UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Press Release

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Looking Back and Peering Forward

A Short History of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
by Yves Berthelot and Paul Rayment

Geneva, 24 April 2007 -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is celebrating its Sixtieth Anniversary in 2007. In anticipation of that special occasion, Marek Belka, Executive Secretary of the UNECE, invited Yves Berthelot and Paul Rayment to write a book on the history and future of the Commission.

Looking Back and Peering Forward, A Short History of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 1947-2007 offers an account of the UNECE, its evolution over six decades and its significant contributions to European economic cooperation and integration.

As two former UNECE insiders, the two authors were well placed to take on this task: Yves Berthelot was the UNECE’s Executive Secretary from 1993 to 2000. Prior to that he was Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He was also the Head of Research at the Development Centre for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). From 1981 to 1985, he directed the Centre d’Etudes Prospectives (CEPII) in France.

Paul Rayment worked for many years in the UNECE, from 1970 to his retirement in 2001. From 1994 he served as Director of the UNECE Economic Analysis Division.

Looking Back and Peering Forward strongly emphasizes the idea that the UNECE still has the capacity to contribute to the region’s cohesion. The publication tackles the different decisive eras of the Commission, from the unique part it played as a bridge between East and West to the transition era, through the achievements of the early Cold War-period and the search for sustainable growth.

The launching of Looking Back and Peering Forward, A Short History of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 1947-2007, will take place on Wednesday 25 April, immediately following the closure of the UNECE session in Conference Room XIX.

For further information please contact:

UNECE Information Service
Palais des Nations
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/07/P04