[Index]
The United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe
adopts its reform
Geneva, 2 December 2005 - On
2 December 2005, the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) adopted
formally a bold reform that innovates
its governance structure, redefines priorities
and improves cost-effectiveness and transparency.
The UNECE reform process was initiated
along the line drawn by Secretary-General
Kofi Annan namely that “if
the United Nations is to be a useful
instrument for its Member States and
for the world’s people … it
must be fully adapted to the needs and
circumstances of the twenty-first century.” The
reform has been pursued by UNECE member
countries in the spirit of the broader
UN-wide reform effort that is now under
way.
Why this reform?
As mentioned by Ambassador
François
Roux, Permanent Representative of Belgium
and Chairman of the Economic Commission
for Europe “the main reason for
this reform is the fact that following
the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 2004
enlargement of the European Union, the
UNECE has to re-adapt to the new reality
in Europe.
In addition there was a need to look
at the governance issue, as well as the
interaction between the membership and
the secretariat, in order to better respond
to the needs of the Member States, and
in particular the countries in transition.
The UNECE mandate is still the same
as when it was founded in 1947, we are
therefore really talking about an adjustment
of its work…”
The results …
After six months of
intense consultations and negotiations
under the leadership of Ambassador Roux
and Michele Coduri (Switzerland), Chairman
of the Group of Experts, Member States
agreed on a renewed mission statement,
governance structure and set of priorities
for the UNECE as well as a change in
the structure of its secretariat aimed
at more efficiency and accountability.
Moreover, the reform promotes closer
collaboration between UNECE and other
organizations active in the region so
that duplications are avoided and synergies
fully exploited.
What next …
In areas where the UNECE was not felt
to have a comparative advantage vis-à-vis
other international institutions, Member
States decided to discontinue a number
of activities. It is the case for example
of macro-economic analysis, where numerous
international and regional entities provide
similar services as the UNECE did.
A new programme is being launched to
address the specific development problems
of countries with economies in transition
and emerging market economies. This programme
will focus on such issues as promoting
effective public investment and regulatory
policies; strengthening the competitiveness
of the economy through innovative development;
the development of public-private partnerships,
financial services and the promotion
of the rule of law and effective public
policies.
Two programmes are being given a high
priority: environment and transport.
As far as the latter is concerned, the
European Union to make life easier for
citizens and enterprises has decided
to replace in the car sector EU directives
by UNECE regulations. The choice of UNECE
regulations over EU legislation will
be done in all those areas where the
EC has acceded to a UNECE regulation
for which in parallel an EC directive
exists, and where the latter does not
provide a higher level of safety or environmental
protection. In such cases the UNECE regulation
will replace the corresponding EU directive.
This concrete example heralds a new phase
and spirit of cooperation between UNECE
and the EC.
For further information, please contact:
UNECE Information Service
Palais des
Nations, office 356
CH–1211 Geneva
10, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 44 44
Fax: +41
(0)22 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Ref: ECE/GEN/05/P10