DECLARATION ON THE STRENGTHENING OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION IN EUROPE ADOPTED BY THE FIFTY-SESSION OF THE ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
22 April 1997
We Governments meet today to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and to pay tribute to its
achievements. We affirm its relevance and our commitment to provide it with
fresh impetus, so that in concert with other regional and sub-regional
organizations, it will be able to take up the challenges which the region faces at
the dawn of the 21st century.
Our member countries share common values and aspirations as well as
closely linked economic interests. We also share a history marked by phases of
tension, détente and rapprochement. Throughout these developments, the
Economic Commission for Europe has succeeded in adapting its work to fulfil
faithfully its primary goal of encouraging and strengthening the commitment of
all its member countries to harmonious economic relations.
Being part of the United Nations, having a European and transatlantic
character as well as a source of economic and technical expertise, the
Commission has proved itself a competent and effective forum where all
countries, regardless of their size or level of development, can participate in
discussions and decision-making on an equal footing.
The Commission has successfully carried out vital tasks of cooperation and
integration. By negotiating and harmonizing conventions, norms and standards,
it has contributed to preventing and reducing pollution, developing transport
infrastructure and diminishing the risk of road accidents, facilitating border
crossings and simplifying international trade procedures. By drawing up guides for
legal reforms and international transaction practices, it has helped the countries
in transition to promote trade and investment within the institutional framework
of a market economy. By publishing extensive economic analysis and statistics
it has encouraged the exchange of views and the sharing of experience, leading
to greater mutual understanding and contributing to policy convergence.
This work has yielded tangible results, such as the Convention on Long-range
Transboundary Air Pollution and its protocols; the safety and anti-pollution norms
for vehicles; the TIR Convention, eliminating inspection of goods at the frontiers
of transit countries; the Agreement on the transport of dangerous goods; and the
electronic system UN/EDIFACT to simplify administrative procedures for
international trade.
We are pleased that countries outside the region and sometimes the entire
international community have applied some of these conventions and norms, and
we are convinced that, in its areas of competence, the Commission will continue
to be a centre of excellence recognized well beyond the borders of its member
countries.
The Commission's work now takes place in an unprecedented historical
context, when all its members subscribe to the principles of democracy and the
market economy. This major transformation is compounded by underlying trends
that affect all the regions of the world: the accelerating liberalization and
globalization of the economy, the increasing role of the private sector, the
dynamism of regional and sub-regional groupings, the strengthening of individual
freedoms and civil society, but also the dangers of marginalization and
fragmentation.
In this context it is essential to foster forms of cooperation that promote
economic prosperity for all member countries and respond to the needs of an
increasingly interdependent world economy. This cooperation forges greater
cohesion within the ECE region and contributes to bridging gaps between its sub-regions. We are convinced that the Commission has all the assets to render such
a service in the future, just as it has done in the past. This is what has led us to
reflect deeply on its strategic directions, defining activities which need to be dealt
with in a multilateral framework and for which the ECE is the appropriate forum.
We have done so, paying particular attention to the countries in transition and
their economic relations with the Commission's other member countries, to
changes in the region's institutional landscape, such as the development of the
European Union, and to the ongoing reform of the United Nations.
The reform of the Commission, which is outlined in the Plan of Action
(see document E/ECE/1347), meets the threefold aims of focus, flexibility and
efficiency.
With regard to the first aim, activities have been discontinued, streamlined or
strengthened. Accordingly, we have decided to reduce the number of programme
elements by 60% and the intergovernmental structure from fourteen Principal
Subsidiary Bodies to seven. These efforts have resulted in identifying the
following current areas of work of the Commission: environment; transport;
statistics; trade, industry and enterprise development; economic analysis; energy;
timber; and human settlements.
Our concern that the Commission should always be able to respond optimally
to its members' needs has led us to introduce greater flexibility in its working
methods. Consequently, we have decided to set up a consultative mechanism
which will enable some activities to be discontinued and new ones to be launched
in response to changes in the needs of member countries and in the realities of the
region. We have also agreed on a structure for organizing activities to meet
specific requests from sub-groups of member countries, in particular the countries
in transition and the Mediterranean countries of the ECE.
Finally, the reform is guided by a desire for efficiency. We have made the
intergovernmental structure of ECE more homogeneous and transparent, thereby
simplifying decision-making processes and increasing the cost-effectiveness of ECE
activities. In order to build upon proven advantages and to avoid duplication, we
have decided to enhance cooperation with other regional and subregional
organizations, such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe and OECD, as well as with
institutions, in particular the European Commission. Similarly, we have decided
to intensify the dialogue with the business community and civil society, both to
benefit from their views and experiences and to broaden the impact of ECE work.
We are committed to applying this reform in all its strategic orientations and,
thus, to strengthening the Commission as an instrument for economic cooperation,
peace and stability in the ECE region.
Our decisions are fully in line with the current process of rationalizing the
United Nations as a whole and of redefining its role and its programmes. By
accepting this responsibility for the Economic Commission for Europe, we, its
member Governments, are expressing our determination to contribute to the
efforts being made by the entire international community to ensure that the
Organization enters the 21st century with renewed strength, relevance, efficiency
and credibility.