Geneva, 6 May
1999
ECE/GEN/99/10
ECONOMIC
COMMISSION FOR EUROPE CONCLUDES ITS
FIFTY-FOURTH SESSION WITH
ACTION ON INCREASED
INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION WITHIN THE ECE
REGION
Executive
Secretary says ECE would play a role in Southeast Europe in full
accord with the requests of the Member States of the Commission
This afternoon, the Economic
Commission for Europe (ECE) concluded its fifty-fourth session by
adopting its annual report. It was recognised that the ECE had
expertise in a number of areas of relevance to the post-conflict
reconstruction of South-East Europe, and that such expertise
should be drawn upon wherever possible to assist in the
coordinated reconstruction of the region. It was stressed that
activities be properly coordinated between all the organizations
and institutions involved in the reconstruction effort.
A proposal was made by a
delegation that Skopje be designated as a regional centre for
coordination for the future activities of the reconstruction of
the region. Another proposal was made for Tirana to be designated
as the regional centre for the coordination of the future
activities for the reconstruction of the South-Eastern European
region. Other suggestions and proposals were also made by
delegations. Since no suggestion or proposal was addressed by the
Commission, the secretariat was later requested, in conformity
with the Plan of Action, to summarise the discussion and
circulate the summary to Member States after consulting the
Bureau.
A series of recommendations on
strengthening inter-agency cooperation within the ECE region was
also adopted. Following three days of discussions, the Commission
agreed that reform of the method of work should continue, and
that cooperation with European institutions should be enhanced.
The importance of the ECE=s operational activities and the contribution made
to economic integration and the strengthening of stability, peace
and good will among countries in the region was recognised. The
Commission endorsed the new system of prioritisation of Principal
Subsidiary Body work programmes as proposed by the Group of
Experts as well as the related recommendations.
The Commission reviewed the
progress made in the integration of the two cross-sectoral
concerns, namely sustainable development and gender mainstreaming
into the work programme. The Commission invited the Committee on
Environmental Policy to review all activities related to
sustainable development and to make suggestions to each PSB and
the Commission. Further efforts were to be made in the field of
gender mainstreaming. The Commission endorsed the convening of an
expert meeting at the intergovernmental level which would review
policies relating to the situation of women in ECE countries, in
order to provide a regional assessment for the 2000 review of the
implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.
The Executive Secretary and ECE
Member States were invited to explore possibilities for providing
additional financing for the Commission=s operational activities, in view of the limited
resources available. Additional efforts should be made to
mobilise resources with a view to responding to the specific
needs and circumstances of the Commission=s Mediterranean countries.
The Commission expressed its
concern that the resources had diminished for funding and
staffing for the regional advisory programme, and that the
activities of the Regional Advisors had been considerably
reduced. The Executive Secretary invited ECE Member States to
take the necessary steps within the framework of the UN to ensure
that the ECE was allocated the necessary resources in the
biennium 2000-2001.
The Executive Secretary was
invited to respond to requests for assistance in a geographically
balanced manner, and to pay special attention to requests from
countries most in need of assistance. He was requested to
increase ECE=s assistance to Mediterranean countries.
He was also invited to take into account the comments made during
the course of the debate and to continue his consultations
regarding his paper on AEurope, a Common Will - Proposal for a
Pan-European Process@, keeping ECE Member States informed.
The Commission adopted the
Report as amended covering the period from 24 April 1998 to
6 May 1999. Prior to the adoption of the report, delegations
expressed their views on a paragraph dealing with the ECE
contribution to the recovery in Southeast Europe after a
settlement of the conflict in Yugoslavia.
The Chairman in his concluding
remarks said that the meetings of today and yesterday had been
one more step of progress towards making the work of the
Commission more effective regarding substantial matters, and this
should continue. He also indicated that the fifty-fifth session
of the Commission would take place from 3 to 6 May 2000. A
seminar would be held on 2 May 2000.
The Executive Secretary, in his
concluding remarks, said that he was satisfied with the seminars
and the debates during which sensitive issues had been addressed.
As there appeared to be political progress as indicated by the
news that Russia and NATO had agreed on a Kosovo peace plan, ECE
therefore had to mobilize itself in order to make a useful
contribution at the technical level to the recovery of the region
as a whole and to help those who had suffered the most. The ECE
would play a role in the area in full accord with the requests of
the Member States of the Commission.
For further information,
please contact:
Information Unit
United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
Palais des Nations, Room
356
CH - 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 917 44 44
Fax: +41 22 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org/