Note by the secretariat
At its annual session in April 1995, the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) discussed the activities and work programmes of its Principle Subsidiary Bodies, including those of the Conference of European Statisticians. The Commission also made a number of decisions concerning these bodies and their work.
Annex I of this document is a brief summary of the Commission's discussion of the Conference's programme of work.
Annex II reproduces extracts from Commission decision 0 (45) which was an important decision made in 1990 and reiterated at each subsequent Commission session.
The first part of this document notes the Decisions of the April 1995 session of the Commission. The Conference may consider that its policies and activities are entirely consistent with those of the Commission and may therefore wish to note this in its own report. A draft conclusion is offered at paragraph 5 below.
1. The work of the Conference of European Statisticians was discussed on the basis of the report of the 1994 plenary session (ECE/CES/45) and of the associated integrated presentation of international statistical work in the ECE region (CES/830 and adda 1-6). A summary of the discussion that took place at the Commission session is reproduced as Annex I of this note.
Decisions:
3. None of the decisions adopted by the Commission at its fiftieth session contained elements which were directed specifically to the Conference of European Statisticians.
4. The following provisions of decisions were addressed to the Commission's Principal Subsidiary Bodies and therefore may be of interest to the Conference:
In operative paragraph 15 of this decision the Commission requested the Executive Secretary to transmit the present decision as well as other decisions of this session, together with the views expressed or agreed in relation thereto by member Governments, to the Principal Subsidiary Bodies concerned and requested them to take those decisions into account in their work and when reviewing their respective work programmes. The parts of this decision which are likely to be of greatest potential interest to the Conference are listed below:
In operative paragraph 1 of this decision the Commission reaffirmed its determination to continue to implement decisions 0 (45) and P (45) of the forty-fifth resumed session, and requested its subsidiary bodies to continue to carry out the provisions of decision 0 (45) when reviewing and carrying out their programmes of work. (The relevant extracts from Decision 0 (45) are reproduced as Annex II of this document).
In operative paragraph 8 of this decision the Commission requested the Executive Secretary to bring to the attention of the UN Secretary-General the need to provide resources necessary to fulfil its mandate taking into account a considerable increase of the membership of the Commission from 34 to 55 countries and the realization of the ECE programme of assistance to countries in transition and to take urgent action to fill the professional vacancies. It also invited the Executive Secretary to provide regular information on the deployment of resources both under the regular budget and from extra-budgetary contributions to Permanent Missions in Geneva and to the Principal Subsidiary Bodies.
In operative paragraph 10 of this decision the Commission requested its Principal Subsidiary Bodies to consider measures aimed at rationalization of their proceedings, including, in particular, the procedure of adoption of their reports with the view to making optimal use of available resources.
In operative paragraph 13 of this decision the Commission decided to convene its fifty-second jubilee session in 1997 at high level with the view to adopting a Declaration on strengthening of economic cooperation in Europe which would define strategic directions of future activities of the ECE reflecting new realities in the ECE region and taking into account the needs and priorities of economic development of the countries in transition as well as the budget capacity and possible recommendations of the ECE ad hoc meeting on savings.
In operative paragraph 4 of this decision the Commission requested the Executive Secretary in consultation with UNDP, EBRD and the World Bank to study the feasibility of cooperation with ECE in data collection and data sharing on foreign direct investment projects in the countries in transition.
In operative paragraph 2 of this decision, the Commission requested the Executive Secretary, in order to provide a clearer definition of the mandate and functions of the Regional Advisers, with due regard to the requests of Governments of interested countries, to prepare a report for the fifty-first session of the ECE on the objectives and activities of the Programme including ways of improving its effectiveness. In operative paragraph 4 it called upon the ECE secretariat to intensify cooperation of its Regional Advisory Services with other relevant organizations, in particular UNDP, the Commission of the European Communities, OECD and EBRD.
In operative paragraph 4 of this decision the Commission called upon the Executive Secretary as previously requested to undertake action-oriented studies, including specific analysis of existing economic cooperation between ECE Mediterranean countries, and to identify effective means of enhancing economic cooperation in the Mediterranean in all areas of the ECE programme of work, taking into account the limits of available resources, for consideration by the Principal Subsidiary Bodies and the Working Parties of the Commission in their programmes of work.
In operative paragraphs 1 and 2 of this decision, the Commission decided to hold in 1996, during its fifty-first annual session, a Round Table Conference on cooperation and sustainable industrial development, and invited the Executive Secretary to prepare, in cooperation with other subsidiary bodies, relevant international organizations and NGOs, as well as representatives of the business community and in consultations with ECE experts in the field of industrial cooperation, a Round Table Conference with a view to elaborating concrete proposals on strengthening cooperation in the field of sustainable industrial development, including modalities of the assistance to the countries in transition in this area.
In operative paragraph 6 of this decision the Commission called upon its Subsidiary Bodies to contribute in the appropriate manner to the practical follow-up of the economic dimension of the OSCE in line with the role recognized to the UN/ECE by paragraph 15 of the Budapest Summit Declaration.
In operative paragraph 1 of this decision the Commission stressed the need for all relevant Principal Subsidiary Bodies, taking into account their respective spheres of competence, to strengthen their activities in the field of environment and sustainable development, and took note of the report of the Committee on Environmental Policy on problems and bottlenecks in the ECE activities in the field of the environment and sustainable development and endorsed the recommendations by the Committee in that respect.
In operative paragraph 3 of this decision the Commission invited the Executive Secretary to initiate preparations in cooperation with the Committee on Human Settlements and other Principal Subsidiary Bodies, to include in their programme activities for 1995 an item on preparations for Habitat II, with particular emphasis on preparations in the ECE region for the Conference.
5. The Conference may consider that its activities are already consistent with the thrust of these Decisions. The Conference may therefore wish to take note of the Decisions and to continue to take them into account in considering priorities within its own work programme.
(Excerpt from the Report of the Session)
Cooperation with Eurostat and the OECD
Delegations expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the Conference in coordinating its work in collaboration with Eurostat and OECD. Particular appreciation for this cooperation was expressed by delegations from transition countries.
Assistance to countries in transition
The creation of a regional advisor post for statistics was also welcomed by transition countries, as was the increasing focus of the Conference on providing technical assistance to these countries. One delegation welcomed the establishment of the new UNDP-financed project to assist countries in transition in developing improved and more policy-relevant social and demographic statistics.
Activities in the 1994 work programme
The important role played by statistics as an instrument for international and regional cooperation was mentioned by several delegations. Particular reference was made to the Conference's meetings on methodological issues, data processing and information technology, international comparisons as well as the contribution of the secretariat to publications and data analysis.
Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
One delegation reminded the Commission that the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics which the Commission had adopted as decision C (47) had subsequently been adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission in April 1994 as a guide for countries in other regions.
Vacant posts
One delegation voiced concern about the length of time required to fill vacant posts in the secretariat. It considered this particularly unfortunate in view of the additional workload of the secretariat, including collaboration with other regional bodies and collecting and processing data from the countries in transition.
"The Economic Commission for Europe, In fulfillment of its decision A (45), and in the light of the conclusions of the CSCE Summit Meeting in Paris,
1. Decides on the following priority areas of activity: environment, transport, statistics, trade facilitation, and economic analysis. In doing so, the Commission recognizes the need to re-evaluate its priorities from time to time in accordance with changed circumstances;
2. Decides to take the following practical measures in the priority areas of activity:
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(e) In order to ensure co-ordination on a continuing basis of the ECE's activities in the area of environment, the Commission invites the Executive Secretary:
(i) to ensure harmonization of approach among secretariat Divisions, and to encourage adequate exchanges of information among Principal Subsidiary Bodies regarding proposed initiatives and work programme elements having environment aspects;
(ii) to prepare annually a report on this matter for consideration by the Commission.
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(a) The Commission regards statistical activities as a priority area of its work, and attaches particular importance to the central role of the Conference of European Statisticians as an institution which includes the National Statistical Offices of all countries in the region, in the framework of the mechanisms of co-operation among international and supranational organizations active in the field of statistics.
(b) Taking into account the changing international context in the region, and the particular needs of countries that are developing from the economic point of view, the Commission urges the Conference of European Statisticians to pursue the initiatives that it has already taken to develop new methods of work, and requests the Conference to continue to review periodically its priorities and to eliminate non-priority elements in its work programme.
(c) The Commission underlines the need for strong statistical support for its priority areas of environment, transport, trade facilitation, and economic analysis.
(d) The Commission requests the Executive Secretary, taking into account the advice of the Conference of European Statisticians and its Bureau, to implement practical measures to ensure the reinforcement of the role of the Statistical Division in the effective co-ordination of all statistical activities of the ECE.
(e) The Commission urges the Conference of European Statisticians to pursue the initiatives it has already undertaken to adapt its work programme to the present needs of economies in transition, and particularly to those that can most suitably be addressed within the framework of multilateral co-operation.
(f) In this context, the Commission invites the Conference and the Executive Secretary to utilize fully the intersecretariat mechanism established under the auspices of Eurostat in the field of statistical co-operation with central and eastern Europe, with a view to achieving a more efficient co-ordination among international organizations, and to avoiding duplication of work.
(g) The Commission considers that there is an increasing need for transparency, efficient work, and clear distribution of tasks among the international and supranational organizations involved in multilateral co-operation on statistics in the region. In addition, there is a need for shared data collection by international and supranational organizations in the region in order not to add unnecessarily to the burden that the provision of information places on the member States. Therefore, the Commission requests the Executive Secretary, taking into account the advice of the Conference of European Statisticians and its Bureau, to implement practical measures to ensure efficient co-ordination between the ECE secretariat and the secretariats of other international and supranational organizations, notably the OECD and Eurostat, and to report to the Commission periodically on the steps taken to carry out this request.
(h) The Commission requests the Conference of European Statisticians to evaluate periodically the utility and impact of the ECE's various statistical publications for policy makers and enterprises in the region, and to formulate recommendations concerning:
(i) the discontinuation of publications of low interest;
(ii) improvements to the format, substance and arrangements for distribution of publications actually or potentially of high interest.
(i) The Commission considers that for several years inadequate human and financial resources have adversely affected secretariat support for statistical programmes of the ECE. The Commission therefore urges the Executive Secretary to take all possible steps to provide the Statistical Division with adequate human and financial resources to support ongoing work in priority areas and implementation of new activities initiated by the Conference of European Statisticians on the basis of present and developing requirements for statistical co-operation.
(j) The Commission requests the Executive Secretary to draw the necessary resources, first, from activities that the Conference of European Statisticians identifies as not being priorities in its own work programme, and second, from the lowest priority activities of the Principal Subsidiary Bodies which are not among the priority sectors, and from savings achieved by improving administrative activities and the organization of work of the ECE.
(k) The Commission urges the Conference of European Statisticians to consider strengthening the role envisaged for the Bureau in supervising, under the guidance of the Conference, the implementation of the statistical programme and activities of the ECE, and in making suggestions to the Executive Secretary regarding related secretariat support. The Commission welcomes the initiative already taken by the Conference to consider the future of the Bureau and its composition, and to elaborate its mandate and rules of procedure.
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(l) The Commission invites the Executive Secretary to provide the Division for Economic Analysis and Projections with the human and financial resources necessary for the ECE to maintain its important role in economic analysis in Europe, and in particular with a stronger computing and statistical support allowing the development of adequate specialized data bases, appropriate research on such data, and proper analysis of medium and long term economic perspectives in the region.
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3. Decides, in order to promote the process of economic reform and integrating the economies in transition with the global economy, on the following broad outlines of work in sectors not identified as priorities:
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4. Decides, taking into account the provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above, on the following measures on the methods of works, the structure, and the resources of the Commission:
(a) The Commission decides, taking into account its decision on sub-paragraphs 1(a), (b) and (c) of decision A (45), that the Executive Secretary and the Principal Subsidiary Bodies should identify general principles in order to streamline and save resources. The Commission attaches particular importance to the following list, which is not exhaustive:
(i) The Principal Subsidiary Bodies will mainly address policy matters and supervise the technical work done by their subsidiary bodies;
(ii) Better co-ordination among different Divisions and among Principal Subsidiary Bodies;
(iii) Effective co-ordination with the international economic organizations and non-duplication of work with these bodies;
(iv) The presentation of the work programme of each Principal Subsidiary Body shall in future include a full priority ranking of all programme elements and, to the extent it is feasible, an estimate of the secretariat's resources needed for each activity, the timescale for its completion, and details of the objectives, means and expected output for each activity;
(v) Promotion of informal meetings and workshops.
(b) The Commission recalls the guidelines of the "Supplementary Report containing views and proposals of the ECE to the Special Commission of ECOSOC on the In-depth Study of the Intergovernmental Structure of the UN Economic and Social Sectors" (E/ECE/1150/Rev.1) and expresses its regret that many of the recommendations contained therein have not been applied. The Commission reaffirms those recommendations, insofar as they do not conflict with the present decision. The Commission decides, however, to delete from those recommendations all reference to two economic systems, as contained for example in paragraph 127 of document E/ECE/1150/Rev.1.
(c) The Commission emphasizes the importance of the procedures for approval of new programme elements set forth in paragraphs 127-129 of the Supplementary Report and calls on all its subsidiary bodies strictly to adhere to these procedures.
(d) The Commission underlines in particular the importance of paragraph 143 of the guidelines and therefore invites the member Governments to distribute their national statements prior to a meeting, so that during the meeting a thorough discussion and exchange of information can take place. To facilitate this distribution, the secretariat is asked to circulate, at each meeting, a more detailed list of participants, with their complete addresses, fax numbers, etc.
(e) The Commission also underlines the importance of paragraph 151 of the guidelines, and requests the secretariat, responsible for the drafting of the reports of the subsidiary bodies, to limit them to the strictly necessary, confining the text mainly to decisions taken and a minimum explanatory text including any reservations, interpretations or conditions considered essential by one or more delegations. The adoption of such reports should be completed in the minimum possible time,
(f) The Executive Secretary is requested to prepare a tabular presentation, reflecting the volume of the reports of all Bodies in the last four years, for consideration by the Sessional Committee of the annual sessions,
(g) The secretariat is invited to assure the adequate distribution of the above guidelines to all Bodies.
(a) The Commission invites all its Principal Subsidiary Bodies to re-examine their structure, their mandates, and the work of their subsidiary bodies, and to redefine them to take account of the priorities identified by the Commission, and to assist the process of reform in economies in transition.
(b) For sectors not identified as priorities, the Commission decides the following:
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(a) The Commission underlines the importance it attaches to the provision of additional human and financial resources, within the current budget of the ECE, to strengthen the priority sectors of environment, transport, statistics and trade facilitation, and reiterates its recommendations on the provision of computing and statistical support for the sector of economic analysis. It is understood that all activities not identified as priorities, including the work of the Central Office of the secretariat, may have to work in some cases within the context of diminished resources.
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5. Requests its Principal Subsidiary Bodies to implement this decision without delay, and to report on action taken to the session of the Commission following their next meeting;
6. Requests the Executive Secretary to implement this decision, where the work of the secretariat is concerned, and to report on action taken to the next session of the Commission."