UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Press Release

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INTEGRATED TRANSITION APPROACH

From Industry Restructuring to Knowledge Economy

UNECE Working Party on Industry and Enterprise Development
Palais des Nations, 14-15 February 2002

Geneva, 12 February 2002

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is holding the 3rd session of the Working Party on Industry and Enterprise Development (WP.8) at the Palais des Nations, on 14-15 February in conjunction with 10 thematic meetings on key issues for a new integrated approach of economic transition process in central and eastern Europe and the CIS during the week of 11-15 February 2002.

Policies introduced a decade ago for transition economies have produced different institutional and productive systems. This third session of the Working Party aims at assisting Governments in the region in establishing enabling and effective framework conditions for enterprise development from industrial restructuring to knowledge economy development. This new approach draws on the UNECE’s new cross-sectoral approach; the ongoing enlargement of the European Union; and finally, the integration of transition economies into a knowledge-based world economy. Three major pillars of the approach are as follows:

Framework for industrial restructuring

In many countries the industrial restructuring remains an unfinished agenda and delays the emergence of a modern economy, which requires innovative production and supply chain system, both in manufacturing and services. Achieving the sustainability of the industrial production in the context of environment and competitiveness remains a challenge to be met. A better information flow on this subject with an establishment of a programme would facilitate investment decisions by domestic and foreign companies and could contribute to a better allocation of financial resources among the enterprises subject to restructuring.

Framework for fostering entrepreneurship

The productive enterprises do not emerge automatically from price liberalization and competition. Entrepreneurship supportive frameworks are required to make the transition process sustainable. A number of instruments specific to the development of enterprises and entrepreneurship will be necessary to create the enabling environment towards quality-based production system. Special attention should be given to support of the entrepreneurship and self-employment of youth and women.

Framework for integrating into the knowledge-based economy

The determining factor for an effective integration of transition economies into the European and global economy is the efficient use of information and knowledge. The full access to the Internet and the Internet-based enterprise development has become imperative to consolidate the ongoing transition process. The youth and women from transition economies are well positioned to tap this potential. However, for many countries in transition there is a lack of technical, financial and legal infrastructures. The redressing mechanism for this imbalance is one of the most daunting and imminent challenges for the region when addressing issues of enterprise and entrepreneurship development in the forthcoming years.

Against this background, the following considerations were given to the new activities of the Working Party on Industry and Enterprise Development: first, ongoing activities need to be integrated into a single, coherent and synergy-based framework; second, for the sake of institutional coordination, various Teams of Specialists associated with different components of the programme of work need to be linked to each other and coordinated under the umbrella of the WP.8; third, a scalability of the work programme needs to be reinforced in order to reflect further changes in the overall work programme.

This mechanism will create a possibility of introducing new concepts and work programme in reflection of the needs of member States, on the one hand, and the recommendations made internally by the United Nations General Assembly, on the other hand, such as the Millennium Declaration and the General Assembly resolution on ICT development for transition economies which brought issues of gender, youth and poverty into the area of enterprise development in transition economies.

To this end, during the UNECE Enterprise Development Week of 11-15 February 2002, 10 thematic meetings are being held dealing with specific and technical aspects of the aforementioned issues:

Team of Specialists on Entrepreneurship in Poverty Alleviation, 11 February (Salle VIII)

Executive Session of the Team of Specialists on Internet Enterprise Development, 11 February (afternoon, Salle V)

The first meeting of national Coordinators on Youth Entrepreneurship, 12 February (Salle F.3)

Team of Specialists on Women’s Entrepreneurship I, 12 February (Salle VIII)

Round table on Industrial Restructuring in European Transition Economies: Experience to Date and Prospects, 12-13 February (Salle XIX)

Workshop on Cyberspace Regulatory Framework Development, 13 February (Salle V)

Meeting of Experts on Quality Management Systems, 13 February (morning, Salle XI)

Working Party on Industry and Enterprise Development, 14-15 February (Salle V)

Team of Specialists on Women Entrepreneurship II, 15 February (Salle IX)

For further information on the integrated transition programme and details of the meetings please contact:

Daewon Choi
Secretary, Working Party on Industry and Enterprise Development
UNECE Coordinating Unit for Operational Activities
Palais des Nations, Office 427
 CH – 1211 GENEVA 10

Tel: + 41(0)22 917 2474 - Fax: + 41(0)22 917 0178
E-mail: [email protected]

Ref:  ECE/OPA/02/05