Assistance to the Palestinian people – UNCTAD report (excerpts)

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND ORGANIZATION

OF WORK OF THE SESSION 

Provisional agenda and annotations for the
forty-ninth session of the Trade and Development Board

Note by the UNCTAD secretariat 

The provisional agenda for the forty-ninth session of the Trade and Development Board is reproduced in section I below. The secretariat’s annotations, contained in section II, are intended to provide essen tial background information covering the provisional agenda items, together with a brief description of the relevant documentation.

A checklist of documents relating to all agenda items will be issued at the beginning of the session.

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f. Consideration of other relevant reports: Report on UNCTAD’s assistance to the Palestinian people

20. In line with the 2002-2005 United Nations Medium-term Plan and paragraph 167 of the Bangkok Plan of Action, the UNCTAD secretariat is intensifying its work to assist the Palestinian people to develop capacities for effective policy-making and management pertaining to international trade, investment and related services. The secretariat has reported annually to the Trade and Development Board on its programme of technical assistance in this area. The secretariat’s reports have also included updates of Palestinian economic and trade performance and the findings of related policy analysis and research by the secretariat.

21. Pursuant to the provision of the biennial work programme, the secretariat has prepared its latest report to the Trade and Development Board on UNCTAD’s assistance to the Palestinian people. The first section of the report reviews the impact of the crisis in the region on the Palestinian economy and relevant policy responses in the context of new challenges and pressures. This provides the backdrop for the review in the second section of progress in technical assistance projects under way or completed by the secretariat since mid-2001, as well as unfunded proposals for technical cooperation awaiting implementation.

22. In taking note of the report by the UNCTAD secretariat, the Board may wish to consider the need to mobilize additional extrabudgetary resources to implement priority technical assistance proposals by the UNCTAD secretariat. In accordance with General Assembly decision 47/445, and as in previous years, the Board may, in its report to the General Assembly on its forty-ninth session, draw the Assembly’s attention to the deliberations under this item.

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