UNECE ANNUAL SESSION DISCUSSES STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
FOR FUTURE WORK
Geneva, 11 May 2001
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) continued its
annual session this morning with a debate on strategic directions to be followed in the
activities of its programmes, the work of its secretariat, and the operations of its
principal subsidiary bodies.
Discussion of the matter focused on issues identified during informal
meetings held 9 May between member States, the UNECE Executive Secretary, the Bureau
of the Commission, the Chairpersons of various UNECE Committees, and ECE divisional
directors. The two main issues raised were the growing demand on ECE activities,
especially in terms of operational activities and technical assistance, and the resulting
problems of securing necessary funding for those and other ECE activities; and
enhancing policy coherence within the ECE, for which establishment of a steering committee
was proposed.
The Commission also concluded this morning a roundtable debate begun
Thursday afternoon on European regional compliance with the United Nations Millennium
Declaration. The Declaration calls for progress in the general areas of establishing
peace, security and disarmament; promoting development and eradicating poverty; protecting
the common environment; enhancing human rights, including the right to development;
promoting democracy and good governance; protecting the vulnerable; and strengthening the
United Nations.
Summarizing the debate, Commission Chairman Harald Kreid said among
other things that discussion on the Declaration had covered a very wide multitude of
problems, and what came through from the ECE perspective was the difficulty of the
transition process, especially when coupled with the damage caused by conflicts and the
loss of institutions following the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the destruction of
existing systems of property, and the changing of long-standing cultures and social
traditions.
The Commission also heard further comments on its spring seminar, held
7 May, on the topic of "Creating a supportive environment for business enterprise and
economic growth: institutional reform and governance".
The Commission will reconvene at 3:30 p.m. to act on matters arising
from the work of its subsidiary bodies, to elect officers for the coming year, to adopt
the report of its fifty-sixth annual session, and to adjourn its annual session.
Discussion of ECE strategic directions
HARALD KREID, Chairman of the Commission, said among other things that
the intent of strategic reflection wasn't to cause major reforms so much as to assess
whether or not the ECE was moving in the right directions and was responding effectively
to Europe's constantly changing environment.
DANUTA HÜBNER, ECE Executive Secretary, said two main topics had been
discussed informally in meetings Wednesday. One was the growing demand on ECE activities,
especially in terms of operational activities and technical assistance, and problems of
securing necessary funding for those and other ECE activities, in relation to which
various solutions for attracting more funding were also discussed. One idea broached was
the inclusion by countries of the ECE on their lists of bodies eligible for funding, and
whether such a suggestion might be forwarded by the ECE for consideration by the Economic
and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The second major topic debated Wednesday was policy coherence. A
mechanism was suggested to enhance coordination between all ECE bodies and institutions
through establishment of an ECE steering group. The overall objective of that group would
be to improve policy coherence, horizontal and vertical communication, and synergy within
the organization. The group would meet once a year during the Commission's annual session;
would have terms of reference to be worked out by the secretariat; and would aim at
holding well-focused, practical discussions.
A series of national delegations then spoke, in some cases representing
regional groups of nations, and saying, among other things, that annual sessions of a
steering committee were a good idea; that further development of intersectoral cooperation
had been identified as valuable; that more time was needed to analyze the proposal to
include the ECE among organizations eligible for technical assistance funding; that the
standards of the Millennium Declaration, where relevant, should be used to set strategic
directions for ECE work, especially where those standards applied to solving the problems
of transition countries, among other things through expanded use of ECE operational
activities; that more attention should be given to the restructuring of transition
economies, to eradicating poverty there, to protecting vulnerable groups, and to the
economic aspects of peace building; that adequate resources should be made available for
ECE work and to that end that further sources of funding should be explored
Conclusion of roundtable on "The Millennium Declaration:
challenges for Europe"
The Commission completed its debate by reviewing the sixth and final
general topic of the United Nations Millennium Declaration -- the strengthening of the
activities of the international community and the United Nations.
Michael BARTOLO, Ambassador of Malta to the United Nations Office at
Geneva, serving as a panellist on the topic, said a note had already been distributed on
putting the programme of work of the ECE within the context of the Millennium Declaration.
It had to be said that it was Governments, in the end, not the ECE or other regional or
international organizations, that had the major role to play in meeting the goals of the
Declaration, including the eradication of poverty within a set period of time.
Declarations, moreover, were one thing, and action was another. It was action that
counted, and action was far more difficult than making pronouncements and setting goals.
His impression of much of the recent past was that the UN was always in the midst of
reform and restructuring. The cry at the time was that more had to be done with less. Now
he thought differently -- the organization was efficient enough, but programmes and
efforts had to be better aimed to meet real and pressing concerns, especially those of the
vulnerable populations referred to repeatedly in the Millennium Declaration. As for the
ECE, he felt it had become more efficient as a result of recent reforms; the organization
had a unique role to play and in many ways was the best hope for giving form to the
aspirations contained in the Millennium Declaration, but to carry out that task it would
need greater resources and support. Perhaps it also needed to divest itself of activities
that could be done better somewhere else and increase its involvement in activities it did
best.
DANUTA HÜBNER, ECE Executive Secretary, said among other things that
the General Assembly had called for regular follow-up to the Millennium Declaration not
only by member States but by all parts of the UN system, including the regional
commissions. A road map was to be generated to that end for the UN as a whole, and the ECE
needed a road map of its own identifying progress and gaps that existed within the region
and suggesting strategies for meeting the goals of the Declaration. She hoped ways would
be found by member States for how the ECE could be used to help States fulfil the terms of
the Declaration. For the ECE to do that, it needed a strong secretariat. Improvements were
under way in ECE management; in inter-sectoral work; in policy coherence and guidance; in
enhancing cooperation with other parts of the UN system; in widening participation in ECE
work, including by civil society; and in expanding cooperation with the business
community. The question of resources also had to be raised; the ECE might well have
reached the limit of what could be done within its existing budget.
A number of national delegations spoke from the floor, remarking, among
other things, that conflict prevention was a vital ingredient for achieving the goals of
the Millennium Declaration, and a centre for the study of conflict-prevention established
in Kiev was doing valuable work on the topic; that programmes to spur self-employment and
enterprise development were useful for combatting poverty and raising living standards;
that within Europe, the issue of peace, security and disarmament were of special
importance, and the ECE should look further into the socio-economic roots of conflicts and
into making dedicated efforts at post-conflict peace-building including through larger
contributions to social and economic rehabilitation; that such matters as good governance,
sustainable management of natural resources, and debt reduction should be kept in mind in
efforts to combat poverty; that follow-up, including through statistics and benchmarks,
was vital to achieving the goals of the Declaration; that duplication of work should be
avoided; and that the ECE should make serious efforts to prevent the emergence of new
lines of division within Europe, whether economic, political, or social.
Commission Chairman HARALD KREID, summarizing the debate, said among
other things that the Declaration and discussion had covered a very wide multitude of
problems, and to date the task was more one of stock-taking than of detailed reflection on
progress measured. Some aspects of the Declaration were beyond the ECE's mandate, but
others were quite pertinent. The aim of the discussion was not to arrive at a single or
simplistic message, and there had not been such a message. What had come through from a
number of statements was the difficulty of the transition process, especially when coupled
with the damage caused by conflicts and the loss of institutions following the collapse of
the former Soviet Union; the destruction of existing systems of property, and the changing
of long-standing cultures and social traditions. Obvious concerns were poverty, human
rights, protection of vulnerable groups, and security. Much emphasis was placed on
peace-building, conflict prevention, and conflict recovery; on disarmament, on restriction
of the small-arms trade, and on elimination of weapons of mass destruction. The
difficulty, complexity, duration, and social consequences of transition, it had been said
repeatedly, had been underestimated. Additional support for transition was stressed.
Environmental programmes and instruments, it had been pointed out, needed to be
implemented, as implementation was lagging far behind the negotiation and ratification of
such pacts. Human rights and good governance were identified as essential for the
development of modern societies and effective economies. Vulnerable groups were cited as
needing special attention, especially as they often lacked voices and political power
bases of their own. It was clear, furthermore, that the United Nations and, within Europe,
the ECE, needed to be strengthened, better supported and resourced, and better focused in
their work if they were to pursue effectively the challenges posed by the Millennium
Declaration.
A text on what the ECE could do to carry out its work in relation to
the Millennium Declaration would be included in the report of the annual session, Mr.
Kreid said.
Continued debate on spring seminar: "Creating a supportive
environment for business enterprise and economic growth"
National delegations offered a number of remarks, among them that
promotion of openness, efficiency and accountability were vital for sustained economic
growth; that ethics and morality had to be emphasized both in politics and the operation
of economies and individual enterprises; and that more had to be done to combat
corruption.
DANUTA HÜBNER, ECE Executive Secretary, said among other things that
the secretariat had considered carefully the remarks made during the seminar and would act
as in previous years to incorporate the outcomes of the debate into the ECE work
programme, into the activities of its principal subsidiary bodies, and into strategic
directions to be pursued by the ECE. Consideration already was being given to the topic
for next year's spring seminar. As for the debate held on the first day of the annual
session, it was clear that further attention, policy debates and operational activities
had to be devoted to improving the situations of the countries of Central Asia and the
South Caucasus.
For further information please contact:
Information Unit
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: (+41 22) 917 44 44
Fax: (+41 22) 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Ref: ECE/GEN/01/19