Issue N� 02 � 10-14 February 2003
It�s just happened �
Interregional Seminar on �Capacity-Building in Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business in the Mediterranean�� (E-Med Business), 29-31 January 2003
UNECE, in partnership with the UN regional commissions for Africa (ECA) and Western Asia (ESCWA), the World Bank Group and a number of other international organizations held the launching Seminar for the E‑Med Business project. The 30 participants included representatives of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Syrian Arab Republic (ESCWA region), Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia (ECA region) and Israel, Malta and Turkey (UNECE region). Basic concepts on trade facilitation and e-business were examined, including public�private partnerships, as well as a number of political, technical and technological aspects. Participants recommended that regional trade facilitation (PRO) committees be set up in the ECA and ESCWA regions, along the lines of the SECIPRO, the trade facilitation committee under the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI). This could lead to the setting up of an �interregional� MEDPRO committee.� These new committees should significantly strengthen the e-Med project, and ultimately contribute to the establishment of a free trade area in the Mediterranean region.�
For further information contact the Project Coordinator, Jean E. Kubler, UNECE, [email protected]
New� CD-ROM on �Best Practice for International Business� from the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development
This CD-ROM is intended to be an informative
reference tool for a wide range of persons from both the private and the public
sector, who have a particular interest in trade or in procedures for facilitating
trade. It gives an overview of the activities, best practice recommendations,
norms and standards drawn up by the UNECE Committee for Trade, Industry and
Enterprise Development. It also presents analyses of commercial arbitration
and trade practices.� The menu comprises recommendations regarding: Trade
promotion and trade finance; Trade facilitation recommendations and supporting
documents; Enterprise development; International legal and commercial practice,
and arbitration; Technical harmonization and standardization policy; and Agricultural
standards.
Available from United Nations bookshops.� Sales No E.01-II.E.30, Price US$ 150; or US$ 50 to developing and transition countries.�
New UNECE treaty to make the environment part of strategic decision-making
The new Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), finalized on 31 January in Geneva, provides for extensive public participation in government decision-making in numerous development sectors, from land-use planning to transport and from agriculture to industry, covering everything from oil refineries to ski-lifts. The public will not only have the right to know about plans and programmes, but also the right to have their comments taken into account, and be told of the final decisions and why they were taken. The participation of the public in strategic decision-making builds on the practice of the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. The Protocol is expected to be formally adopted and signed at the forthcoming Ministerial �Environment for Europe� Conference� in Kiev, Ukraine, on 21-23 May 2003.
During the recent week of ECE gas meetings, discussions were held on the "Blue Corridor" project initiated in 2000 by the Vernadsky Ecological Foundation, a Russian NGO, with the goal of establishing European NGVs transportation corridors and a network of gas refuelling stations.
The volume of international goods and passenger traffic is set to increase annually in line with the substantial development of transnational corporations and the fitting-out of vehicle fleets with modern tractor-trailer units and coaches designed for international travel.� The environmental and economic advantages of gas in relation to other fuels augur well for its extensive use in various sectors of industry, agriculture, public utilities and transport.� Road transport is a particularly promising area; with inter alia the opportunity to improve thIn early 2002, the UNECE Working Party on Gas and the Inland Transport Committee established a joint intersectoral Task Force to assess the economic and technical feasibility of this project.� An expert Concept Report is currently being drafted for approval prior to an International Implementation Programme being developed.e eco-efficiency of transboundary traffic.
Coming up soon �
12 February Team of Specialists on Industrial Restructuring
12 February Team of Specialists on Entrepreneurship
in Poverty Alleviation
12 February Workshop on E-Regulations: E-Security
and Knowledge Economy
12 February Team of Specialists on Internet Enterprise
Development
13-14 February Working Party on Industry and Enterprise
Development
Facts and figures:
| GDP per capita in the ECE region, 2000 | ||||||||||
| GDP per capita | GDP | Population | ||||||||
| US Dollars | Index | Share of | Share of | |||||||
| per capita | (UNECE) | total UNECE | total UNECE | |||||||
| (current PPPs) | 100) | (per cent) | (per cent) | |||||||
| UNECE-50a | 20000 | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||||||
| Eastern Europe-15 | 8400 | 42 | 5 | 11 | ||||||
| CIS-12 | 5900 | 30 | 7 | 24 | ||||||
| Russian Federation | 7900 | 40 | 5 | 12 | ||||||
| Western Europe-21b | 22200 | 111 | 43 | 39 | ||||||
| European Union-15 | 24700 | 124 | 40 | 32 | ||||||
| Euro area-12 | 24600 | 123 | 32 | 26 | ||||||
| Europe excluding CIS-36 | 19100 | 96 | 48 | 50 | ||||||
| Europe including CIS-48 | 14800 | 74 | 55 | 73 | ||||||
| North America-2 | 34100 | 171 | 45 | 27 | ||||||
| United States | 34700 | 174 | 42 | 24 | ||||||
| Source: UNECE Statistical Division | ||||||||||
| Notes:� The regional aggregates are computed as the sum of countries current price values converted into US dollars using the purchasing power parity (PPP) of the year 2000. | ||||||||||
| aExcludes Andorra, Israel, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino. | ||||||||||
| bIncludes Turkey. | ||||||||||
| Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) is a price index that compares the price of a common, representative basket of goods and services in two different countries at the same point in time. Therefore, in addition to being spatial price indices, PPPs are also the rates of currency conversion that equalise the purchasing power of different currencies. PPPs differ from exchange rates, and are preferable for GDP per capita comparisons. | ||||||||||
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