| United Nations | E/1997/73 |
Economic and Social Council
Distr. GENERAL
10 June 1997
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Substantive session of 1997
Geneva, 30 June-25 July 1997
Item 5 of the provisional agenda*
* E/1997/100.
INTEGRATED AND COORDINATED IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP
OF THE MAJOR UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCES AND SUMMITS
Report of the Secretary-General
CONTENTS
Paragraphs Page
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................... 1 - 6 2
II. ACTION AT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL LEVEL .................. 7 - 18 2
III. PROGRESS AT THE INTER-AGENCY LEVEL ..................... 19 - 58 10
A. Action taken by the Administrative Committee on
Coordination ....................................... 19 - 24 10
B. Work of the standing consultative committees and
ad hoc task forces of the Administrative Committee
on Coordination .................................... 25 - 56 11
C. World Food Summit .................................. 57 19
D. United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II) ....................................... 58 19
IV. PROGRESS AT THE COUNTRY LEVEL .......................... 59 - 66 19
A. Background ......................................... 59 - 60 19
B. Overview ........................................... 61 - 65 20
C. Complementarity with other inter-agency initiatives 66 22
V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................ 67 - 71 23
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The global conferences organized by the United Nations during the
1990s have helped devise internationally agreed policies and
programmes relating to the environment and development, social
development, population and development, women, children, human
rights, small island developing States, human settlements, and food
security. The outcomes of these conferences constitute a
comprehensive development agenda with many common themes.
2. While there is at present a hiatus in conferences, the task of
integrating the internationally agreed programmes into national
policies and actions has yet to be fully accomplished. The United
Nations system is a key instrument in the hands of Governments for
meeting this challenge. However, the system can assist Governments in
this task only if it can mobilize a coherent response to the vast and
overlapping elements of the development agenda that has emerged from
global conferences.
3. The Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), at its first
regular session in 1995, recognized the need for a common framework in
order to assist countries in the coordinated implementation and
monitoring of the programmes of action adopted by global conferences.
ACC agreed that such a common framework should promote a coordinated
response by the United Nations system to cross-cutting themes and
should help reduce the burden of reporting on countries and on United
Nations system organizations with regard to implementation.
4. The Economic and Social Council adopted a set of far-reaching
agreed conclusions at its coordination segment in 1995 (Agreed
Conclusions 1995/1), by which it launched a coordinated approach to
the conference follow-up by the United Nations system and made that
goal a major thrust of its work.
5. The present report is submitted in response to Council resolution
1996/36 and General Assembly resolutions 51/171 and 51/177. In its
resolution, the Council, inter alia, invited ACC to present the
reports on the work of its task forces on an enabling environment for
economic and social development, basic social services for all, and
employment and sustainable livelihoods, as well as the inter-agency
committees on sustainable development and women and gender equality to
the substantive session of 1997 of the Council.
6. The report presents to the Council an overview of the work of the
inter-agency task forces and the two inter-agency committees, as well
as the arrangements for a coordinated follow-up to the World Food
Summit and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat
II) within the broader context of coordinated follow-up to conferences
at the intergovernmental, inter-agency and field levels.
II. ACTION AT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL LEVEL
7. In his report on the coordinated follow-up to conferences
submitted to the Council in 1995 (E/1995/86), the Secretary-General
identified the cross-cutting themes of recent global conferences, and
made proposals for a coordinated approach for sharing of
responsibilities between the Assembly, the Council and the functional
commissions with primary responsibility, at the functional level, for
implementation of the conferences' outcome. Agreed Conclusions 1995/1
adopted by the Council at its 1995 coordination segment addressed,
among other things, the complementarity and coherence of the work of
these bodies. In its latest resolution on restructuring and
revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and
related fields (Assembly resolution 50/227), the Assembly, inter alia,
built upon the Council's 1995 recommendations and gave detailed
guidance on its work and that of the Council and its subsidiary
machinery in ensuring a coordinated follow-up to conferences (see
A/52/155-E/1997/68). Since then, follow-up to conferences has taken
place within the context of this three-tiered structure.
8. The Assembly has also addressed policy and institutional issues
related to the follow-up to and implementation of recent major
conferences in the economic, social and related areas. In this
respect, two trends might be pointed out. First, the Assembly has
underscored the need for the commitments and conference outcomes to be
monitored in an integrated manner. For instance, in addition to its
resolution 51/177 on the implementation of the outcome of Habitat II
and its resolution 51/171 on the World Food Summit, the Assembly, in
its resolution 51/173, called for the review and appraisal of the
Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the
Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development in Developing
Countries, and of the International Development Strategy for the
Fourth United Nations Development Decade to be coordinated with the
follow-up work on major United Nations conferences. At its fifty-
first session, the Assembly also decided to pursue an integrated
approach by devoting plenary meetings to reviews of the implementation
of the outcomes of the World Summit for Children and the World Summit
for Social Development and by increasing the coherence of the work of
the Second and Third Committees.
9. However, thus far, the structure of the Assembly's agenda and the
separate streams of work in the Second and Third Committees have not
made it possible to consider conference follow-up issues as
"interlinked and contributing to an integrated framework", as called
for in paragraph 2 of the Council's Agreed Conclusions 1995/1; rather,
more often than not, these have been treated more or less
independently from one another. Also, integrated reporting is still
rare.
10. It must be underscored, however, that a large part of the
Assembly's work in the economic, social and related areas does in fact
address cross-cutting themes of international conferences - such as
external debt and finance for development, trade and development,
poverty eradication, science and technology, advancement of women,
human rights, and problems of countries in special situations.
However, reporting on these themes is not systematically placed in the
context of conference provisions, nor is the guidance thereon
translated systematically by the rest of the United Nations system as
guidance and evaluation for conference follow-up as such.
11. Ways thus need to be found to maximize synergies between the
follow-up to individual conferences at the level of the Assembly. For
instance, the examination at mid-decade of the goals of the World
Summit for Children should feed into the monitoring of the
implementation of other conference outcomes, many of which endorsed
the same goals. The five-year review of the Vienna Plan of Action on
human rights could also take into account the work in other follow-up
processes such as those in regard to women and children.
12. As for the Council itself, since 1995, it has devoted considerable
attention to promoting coordinated and integrated follow-up to
conferences. Pursuant to this approach, at its coordination segment,
in 1996, the Council examined poverty eradication as a cross-cutting
theme and provided extensive guidance to the United Nations system for
improving coordination of poverty eradication activities at the field
and headquarters levels. At its current session, the Council will
undertake a similar examination of the topic of mainstreaming the
gender perspective in all policies and programmes of the United
Nations system. The topic of its high-level segment - "Fostering an
enabling environment for development, financial flows, including
capital flows, investment, trade" - is also a cross-cutting theme
emanating from a number of major conferences (see E/1997/67). As a
sign of the importance it attaches to the goal of coordinated
follow-up, the Council decided to place a separate item on its agenda
entitled "Integrated and coordinated implementation and follow-up of
the major international United Nations conferences and summits".
13. The Council also decided to enhance complementarity and
coordination among its functional commissions, and between their work
and that of the Council. In 1996, it made detailed recommendations
for harmonizing the work programmes of functional commissions on
various aspects of poverty eradication (see A/51/3 (Part I), chap.
III). A report on the follow-up to its agreed conclusions of that
year (E/1997/58) is presented to the Council.
14. Box 1 summarizes the main outcome of the work of the functional
commissions in 1997 for follow-up to conferences. In accordance with
directives of the Council, the functional commissions have
increasingly placed their work within the context of coordinated
follow-up to major conferences. On specific themes, they have focused
increasingly on their area of responsibilities and have taken account
of provisions of other conferences and of the work in other bodies
thereon. There has been growing interaction among the commissions;
they have exchanged inputs, and more such exchanges are planned for
the coming years. There was also a dialogue with the Council, in
particular on the follow-up to the Council's agreed conclusions of
1996. Also, the Commission for Social Development transmitted its
agreed conclusions on employment and sustainable livelihoods (see
E/1997/26, chap. I, resolution 35/2) as an input to the Council's 1997
high-level segment. In addition, efforts were made for more
integrated reporting to the commissions, which was facilitated by the
use of task managers. However, there were relatively few instances of
consultations between the Bureaux of the functional commissions, and
between them and the Bureau of the Council. A good example of an
integrated approach to conferences is the work of the Statistical
Commission, which examined the statistical implications of the
International Conference on Population and Development, the World
Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World Conference on
Women, and endorsed a Minimum National Social Data Set as a
contribution to establishing a common national and international
indicators database.
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Box 1. Main outcomes of functional commissions in 1997 related
to conference follow-up
Commission on Population and Development: draft resolution for the
consideration of the Council on international migration and
development (see E/1997/31).
Commission for Social Development: agreed conclusion on priority
theme: "Productive employment and sustainable livelihoods"
(E/1997/27, resolution 35/2); transmitted to the Council for input
into its 1997 high-level segment.
Commission on Human Rights: resolution 1997/69 on comprehensive
implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action; resolution 1997/8 on the right to food; measures
on human rights and the environment (see E/1997/23).
Statistical Commission: in following up the statistical implications
of recent major international conferences, the Statistical Commission
adopted a Minimum National Social Data Set (MNSDS) (15 indicators)
(see E/1997/24).
Furthermore, the Expert Group on the statistical implications of
recent major United Nations conferences presented recommendations on a
work programme in statistics and indicators for integrated follow-up
to recent United Nations conferences in the social field.
Commission on the Status of Women: agreed conclusions on (1) women
and the environment, (2) women in power and decision-making, (3) women
and the economy, (4) education and training of women. With draft
resolution XX recommended for its adoption, the Council would, inter
alia, endorse these agreed conclusions (see E/1997/27).
Commission on Sustainable Development: the Commission acted as the
preparatory body for the 1997 special session of the Assembly for the
purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of
Agenda 21, and also recommended modalities for the 1997 review of the
implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action.
Commission on Human Settlements (standing committee of the Council):
resolutions on revitalization of the Habitat Centre, review of the
working methods of the Commission: the involvement of partners, and
future role of the Commission.
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15. There is however, scope for further promoting a coordinated
approach among the functional commissions. In particular, there
continues to be significant overlap and duplication in some aspects of
the work of the commissions, although each commission may be focusing
on a somewhat different dimension of the issue. For instance, the
Commission for Social Development, the Commission on the Status of
Women and the Commission for Sustainable Development each addressed
some dimensions of the international enabling environment for
development. There is still room for the commissions to make more use
of the work of other functional commissions - or of the Council and
the Assembly - in dealing with cross-cutting issues. This will be
particularly important for example if, in 2000, the Commission on
Sustainable Development addresses the theme of "financial resources,
trade, investment, and economic growth", as proposed in its draft
programme of work (see E/1997/25, chap. I, sect. C), as well as for
the work of the Commission on Human Rights on the human rights effects
of structural adjustment programmes and debt. The following table
summarizes multi-year work programmes of the functional commissions
between 1997 and 2002 for follow-up to the conference within their
purview.
Table. Programmes of work of the Council's functional commissions
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Selected major event or events of the year
Multi-year work programme
-
1998
- Overall review of WCHR
- Special session of the Assembly on narcotic drugs
1999
- Overall review of ICPD
- International Year of Older Persons
2000
- Overall review of WSSD and FWCW
2001
- Review of WSC
- Review of Habitat II
2002
- Review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of
Africa
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Commission on Population and Development
Multi-year work programme
yes, 1996-1999
1998
Health and mortality (emphasis on health-development linkages, on
gender, on age)
1999
Population growth, structure, distribution (emphasis: sustained
economic growth and sustainable development, including education)
- Quinquennial review and appraisal of ICPD
2000
-
2001
-
2002
-
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Commission on Sustainable Development
Multi-year work programme
yes, 1997-2000
Yearly:
- Enabling environment
- Social development goals in structural adjustment programmes
- Resources
- Framework for cooperation in social development
1998
Promoting social integration and participation of all, including
vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and persons
1999
- Social services for all
- Initiation of the overall review of WSSD
2000
Contribution of the Commission to the overall review and appraisal of
the Summit
2001
-
2002
-
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Commission on the Status of Women
Multi-year work programme
yes, 1997-2000
1998
- Violence against women
- Women and armed conflicts
- Human rights of women
- The girl child
1999
- Women and health
- Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women
- Initiation of comprehensive review and appraisal of FWCW
2000
- Comprehensive review of FWCW
- Emerging issues
2001
-
2002
-
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Commission on Sustainable Development (subject to approval of the Assembly at
its nineteenth special session)
Multi-year work programme
yes, 1994-1997, and draft for 1998-2002; overriding issues: poverty,
consumption and production patterns
1998
Sectoral: integrated fresh water management
Cross-sectoral: transfer of technology, capacity-building, education,
science, awareness-building
Economic sector/major group: industry
1999
Comprehensive review of the Programme of Action for SIDS
Sectoral: oceans and seas
Cross-sectoral: consumption and production patterns
Economic sector: tourism
2000
Sectoral: integrated planning and management of land resources
Cross-sectoral: financial resources; trade and investment; economic
growth
Economic sector/ major group: agriculture
2001
Sectoral: atmosphere, energy
Cross-sectoral: information for decision-making and participation;
international cooperation for an enabling environment
Economic sector/major group: energy transport
2002
Comprehensive review
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Key:
ICPD - International Conference on Population and Development
WSSD - World Summit for Social Development
SIDS - small island developing States
FWCW - Fourth World Conference on Women
WSC - World Summit for Children
WCHR - World Conference on Human Rights
16. The work of a few commissions this year also illustrates the difficulty
of grappling with the follow-up and monitoring of the wide range of measures
agreed upon at conferences, especially within the available format, time and
resources. For a productive and detailed examination of provisions in a given
area, intergovernmental work has to benefit from inputs from the country
level, the United Nations system, Governments, and actors of civil society, as
well as experts and practitioners in the area concerned. Without such
complete input, the substantive and technical basis for debate in the
commissions is restrained, leading them to repeating outcomes of conferences.
The organization of panels during sessions of commissions has shown positive
results, but there is scope for further progress.
17. One positive aspect is that the work of the commissions give impetus for
further technical work by other forums and bodies, within or outside the
United Nations system, or ad hoc meetings. An example of this is resolution
1997/1 of the Commission on Population and Development (see E/1997/25), which,
although it does not address substantive aspects of migration and development
in detail, does call for further in-depth work, in particular by the Task
Force on Basic Social Services for All. The resolution of the Commission on
Human Rights on follow-up to the Vienna outcomes is of a similar nature,
calling for action by the United Nations system and by the High Commissioner
for Human Rights in particular. In paragraph 20 of its Agreed Conclusions
1997/2, the Commission on the Status of Women invited international and
multilateral agencies to consider ways to communicate and exchange
information, inter alia, through workshops and seminars on lessons learned for
mainstreaming a gender perspective in policies and programmes.
18. Effective and coordinated follow-up also requires that intergovernmental
bodies draw upon the work of the United Nations coordination mechanisms, as
recognized by the Council in 1995. Indeed, the ACC machinery for follow-up to
conferences has reported to and interacted closely with the relevant
commissions in facilitating their work. The close substantive support
provided to the Commission on Sustainable Development by the Inter-Agency
Committee for Sustainable Development (IACSD) provides a good precedent in
this regard. The Task Force on Basic Social Services for All submitted a
report on international migration to the Commission on Population and
Development (see E/CN.9/1997/4). The Commission for Social Development held a
dialogue with the chairpersons of the inter-agency task forces in both 1996
and 1997, and the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality
presented an oral report on its work to the Commission on the Status of Women
(see also E/CN.6/1997/2). These interactions provided opportunities for the
intergovernmental machinery to make inputs on several substantive issues for
inter-agency coordination at the field level. The Commission on Population
and Development, for example, provided precise guidance to the Task Force on
Basic Social Services for All.
III. PROGRESS AT THE INTER-AGENCY LEVEL
A. Action taken by the Administrative Committee on Coordination
19. During the past few years, ACC, in addressing the main policy issues
facing the international community, has endeavoured to promote and organize
joint initiatives towards common objectives. ACC has also sought to develop
common policy frameworks in key priority areas to guide the work of the United
Nations system and to strengthen the Committee's support to the central
intergovernmental bodies in the exercise of their system-wide
responsibilities. ACC's work in promoting an integrated follow-up to recent
global conferences forms part of this overall effort.
20. All concerned inter-agency bodies under ACC have contributed actively to
the coordinated follow-up to the recent United Nations conferences. The
Consultative Committee on Programme and Operational Questions (CCPOQ) has paid
particular attention to this matter. Its work programme has also included
issues that are directly relevant to the conference follow-up such as the
coordination of activities relating to poverty alleviation. The Inter-Agency
Committee on Sustainable Development, while continuing to serve as the main
institutional framework for promoting a coherent system-wide response to
Agenda 21, has also taken into account the need for a coordinated approach.
21. The three ad hoc inter-agency task forces established by ACC in 1995 -
the Inter-Agency Task Force on Basic Social Services for All, chaired by the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Inter-Agency Task Force on
Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods, chaired by the International Labour
Organization (ILO), and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Enabling Environment
for Economic and Social Development, chaired by the World Bank - were given
the task of providing to United Nations resident coordinators and
country-level teams coherent system-wide guidance and support in their efforts
to assist individual countries to translate the outcome of conferences into
concrete national policies and programmes. ACC also decided that
cross-cutting policy objectives such as the advancement of women and the
promotion of human rights as well as other cross-cutting issues, for example
access to communication, should be pursued by each Task Force in the context
of the theme or themes assigned to it. In addition, close interlinkages were
to be established with the Steering Committee on the United Nations
system-wide Special Initiative on Africa.
22. At the same time, recognizing that the Platform for Action adopted at
the Fourth World Conference on Women went well beyond the themes of the above-
mentioned Task Forces, ACC established in 1996 the Inter-Agency Committee on
Women and Gender Equality with the responsibility of addressing on a
comprehensive system-wide basis all aspects of the implementation of the
Platform for Action, as well as gender-related recommendations emanating from
other recent international conferences.
23. Concerning human rights, ACC decided at its first regular session for
1994 to review periodically the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action. Accordingly, ACC has decided to include in the agenda of
its second regular session for 1997 an item on the preparations for the five-
year review of the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action and for the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of
the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. In this context, ACC authorized
the convening of inter-agency consultations during 1997 to prepare, for its
consideration, the assessment of the system's response to the Vienna Programme
of Action.
24. Although it may be too early to make an overall assessment, thus far the
inter-agency framework established by ACC has worked well. In carrying out
their work programmes, the committees of the regular ACC machinery have been
pursuing a coordinated approach. The main thrust of the operation of the
three task forces has been to develop country-based end products designed to
assist countries in the implementation of the programmes of action of recent
United Nations conferences. Although the Task Forces have not yet completed
their work (the Task Force on Enabling Environment for Economic and Social
Development is expected to complete its work in July), there are already
indications that the work of the other two task forces has led to important
policy development to guide country-level actions. An overview of the work of
the relevant ACC inter-agency committees and ad hoc task forces that follows
indicates the progress achieved thus far.
B. Work of the standing consultative committees and the ad hoc
task forces of the Administrative Committee on Coordination
1. Consultative committees
(a) Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development
25. Following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development,
ACC developed a framework for promoting a coherent system-wide response to
Conference follow-up requirements. It was built on an innovative model that
combined central coordination functions, vested in ACC and the newly
established Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development, and
decentralized allocation of specific responsibilities to relevant
organizations of the United Nations system, based on their comparative
strengths, to act as task managers for various programme components of Agenda
21.
26. The task manager system of the Inter-Agency Committee has led to
enhanced effectiveness in the use of resources and expertise within the United
Nations system. It has rationalized the preparation of reports for the
Commission on Sustainable Development and facilitated contributions from
organizations based on their specialized mandates. By encouraging systematic
communication and information exchange, it has helped disseminate knowledge of
means to promote sustainable development and has reduced duplication of
effort. It has also helped to promote greater interaction with other inter-
agency arrangements. The task manager system has also furthered outreach
beyond the framework of the United Nations system by involving other relevant
intergovernmental organizations and processes, as well as partners from major
groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Inter-Agency Committee
has served as an umbrella for other coordination initiatives, including more
specialized inter-agency mechanisms, which have worked best when taking a
focused, thematic approach.
27. System-wide work aimed at further broadening and deepening existing
inter-agency collaboration and coordination in follow-up to the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development includes continuing consideration of
measures aimed at improving the delivery capacity and coordination at the
field level, enhancing policy coordination at the global, regional and country
levels, better interaction between the Inter-Agency Committee and other bodies
and mechanisms of ACC for inter-agency coordination, streamlining requests for
reporting, and involvement of organizations outside the United Nations system,
among others. In the view of ACC, these evolving arrangements have generally
allowed the United Nations system to provide a flexible, collaborative and
participatory mechanism to support the implementation of Agenda 21 and the
coordination of various sustainable development activities. Successful
examples of such system collaboration include the interorganizational
programme on the sound management of chemical safety and the informal
inter-agency task force on forests.
28. Despite this progress in fostering coordination among agencies, a better
balance is still needed in coordination at the global, regional and country/
field levels. In particular, cooperation remains underdeveloped in some
regions, although in the region of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP), agencies have been designated as coordinators for
specific programme areas of the regional action programme. The promotion of
joint programming at the regional and subregional levels, leading to a more
integrated approach that incorporates the social and economic dimensions of
sustainable development, also needs to be encouraged.
(b) Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality
29. The establishment by the ACC in April 1996 of the Inter-Agency Committee
on Women and Gender Equality regularized an ad hoc arrangement on inter-agency
work on women's and gender issues that had been in place since the first World
Conference on Women (Mexico City, 1975). This decision by ACC also reaffirmed
the fact that the mandates resulting from the Fourth World Conference on Women
would receive ongoing and sustained attention of the United Nations system.
30. The terms of reference of the new Inter-Agency Committee called for two
major areas of focus: firstly, effective coordination and cooperation of the
United Nations system in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action
and gender-related recommendations emanating from other United Nations
conferences; and secondly, effective cooperation and coordination in support
of mainstreaming a gender perspective in the work of the United Nations
system. The Committee's efforts in this regard will focus on providing advice
and guidance to the organizations of the United Nations system, through ACC,
and the other relevant parts of its subsidiary machinery on how to translate
the mainstreaming mandate into practical reality and on other areas for
coordination.
31. The Inter-Agency Committee has held two sessions to date. It is
envisaged that the Committee will hold annual sessions in conjunction with the
sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Committee is expected
to address at each session a few substantive topics that will be chosen either
in accordance with the work programmes of intergovernmental bodies of member
organizations, with a view to providing input from the inter-agency
perspective, or for their relevance in terms of activities undertaken
elsewhere in the inter-agency framework. The Committee also plans to examine
performance indicators, to compile best practices and lessons learned, and to
identify accountability mechanisms and obstacles to progress in achieving
equality for women.
32. In order to ensure that follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on
Women and mainstreaming of a gender perspective are an integral part of all
United Nations system conference follow-up activities, the Committee has
interacted with the ACC ad hoc task forces on conference follow-up and other
ACC bodies, through its designated focal point for this purpose, the United
Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and UNFPA in the specific case of
the Task Force on Basic Social Services for All. The Committee has offered
its support and assistance in that regard and has called upon ACC to underline
the importance of integrating a gender perspective in the work of the task
forces and in subsequent activities on integrated follow-up to conferences.
It has identified complementarities between the 12 critical areas of concern
of the Platform for Action with sections of the programmes, plans and
platforms adopted at other recent global conferences, and has provided an
indicative list of measures that the task forces could take in their work.
33. The Committee also addressed gender-specific issues with regard to women
arising in conflicts, in emergency situations and in peacekeeping operations
with a view to providing inputs into the preparation of themes on the agenda
of the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-second session, to be
held in 1998. The Committee examined a draft of the report to be submitted to
the Council at its 1997 coordination segment on gender mainstreaming with
inputs, inter alia, from the Gender in Development Sub-Group of the Joint
Consultative Group on Policy.
34. With regard to the issue of quantitative and qualitative indicators used
to measure progress in the implementation of Beijing Conference results, the
Inter-Agency Committee will assess the efforts of other inter-agency
mechanisms, examining this issue with regard to gender dimensions and gender
programming, and will prepare recommendations for harmonization and
elimination of duplication. Likewise, the Committee will elaborate guidelines
for budgeting processes to facilitate assessment and monitoring of resources
benefiting women and men as a result of mainstreaming and to assess whether
resources are allocated in a way designed to accelerate the achievement of the
goal of gender equality.
35. In 1998, the Committee will review substantive and coordination issues
in the area of women and health in preparation of the consideration of this
area of concern by the Commission on the Status of Women in 1999. Likewise,
the Committee will assess the degree to which implementation of women-specific
activities and of mainstreaming, as reflected in the system-wide medium-term
plan for the advancement of women 1996-2001, is progressing throughout the
United Nations system, with a particular emphasis to be placed on operational
activities at the country level.
36. The Committee will also seek the support of other organizations outside
the United Nations system in coordinating the implementation of the Beijing
Platform for Action. In this regard, it will convene a workshop jointly with
the Women in Development Group of the Development Assistance Committee of the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development later this year to share
experiences and to develop common strategies in support of implementation of
the Platform for Action and mainstreaming of a gender perspective at the
national level in multilateral and bilateral development cooperation.
2. Ad hoc inter-agency task forces
(a) Inter-Agency Task Force on Basic Social Services for All
37. UNFPA convened in New York in February 1996 the organizational meeting
of the Task Force on Basic Social Services for All. At this meeting, with
representation from 18 organizations of the United Nations system, the Task
Force agreed on its terms of reference and work plan. It established two new
working groups - on Primary Health Care with WHO and the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) as joint lead agencies, and on Basic Education with
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
as the lead agency. It decided to maintain three working groups from the
earlier inter-agency task force for follow-up to the International Conference
on Population and Development, namely those on Reproductive Health with the
World Health Organization (WHO) as the lead agency, on International Migration
with ILO as the lead agency, and on a Common Approach to National Capacity-
Building in Tracking Child and Maternal Mortality with UNICEF as the lead
agency. The Task Force also agreed to take into account in its work programme
the following cross-cutting dimensions: selection/use of indicators; gender
perspective; resource mobilization; policy; targeting of specific groups,
including those in post-crisis situations; and involvement of civil society.
38. Two subsequent meetings of the Task Force were held to consider progress
and to finalize its work. At the suggestion of several resident coordinators
and recognizing the perceived need at the country level, the Task Force
considered that it was essential to identify appropriate indicators for
measuring progress in reaching conference goals as well as for monitoring
programme effectiveness in relevant sectors. It stressed the need for a
common data system to be used consistently by all United Nations
organizations. It was also stressed that the "guidelines" should be focused
and concise and that attention should be paid to modalities for building
country capacity in the basic social services. The Task Force also sought to
formulate its outputs in such a way that these could be readily used in
preparing country strategy notes and common country assessments.
39. The Task Force produced five end products: (a) guidelines on sectoral
issues for the United Nations resident coordinator system; (b) a wall-chart
with indicators for social services, delineating where countries are currently
and where they need to be in terms of the goals agreed to at the recent United
Nations global conferences; (c) a report on best practices/lessons learned in
donor collaboration in assistance to the social sector focusing on three
country case studies in Bangladesh, Kenya and Peru; (d) a pocket-card on
advocacy for basic social services; and (e) a compendium of conventions and
treaties pertaining to the social sector. It is envisaged that the data of
the wall-chart will be updated periodically to enable countries to monitor
their progress towards the achievement of conference goals. All products of
the Task Force are being disseminated widely and will be made available
electronically via the Internet and where feasible on CD-ROM.
40. The Task Force agreed that the use of its end products would be promoted
in the day-to-day work of the United Nations resident coordinators and field
staff. Training in the use of the guidelines would also be undertaken, and
the Turin Centre would be requested to develop a training module for resident
coordinators. Other members of the Task Force have been encouraged to include
training on the guidelines in their regular training programmes.
41. The Task Force has emphasized the importance of obtaining feedback from
the field on the usage and usefulness of these products. It recommended that
priority should be given to establishing development partnerships at the
country level with non-governmental organizations, the private sector and
civil society. In order to rationalize reporting requirements the Task Force
suggested that consideration should be given to the preparation of one report
per key area by the lead agency in that area. This approach could also
significantly reduce the reporting burden on countries.
42. One of the most important achievements of the Task Force has been in
mobilizing inter-agency collaboration for producing guidelines in specific
areas related to the basic social services. In particular, efforts have been
made to ensure that those guidelines are user-friendly, short, clear and
concise so that they may be easily and readily used by the United Nations
resident coordinators and field staff in their day-to-day work. Another
notable success of the work of the Task Force is the inter-agency consensus
achieved through its work on the importance of having a set of common
indicators, data-sharing and the joint collection of data.
(b) Inter-Agency Task Force on Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods
43. The first organizational meeting of the Task Force on Employment and
Sustainable Livelihoods, which ILO convened in Geneva in January 1996, agreed
on its terms of reference and a work plan that would focus on a set of country
reviews. It agreed to address the following three specific topics from a
global perspective: (a) the impact of technology on employment; (b) the
evolving concept of sustainable livelihoods; and (c) the need for improved
indicators of employment and sustainable livelihoods. Three further meetings
were held in 1996 and one in 1997. Country-level reviews and seminars were
completed in six countries - Chile, Hungary, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal and
Zambia.
44. As planned, the Task Force produced a synthesis report for use by the
resident coordinator system, summarizing lessons of experience at the country
level and across countries with a view to suggesting ways of improving
inter-agency collaboration in the future and providing a clear understanding
of the different ingredients that work for the promotion of employment and
sustainable livelihoods in specific situations and of the necessary indicators
for monitoring progress in these areas. The synthesis report was based on a
number of country reviews that addressed factors related to employment and
sustainable livelihoods and addressed as well other resources of the agencies
involved.
45. The country reviews built on existing work previously undertaken by the
organizations of the United Nations system and by the national authorities and
local research institutions. They provided a comprehensive diagnosis of the
country situation and a suggested plan of action to address the problems and
constraints that the country faced. They also provided practical guidance for
policy reform, proposals for technical assistance and guidance to the resident
coordinator system.
46. In each case, following the preparation of the report, an inter-agency
meeting at the national level was held to discuss the findings and proposals
of the report. This was followed by a one-day national workshop that
disseminated the results of the exercise, sought to achieve some consensus on
the recommendations derived from the review, and charted areas of future
support of the United Nations system. The workshops brought together
government policy makers, representatives of United Nations agencies and civil
society, representatives of workers and employers, members of national
research institutions, and representatives of the media and the donor
community. In its synthesis report, the Task Force proposed that an
interregional seminar should be convened where representatives of the
countries reviewed could discuss the report of the Task Force.
47. The main finding from the analysis of the issues in the countries
reviewed was that significant reductions in unemployment and poverty would
foremost require a strong and effective commitment of the Government. A
strategy for employment and sustainable livelihoods must be formulated with
the widest possible consensus of the representatives of civil society, and
workers' and employers' organizations. Achieving continued economic growth of
the type that made good use of the assets that the poor own, i.e. labour,
investing in human capital, removing distortions that discriminate against the
poor and the unemployed, and targeting interventions towards the vulnerable
and the extremely poor were found to be the proven ways of promoting
employment and sustainable livelihoods. The analysis also found that market
reforms, while essential for achieving sustainable employment growth and
poverty alleviation, were not enough. They needed to be supplemented by
policies and programmes designed to strengthen the capacity of key groups,
including the poor, to respond adequately to new opportunities.
48. The country reviews confirmed the positive relationship expected between
growth of output and expansion of employment. They also showed that the
quality of employment was often unsatisfactory where low levels of social
protection and limited respect for workers' rights persisted. Women continued
to face discrimination in terms of employment and wages, as well as in
education; minority groups also often faced discrimination; and child labour
was a widespread problem. Overcoming unemployment, underemployment and
poverty required sustained labour-intensive growth. In turn this requires
macroeconomic stability, sectoral policies that have relatively higher
potential for job creation, building up labour market institutions, and good
quality training, as well as targeted programmes to address the problems of
special groups. In addition, the review determined that comprehensive efforts
were needed to combat gender discrimination and child labour.
49. According to the review, action would also need to be undertaken in a
number of key areas at the national and international levels. At the national
level, such actions would include devising a sound macroeconomic policy
framework, promoting jobs through employment-intensive sectoral policies,
enterprise creation, and targeted employment programmes for the most
vulnerable groups. This would further involve, for instance, a review of
policies that have a major influence on achieving sustainable livelihoods in
rural areas and undertaking a review of agricultural policies, as well as
promoting the urban informal sector and upgrading its conditions of work and
productivity. The technical competence of the labour force must be improved
and managerial capacity further developed. Targeted programmes would need to
be evaluated and the most successful expanded. At the international level, it
was judged important that the world trading system remain as open as possible
and that progress towards debt reduction in countries where macroeconomic
policies are in line with economic fundamentals be given further impetus.
Under current trends in global interdependence, international governance would
require reaching a global compact on means to enhance job creation at the
national level through orderly management of financial and trade flows and
through promotion of democratic systems and respect for fundamental labour
standards.
50. Apart from its concentration on country-level action for conference
follow-up, the Task Force highlighted issues of global concern that remain
challenges for the United Nations system, including a fuller appreciation of
the significance of globalization and technological change for employment, the
role of full employment as the means to promote sustainable livelihoods, and
the need for indicators that can more adequately reflect the notions of
employment, underemployment and sustainable livelihoods.
(c) Inter-Agency Task Force on the Enabling Environment for Economic and
Social Development
51. The World Bank convened the first organizational meeting of the Task
Force in Washington, D.C., with wide representation from United Nations
organizations. The Task Force decided to prepare a synthesis of best
practices or lessons learned with the aim of clarifying the elements of an
enabling environment for economic and social development and of establishing
mechanisms for improving inter-agency coordination in support of such an
environment. The Task Force established two sub-groups to address the major
issues within its purview. The first, on Capacity Development for Governance,
was chaired by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the second,
on Macroeconomic and Social Framework, was chaired by the World Bank itself.
52. The primary responsibilities of the sub-group on Macroeconomic and
Social Framework were to clarify the key elements of the macroeconomic and
social framework, to develop country case studies of inter-agency coordination
in support of such a framework, and to derive lessons learned and guidance for
future inter-agency coordination based on these country experiences. The
objective of the case studies was to examine the role of the United Nations
system agencies in assisting countries to create an appropriate macroeconomic
and social framework, which would entail exploring instances where the
successful development of an enabling environment had been enhanced through
United Nations system agency support and inter-agency coordination, or where
the lack of such coordination proved to be detrimental.
53. The countries selected for the case studies were chosen from those
actively pursuing a reform agenda during the period under study, countries
with active United Nations system involvement, and those whose national
development situation would enable multiple perspectives to be addressed. The
country case studies were completed in April of this year, and the final
report on the work of the sub-group is expected to be completed by the end of
June.
54. The sub-group on Capacity Development for Governance agreed to prepare a
consolidated report, based on studies to be undertaken by its members,
concerning their best practices in supporting capacity development in the area
of governance. The case studies were to be based on the comparative advantage
and mandate of each agency. It was also agreed that the framework for
governance contained in the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and
Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development would serve as
the definition and overall guidance for the members of the sub-group. The
sub-group further emphasized that the purpose of undertaking these studies was
to draw upon each agency's experience and lessons learned as a resource for
identifying and establishing more effective inter-agency partnerships in
support of national programmes for sustainable capacity development and sound
governance. In reviewing each agency's approach to supporting capacity
development in the area of governance and their experiences, agencies agreed
that special attention would be given to two cross-cutting issues, namely,
(a) ensuring the sustainability of capacity-development aspects of governance
and (b) the role of agencies in programme design and implementation, in order
to be able to compare common issues and conclusions. A plenary meeting of the
sub-group was convened in March 1997 to finalize the consolidated report. It
is envisaged that the Task Force will complete its work in the early part of
the summer.
3. Follow-up to the inter-agency task forces
55. At its first regular session for 1997, ACC decided to undertake a
comprehensive assessment of overall progress in promoting the coordinated
follow-up to conferences. As part of this review, ACC agreed to assess:
(a) the effective utilization of the end products, including indicators, of
the task forces; (b) the regular updating and feedback on follow-up activities
at the country level and on attainment of goals established by the
conferences; (c) the streamlining of reporting requirements and mechanisms,
building on existing reporting and information arrangements, and on common
country assessments and on the concept of task managers and lead
organizations; and (d) experience gained and lessons learned from the use of
flexible mechanisms such as the task forces for carrying out specific tasks
under ACC.
56. In this context, ACC decided to hold a workshop in early September 1997,
the main purposes of which are (a) to review the outputs of the Inter-Agency
Task Forces and other bodies to ensure coherence and interlinkages among them,
particularly regarding guidance for the resident coordinator system, (b) to
develop proposals for submission through CCPOQ to ACC at its second regular
session for 1997 on the continued coordination and sustainability of the
follow-up to the international conferences, and (c) to address the need for
further simplification and streamlining of meeting and reporting requirements.
The participation of the workshop should include the chairpersons of the
inter-agency task forces and of the relevant ACC subsidiary mechanisms
(Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development, CCPOQ, Inter-Agency
Committee on Women and Gender Equality, ACC Subcommittee on Statistical
Activities, etc.), selected lead agencies and selected resident coordinators.
C. World Food Summit
57. ACC, at its first regular session for 1997, decided on the mechanism for
inter-agency follow-up to the World Food Summit. Under the arrangements
agreed upon, the resident coordinator system would be encouraged to constitute
at the country level thematic groups covering food security and related
issues. At headquarters level, FAO and IFAD would jointly assume
responsibility for running a network to backstop the country-level groups and
to collect, analyse and disseminate selected country experiences, with
reporting to ACC to be done, as appropriate, through CCPOQ and/or the
Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development and results to be made
available to other relevant mechanisms within or outside the ACC machinery.
D. United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)
58. With regard to the follow-up to Habitat II, ACC, at its first regular
session for 1997, decided that the arrangements should focus on supporting
country-level action and coordination and should involve the development of
guidelines to orient the resident coordinator system in establishing country-
level thematic groups and strengthening implementation and monitoring at the
national and local level.
IV. PROGRESS AT THE COUNTRY LEVEL
A. Background
59. Since the establishment of the three ACC inter-agency task forces in
October 1995, the Administrator of UNDP has been communicating with all
resident representatives/resident coordinators concerning the integrated
follow-up to the recent global conferences. He has urged them to use the
overall framework of the ACC inter-agency task forces and the Inter-Agency
Committee on Women and Gender Equality as a broad guide in organizing country
follow-up. It was suggested that they should take the lead, in close
collaboration with agency representatives, in establishing thematic groups
that would draw on, but not necessarily be identical to, the headquarters task
forces and should reflect the particular country situation, priorities and
needs. These groups are to involve fully national and local authorities and
NGOs, as well as the concerned United Nations system partners.
60. Following the communication from the Administrator, resident
coordinators have been organizing country-level follow-up action. Progress
has been made in all regions where resident coordinators have organized or are
in the process of establishing thematic groups involving, as appropriate,
national and local authorities, NGOs, and concerned United Nations
organizations. The following provides a brief summary of the emerging trends
at the country level in the follow-up activities. This preliminary assessment
was based on the information provided in the 1996 annual reports of resident
coordinators on progress in 100 countries.
B. Overview
61. In general, resident coordinators have initiated the establishment of
thematic groups and inter-agency joint programmes, and projects are being
launched that are closely related to the effective implementation of the
outcomes of the recent global conferences. In all cases, their initiatives
have been carried out in full consultation with the host Governments, taking
into consideration the special domestic circumstances, national priorities and
needs. Efforts have been made at the same time to promote wider participation
of, as appropriate, national and local authorities, concerned United Nations
organizations, and NGOs.
62. Notwithstanding the unique character of thematic groups or programmes in
each country, a few similarities can be seen across regions, in the
arrangements made for a thematic approach. The establishment of the thematic
group on the issue of HIV/AIDS is one of them. In adopting the Programme of
Action of the International Conference on Population and Development,
Governments committed themselves to provide all necessary means to reduce the
spread and the rate of transmission of the HIV/AIDS infection. According to
the 1996 annual reports, approximately 90 per cent of the resident
coordinators have reported the establishment of the thematic groups/joint
programmes on HIV/AIDS. The rate is particularly good in the Latin America
and the Caribbean region.
63. Another prevalent theme is poverty alleviation. One group of United
Nations country teams has taken the approach of establishing a thematic group
on poverty alleviation. Another set of country teams has decided to deal with
the issue as a cross-cutting and underlying principle of most of the
inter-agency collaboration and did not establish a specific working group or
programme to address poverty. Approximately 60 per cent of the United Nations
country teams took the second approach. In the Asia and the Pacific region,
almost 80 per cent have taken the second approach. It is noteworthy that in
Africa only approximately 60 per cent of the resident coordinators have
established thematic groups or launched inter-agency activities in the area of
poverty alleviation.
64. Advancement of women and mainstreaming of gender is another of the
issues most frequently taken up (over 80 per cent of the countries in Africa
and in the region of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(ESCWA), 60 to 70 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean). A large
number of countries have also undertaken inter-agency coordination on issues
related to basic social services, employment and sustainable livelihoods, and
the environment.
65. In general, the 1996 annual reports indicate that the resident
coordinators recognize the importance of the inter-agency coordination efforts
at the country level, through such mechanisms as thematic groups and joint
programmes/projects. Box 2 presents more detailed information on these
activities. The richness of inter-agency experience has been fully utilized
at the country level for operationalizing demand-driven partnership with
Governments, civil society organizations and other development partners.
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Box 2. Regional perspective
1. Africa
The most prevalent theme pursued in the countries in this region is the
issue of gender mainstreaming/advancement and empowerment of women followed by
poverty alleviation. Over 80 per cent of the countries now have inter-agency
activities to promote this issue. Approximately 60 per cent of the countries
have established thematic groups or launched inter-agency coordination
activities in the area of poverty alleviation. The issues related to basic
social services are also pursued actively in nearly 60 per cent of the
countries. In a little over one third of the countries, various thematic
groups and joint programmes/projects have been established in the areas of
employment and sustainable livelihoods (including food security); environment;
education; and children's human rights/child labour.
2. ESCWA region
The countries in this region have been very active in promoting
inter-agency collaboration to promote the national implementation of major
themes of global conferences. Over 80 per cent of the countries have
established thematic working groups or launched inter-agency joint activities
in the areas of poverty alleviation and the advancement and empowerment of
women. The inter-agency collaboration in the area related to employment and
sustainable livelihoods (including food security) has been prominent in nearly
70 per cent of the countries. Over 60 per cent of the countries have
established thematic groups or inter-agency joint programmes/projects related
to the issues of basic social services and environment. In approximately one
third of the countries, the United Nations system has launched inter-agency
initiatives in the area of education. The United Nations country teams in a
few countries have initiated thematic groups or joint programmes/projects on
children's human rights/child labour.
3. Asia and the Pacific
As mentioned above, 80 per cent of the countries in the region are
dealing with the issue of poverty alleviation as a cross-cutting and
underlying principle of most of the inter-agency collaboration and have not
established a separate working group or programme on the subject. However,
countries in the region are very active in pursuing issues related to basic
social services; employment and sustainable livelihoods (including the issue
of food security); and women and gender. Especially for the theme of basic
social services, over 70 per cent of the countries have launched inter-agency
activities. Inter-agency collaboration has taken place mostly in the form of
thematic groups (over 80 per cent) involving a larger number of concerned
United Nations organizations, national and local authorities, and
non-governmental organizations. Joint activities of the United Nations system
have been carried out in about one third of the countries on issues related to
environment, education, and children's human rights and child labour.
4. Latin America and the Caribbean
The issues related to basic social services, employment and sustainable
livelihoods (including food security), and women and gender have been most
frequently taken up (60-70 per cent countries in the region) as themes for
inter-agency collaboration in this region. A little more than one third of
the countries have initiated activities related to the issues of environment
and education. The subject of children's human rights and child labour has
been pursued by the United Nations system in a little less than one third of
the countries.
5. Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
In this region, 80 per cent of the countries have cooperative activities
for HIV/AIDS prevention. About 40 per cent of the countries have initiated
activities in the areas of poverty alleviation and employment and sustainable
livelihoods. About one third of the countries have launched inter-agency
initiatives on basic social services and one fourth of them initiated
activities on issues of women and gender. Resident coordinators have listed
various obstacles that are hampering progress, such as absence of a government
agency responsible for issues of concern, the aftermath of internal conflicts,
and severe economic collapse after the disintegration of the former Soviet
Union. The implementation of drastic structural adjustment programmes that
have forced severe cuts in public expenditure in the social sectors was also
pointed out as an important factor in this regard.
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C. Complementarity with other inter-agency initiatives
66. In many countries, efforts for increased use of thematic working groups
and a more consultative approach to advance the implementation of the goals
and the commitments of the recent global conferences have been proceeding in
conjunction with already existing inter-agency collaboration mechanisms such
as the country strategy note. The preparation of and the effort for the
effective implementation of the country strategy note are reported to have
helped in identifying the country's priority areas, to have led to closer
inter-agency consultations to ensure the efficient application of United
Nations resources in those priority areas, and thus in many cases to have
served to strengthen the functioning of inter-agency thematic working groups.
V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
67. Promoting sustained and coordinated follow-up to the broad spectrum of
United Nations conferences should remain a main objective of the system, in
particular at the field level. In this regard, the Council may wish to take
into consideration at its 1998 substantive session the results of the
aforementioned comprehensive review of ACC, which is to be carried out at its
second regular session for 1997, with a view to ensuring the promotion of the
integrated and coordinated follow-up to the United Nations global conferences.
68. The Council may wish to encourage that, in reporting on the outcome of
ACC comprehensive review of coordinated follow-up to conferences, a particular
focus be placed on progress in ensuring coordination in follow-up to
conferences in the area of statistics and indicators, taking into account the
work done by the Statistical Commission.
69. Within the framework of the Council's 1995 agreed conclusions on a
coordinated follow-up to international conferences, the Council could consider
asking the Secretariat, in cooperation with organizations of the United
Nations system and drawing upon the work of relevant inter-agency mechanisms,
as well as the resident coordinator system, to report periodically on the
progress achieved in promoting an integrated approach, under the coordination
item of its general segment. The Council could continue to guide the work of
its functional commissions in order to ensure better harmonization of their
work.
70. The Council could consider recommending that its subsidiary bodies and
other parts of the United Nations system use the Assembly's guidance when
examining cross-cutting themes of conferences. The Council could invite its
functional commissions, in monitoring goals and targets of international
conferences, to make use of the work undertaken for the follow-up to the
Children's Summit, building also on the work on indicators, goals and targets
of the Task Force on Basic Social Services For All.
71. At the same time, the Council may wish to call on all relevant
organizations of the United Nations system to further integrate the results of
the major international conferences in the economic, social and related fields
into their programmes of work and to contribute relevant information, analyses
and assessments in support of the Council's own thematic reviews. The Council
may also wish to call upon all the organizations of the United Nations system
to continue to give priority attention to the provision of effective support,
including by full utilization and implementation of outputs of the task
forces, to the resident coordinators and the United Nations system country
teams working with Governments, civil society organizations, and others in
pursuit of the goals and objectives agreed at the United Nations conferences.
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