Over 35 estate managers and environmental specialists
from 14 countries analysed case studies in environmental
management at estates around the world. The workshop resulted
in a better understanding of how environmental management
systems could be applied by estates, and how specific
management tools such as impact assessment, pollution
modelling, waste audit and monitoring are used.
8. Representatives of 50 major international
and national industry associations gathered in Paris with
senior UNEP officials to review industry progress in implementing
environmental management tools and to discuss emerging
production and consumption issues. Industry sector's such
as petroleum, travel and tourism, construction, food,
dye and fertilizers were represented as well a national
industry association for all regions of the world including
Colombia, India and South Africa. This was the 15th annual
UNEP consultation meeting with industry associations who
report that this event is an exceptional opportunity to
exchange information and practical experience as a follow
up to the UNCED Rio Summit in 1992.
9. UNEP and the Internal Energy Agency
(IEA) brought together 130 scientists, economists, government
negotiators and other experts from around the globe in
October 1998, to conclude a series of regional workshops
conduced in Africa, Latin American and Asia by the two
organizations. Overall, more that 400 experts from more
than 100 countries examined how the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) might help prevent global climate change
and assist in promoting activities and investment in sustainable
development in developing countries. The consensus at
the October meeting was that ‘information, awareness,
common understanding and capacity building will be the
keys to a successful CDM".
10. The UNEP International Cleaner Production
Declaration was launched at the UNEP Fifth International
High-level Seminar on Cleaner Production (CP) held at
Phoenix Park, Republic of Korea in September 1998. The
President of the Republic of Korea opened the Conference,
and more than 200 participants from over 50 countries
took part . The CP Declaration was signed by 13 ministers
and senior representatives of government including China,
Indonesia, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and
the UK; and 13 business corporation including BHP, Mitsubishi,
San Miguel, Samsung and representatives of chambers of
commerce. Signatories of the CP Declaration commit themselves
to adopting a preventative strategy and environmental
performance targets, and to reporting on their achievements
towards cleaner production goals.
11. The Norwegian Government will support
a three -year project on how the financing of cleaner
technologies can be enhanced. This demonstration project
will run in five countries: Guatemala, Nicaragua, Tanzania,
Zimbabwe and Vietnam. UNEP has been charged with coordinating
the project, in cooperation with UNIDO, the Worked Bank,
IFC, UNDP, ILO and the International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC).
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United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris
A general cooperation agreement was concluded
between UNESCO and Compagnie Général des Eaux in March
1998 to pursue joint projects to protect and improve management
of water resources, particularly in cities. The first
project is being prepared in conjunction with the Regional
Hydrology Centre for the Humid Tropics in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. This project principally involves undertaking
specific studies, preparing publications on the protection
of water resources addressed to various types of audiences,
and organizing training courses for local professionals
and technicians.
United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA), New York
Collaborating with the business sector
is pursued in population programme activities where there
are important linkages for example with social sector
marketing in reproductive health and family planning.
Social marketing activities are taking place in a number
of countries, including Haiti, Bhutan, Eritrea, Laos,
Namibia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
With the Seiko company, population clocks and monitors
are being produced and distributed throughout the world
as an educational and informational tool, for use with
a number of audiences, including schools and parliaments.
Ms. Hanae Mori, world famous designer, has designed neckwear
and scarves for promotion of the International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD, 1994). Plans are
under way to organize a business/UNFPA forum on population
issues in Asia. Collaboration with Rotary International,
including Nigeria, is bringing private sector support
for population activities in that country.
UNFPA HQ-based teams in 1998 visited six countries: India,
Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Ghana and South Africa to
work with UNFPA field offices to "broker" negotiations
among the main "interested parties": i.e., representatives
of the government, donor community, marketing experts
and the commercial private sector (hormonal contraceptive
manufacturers). As concrete outcomes of these preliminary
missions in some countries, government-business sector
working groups were established and plans were made to
conduct market segmentation studies. These efforts we
hope will lay the groundwork for further negotiations,
the reduction of trade barriers and possible expansion
of an appropriate commercial sector role. This has "win-win"
possibilities for all of the interested parties.
The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva
Private firms are involved in refugee assistance
mainly through construction and road building activities.
Contractual arrangements for consultancies, product development,
and procurement are handled by UNHCR's Programme and Technical
Support Section. The Section is also involved in the development
of appropriate technologies for refugee and returnee assistance
programs, water supply and small enterprise development
through credit and loan schemes.
United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF), New York
"Change for Good" , a project
by which major airlines collect and donate leftover foreign
currency from passengers returning home, has raised over
$18 million for programmes benefitting children. The airlines
involved benefit from customer goodwill. Similar programmes
called "Check out for Children" and "Round
up for Children" are cooperative efforts with major
hotel chains around the world.
UNICEF also collaborates with more than 25 global media
companies, including Disney and Warner Brothers, in the
production of promotional material about and for children.
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United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO), Vienna
UNIDO - the United Nations' industrial
specialist - is providing expertise at policy, institutional
and enterprise levels through industrial services tailored
to their specific requirements. The UNIDO transformation
process placed greater emphasis on increased cooperation
with the private sector. New integrated programmes and
technical assistance projects aim at strengthening private
sector development, mainly small-and medium-scale enterprises.
Many projects undertaken by UNIDO in recent years have
had a definitive impact on the lives of people in terms
of their economic and environmental well-being.
UNIDO has launched a pilot programme in
India, in cooperation with the Italian car manufacturer
Fiat, India's Ministry of Industry, Automotive Component
Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), Automotive
Research Association of India (ARAI), European Institute
for Management (INSEAD) and Prince of Wales Business Leaders
Forum (PWBLF). With direct involvement of the private
sector, both international and national, shop-floor technical
assistance is being provided to generate direct benefits
in a short period of time to both Indian car component
producers and the multinational buyers of their products.
The guiding aim is to demonstrate how to develop a number
of commercially viable and sustainable models to transform
firms to meet international manufacturing standards. UNIDO
and its partners provide technical expertise on how to
improve shop-floor operations, boost commercialization
and open new national and international markets.
More...
15 National Cleaner Production Centres
(NCPCs) have been established in Brazil, China, Costa
Rica, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hungary,
India, Nicaragua, Mexico, Slovakia, Tanzania, Tunisia,
Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. The NCPC programme was launched
jointly with the United Nations Environment Programme
in 1994 with a goal to promote cleaner production methods
and environmental management.
More...
More than 1500 clients in 130 countries
rely on Computer Model for Feasibility Analysis and Reporting
(COMFAR) software for investment project preparation and
appraisal. In 1998/99, US$620,000 was earned from COMFAR
sales in and proceeds are used for further software development.
During these two years, more than 585 participants took
part in 32 COMFAR training workshops.
More...
UNIDO created national and regional Subcontracting
and Partnership Exchange networks and assisted them in
adopting appropriate tools, including the UNIDOSS software,
and methodologies to develop, manage and analyse technical
information. Specialized training courses were organized
on the promotion of subcontracting and partnership exchange,
quality improvement, upgrading of technology and new management
techniques.
More...
The privatization of state-owned industries
and the liberalization of markets have intensified active
support for small- and medium-scale enterprise (SME) creation
in transition economies. By 1994, UNIDO had set up 16
Business Advisory Centres, which are still self-sustaining
providing business-related service to entrepreneurs and
potential entrepreneurs in their areas. Their goal is
to promote and support a dynamic and efficient SME sector
that contributes increasingly to equitable economic growth,
employment creation and income generation.
More...
UNIDO's new integrated approach to development
cooperation is specifically adjusted to the needs of its
client countries in the global markets of the twenty-first
century. The success of the individual programmes will,
however, rest on the solid groundwork laid during UNIDO's
earlier support to the industrialization efforts of developing
countries. The "stand-alone"
projects demonstrate the link between the valuable
achievements of UNIDO's first three decades and its new
programmes.
Top
Universal Postal Union (UPU),
Berne
Launched in 1996, the "Direct Mail
Development Programme" promotes public/private partnerships
to stimulate direct mail market growth around the world.
The aim is to open new opportunities in direct mail for
mail-users and postal companies/administrators and to
enhance growth prospects.
World Food Programme (WFP),
Rome
WFP developed new mobile discharge and
bagging techniques in cooperation with a small European
firm, improving the delivery of food aid to countries
in crisis.
Top
World Health Organization
(WHO), Geneva
WHO has had extensive interaction with
the commercial sector since the 1970s in support of its
Expanded Programme on Immunization. More recently, most
of the world's major private vaccine producers are working
closely with WHO's Vaccine Supply and Quality Unit. Its
Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunization maintains
contacts with approximately 150 commercial companies to
provide guidance to procurement officers for immunization
supplies and primary health care equipment. These programmes
are largely supported by outside funds — over the
past few years, primarily from the private sector. Rotary
International provided $20 million in 1996-1997 alone.
Every year the composition of influenza vaccine is modified,
based on data from a worldwide network of collaborating
laboratories for influenza surveillance. WHO advises vaccine
manufacturers on the composition of the next season's
vaccine — a long-standing collaboration between private
and public sectors in the interest of public health.
WHO also works with the pharmaceutical industry to expand
drug research. Collaboration with certain companies has
resulted in significant achievements in the development
of drugs for controlling tropical diseases.
Published by the United Nations Department
of Public Information —July 1998
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