UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Press Release

[Index]      

Geneva, 25 February 2003

Sustainable development in the UNECE region
to be discussed at the fifty-eighth annual session
of the Commission


Geneva, 4-6 March 2003
(Palais des Nations, Room XX)

The 55 member States of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) will meet for the annual session of the Commission at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 4-6 March 2003.

The Commission session will, on the first day, review inter alia the current economic situation in the UNECE region. One of the main topics that will also be taken up is "Sustainable development in the UNECE region". During this debate participants will address topics such as: "National sustainable development strategies: main problems, lessons and implications for the work of the UNECE" as well as "Regional perspectives on sustainable development: the UNECE's follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)."

The Commission will suspend its work on Wednesday, 5 March 2003 at 4:30 p.m. in order to listen to the Gunnar Myrdal1 lecture to be delivered by Professor Douglass C. North, 1993 Nobel Laureate in Economics. Professor North will speak on "The Role of Institutions in Economic Development" (see press release ECE/GEN/03/P03).

During its High-level policy Segment, the Commission will also take up "Reform of the UNECE", a subject first launched by the Executive Secretary at the fifty-seventh session of the Commission. The General Segment of the Commission will discuss among other things UNECE's achievements and constraints during 2002 and perspectives for 2003, including information on existing or new cross-sectoral activities; preparation for and follow-up to World and Regional Conferences: Information on the holding of the Pan-European Regional Ministerial Conference (Bucharest, November 2002) in preparation for the World Summit on Information Society to be held in December 2003; Follow-up to the Ministerial Conference on Ageing (Berlin, September 2002); technical cooperation; and cooperation and coordination with other organizations.

During its final session, the Commission will elect its new bureau.

The session and discussions are open to the public.


For further information please contact:

UNECE Information Service
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Tel: +41(0)22 917 44 44
Fax: +41(0)22 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unece.org/commission/2003/58th_index.htm


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1 Gunnar Myrdal (Sweden) was the first Executive Secretary of the ECE from 1947 to 1957. In 1974, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics together with Friedrich A. von Hayek.

Ref: ECE/GEN/03/P02