Press Release
ECE/GEN/00/24
Geneva, 4 May 2000
Economic Commission for Europe Discusses its
Operational Activities
The fifty-fifth session of the
Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) continued its discussion of the agenda item
related to the possibilities for increasing regional cooperation within the UN/ECE
region, taking into account the experience of the transition process (see also press
release ECE/GEN/00/23).
Prof. Uvalic responded to comments made from the floor, and said that
the session had certainly confirmed the importance of this topic. She considered that the
fragmentation of the region needed to be further considered, notably in view of the
enlargement process of the EU. Trade agreements at a subregional level needed to be
re-examined in this perspective.
The item "Operational activities: rethinking the strategy"
was then taken up by the Commission. The latter had before it a note, which examined how
the secretariat could better focus and organize its operational activities according to a
better-defined strategy. The debate upon the note included reactions from Governments,
representatives of the OSCE, the Council of Europe, sub-regional groupings, initiatives
and programmes.
The Commission then began the discussion of the topic in hand, with an
introduction by Danuta Hübner, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN/ECE. She
recalled that a year ago, the secretariat had begun a programme of re-thinking how
operational activities should be carried out. The major purpose of this was to make UN/ECE
operational activities most effective and efficient, and it was assumed that to meet that
goal, they should be based on a more strategic approach, and should be prioritised. It was
also believed that the operational activities should take into account the policy
background and impact, as well as what was being done in the same area by other
organizations and institutions.
The objectives were to make the operational activities focus on the
implementation of conventions and norms, and should focus on promoting the "best
practice", on supporting European cooperation and integration, and the transition of
the least advanced countries. Rationalizing operational activities along these directions
should impact on the overall work of the UN/ECE.
The Chairman called for speakers to comment upon the future operational
activities of the UN/ECE, how they should be organized and prioritised, and to what extent
they should be further developed.
The Representative of the United States of America commented that there
was indeed a need for further reflection upon the internal workings of the UN/ECE. The
assessment contained within the note on operational activities was agreed with, as a
number of organizations worked in the same area, and the Commission should continue in the
future to avoid over-lapping and redundancy. The UN/ECE’s work was often
multi-faceted, and it was therefore necessary to communicate between the different
branches of the organization. It was not always easy to measure results in a systematic
way, but all had an interest in gauging the process. Results-oriented programme
orientation could only encourage the UN/ECE to become ever more effective.
The Representative of Portugal on behalf of the EU, said there was a
need to give some thought to a strategy for operational activities. The documents in
question had been very well prepared. It would be useful to continue this assessment
process in the future. In particular, it was necessary to monitor implementation of UN/ECE
conventions and programmes faster, thus ensuring better integration. Re-generation should
be part of the integration strategy. For this, the organizations in Europe needed to study
the issues of transition fully and in a concerted way. The EU supported the development of
inter-sectoral and sub-regional programmes.
The Representative of Kyrgyzstan said that operational activities were
a priority concern. The regional advisors of the UN/ECE had proved most effective in
providing channels for information and assistance. However, the latter should be given in
more concrete and clearer terms. Operational activities should be coordinated, and
priority given to the proposals and requests made by the CIS countries. This would improve
cooperation and security in the region.
The Representative of Malta said Malta associated itself fully with the
statement made by Portugal. Resources were essential to implement any programme.
Inter-regional initiatives were a good place to start collaboration. In particular,
cooperation in the Mediterranean was agreed with.
The Representative of Switzerland said this was an important and
interesting agenda item. It was indeed crucial to develop strategic planning, and
priorities ought to be identified. Certain geographical regions needed to be prioritized.
Duplication of efforts needed to be avoided at all costs. Coordination was not what it
could be, and grounds remained for improvement. In the long term, positive results
required that it be ensured that knowledge was transmitted effectively.
The Representative of Belarus said the role of the Commission was
effective, and needed to be further reinforced. Technical cooperation programmes needed to
be further implemented, but only after ensuring that there was no overlapping with the
programmes of other organizations. The activities of the Commission in increasing
cooperation between the business communities and policy makers were appreciated, but
needed to be enhanced. Belarus supported the UN/ECE, and its members, including those
countries that at the moment were outsiders in carrying out market reforms.
The Representative of the Russian Federation said that the work of the
Commission to systematise its operational activities and to enhance the efficiency of its
work was appreciated. The need for strategic planning could not be over-estimated. In the
future, in planning operational activities, attention should be given as a priority to
those countries facing the most difficult economic problems. During this session, a
decision of principle creating an inter-governmental panel on these issues should be made.
Attention should be given to the issue of financing the operational activities. These
activities should not divert funding from carrying out the main activities of the UN/ECE.
The coordinating body of the operational activities should be strengthened.
The Representative of Romania said the UN/ECE deserved full support in
its initiatives for regional cooperation. With regard to the operational activities of the
UN/ECE, the document provided great insights. The expertise of the Commission in certain
areas would continue to strengthen the process of European integration, and would
contribute to facilitate accession to the EU. Strengthening technical cooperation was also
a positive step, notably using the new technological advances. The UN/ECE, through its
authority, could draw the attention of the business and financial institutions around the
world towards this group of countries, encouraging direct foreign investment.
The Representative of Austria said on behalf of the Austrian
Chairmanship of the OSCE that the organization was cooperating closely both with the EU
and the UN/ECE in areas of common concern, in particular as they relate to conventions and
agreements.
The Representative of Georgia said the operational activities of the
UN/ECE could be seen as the backbone of the process of addressing the various problems of
different countries of the UN/ECE. These efforts were highly appreciated, aimed as they
were at bringing economic harmony to the whole region. The UN/ECE needed to focus on
activities supporting transition and bringing growth throughout the region. The potential
for cooperation should be further explored, so as to find new and alternative sources of
funding. The operational activities should be evaluated thanks to specific performance
indicators.
The Representative of the Interstate Euro-Asian Coal and Metals
Community (IEACMC) said that progress was made towards market reforms, as well as
conventions and standards of international standing. The recommendations of the UN/ECE on
strategies were of particular importance with regard to globalization. Neglecting regional
cooperation inevitably led to marginalization of countries and industries, loss of
competivity and of market positions.
The Representative of Turkey said that Turkey welcomed the UN/ECE
initiative to search for areas for cooperation between the UN/ECE member countries and
those of ESCWA. In order to obtain the maximum of cooperation with UN/ECE countries, it
was necessary to hold consultations with the Mediterranean countries.
The Representative of Croatia said the document was highly valued, but
regretted that Croatia was not mentioned as a Mediterranean country. Croatia had
consistently supported activities impacting on the Mediterranean area and countries. The
final goal of the work in the Mediterranean region should be cooperation with ESCWA and
ESCAP.
The Representative of Canada said the paper was most welcome, and fully
concurred with the notion that the UN/ECE focus its operational activities on those areas
where it had real expertise and a comparative advantage to offer. The need to coordinate
and cooperate with other relative organizations was urged.
The Representative of Portugal, in its individual capacity, said that
regarding cooperation in the Mediterranean region, the document was important, and
endorsed the points raised by Turkey. It was understood that discussion within the region
was vital in order to address issues of common interest.
The Representative of Bulgaria said that behind the short document were
extensive activities that had taken place throughout the year. An analysis of the problems
and the possible way forward would be appreciated in next year’s document. The
cooperation with other institutions and organizations would be something that would
influence the work and role of the UN/ECE over the next few years, and this work required
more information. The UN/ECE was extremely well placed to become an implementing
institution.
The Chairman of the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise
Development said that SECI was most important and underlined the need to continue
technical assistance in the areas of trade facilitation and border crossing.
Ms. Hübner welcomed the numerous positive and constructive comments
made in the paper, which she perceived as an encouragement for the secretariat to move
ahead along the lines proposed. She then addressed the various issues raised by the
debate. She reminded that the purpose and format of this short strategic paper was in line
with what the Commission had decided in 1999. An annex had been included which gave
more detailed information. Ms. Hübner agreed that ways to provide more information
to member States throughout the year could be explored. The evaluation of the operational
activities, requested by several delegates, would be one of the goals of the Coordinating
Unit. However, this was not an easy task - for example, it was very difficult to evaluate
training processes while such evaluation would be easier for project activities.
Ms. Hübner added that the possibility of establishing an intergovernmental plenary
and supervisory body for operational activities would require a decision from member
States.
The issue related to Mediterranean cooperation was held as very
important, which resulted in the three projects presented in the relevant paper and a
joint approach with the two other Regional Commissions will be developed for financing and
undertaking these projects.
The Chairman then noted that there had been a large degree of agreement
with regard to a number of points in the discussion:
The Coordination Unit should be better equipped as to which
operational activities should be given priority, whilst basing this on guidance from
inter-governmental discussions;
Priority should continue to be given to demands for assistance from
CIS and Balkan countries, but projects from other sub-regions should also be consistently
developed;
It would be useful for member States when they wished to come to an
evaluation of the activities of the UN/ECE that these should be made according to certain
criteria, but such an evaluation exercise would require an unproportionate amount of
additional work if it were to be carried out successfully;
Extra-budgetary resources were needed for the organization to fully
comply with its task, and whilst it may be difficult to be obtained from Governments,
there was no objection to the proposals made in the document on this issue; some efforts
should be made to gain funding from unofficial donors.
The meeting was then adjourned, to reconvene on the following day.
For further information please contact: UN/ECE Information Unit, Palais des Nations,
Room 356, CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, Tel: +(41 22) 917 44 44, Fax: 917 05 05,
E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.unece.org