Technical cooperation is an important
supporting instrument for implementing the UNECE
core programme of work. Technical cooperation activities
are carried out by the UNECE Divisions in accordance
with the priorities set by their respective intergovernmental
bodies as well as decisions taken by the Commission.
At its 2004 annual session the Commission endorsed
the UNECE Technical Cooperation Strategy which outlined
the main principles, goals and objectives of the
UNECE technical cooperation work, taking into account
the geopolitical changes in the UNECE region resulting
from EU enlargement, evolving priorities of its
member States as well as challenges related to the
implementation of goals and objectives emanating
from recent United Nations conferences and summits,
including the Millennium Development Goals.
The prevailing ways and means employed for the
implementation of the UNECE technical cooperation
services are capacity building workshops, seminars,
study tours, and training aimed at assisting recipient
countries to adopt and implement international legal
instruments, norms, standards and regulations, as
well as other policy advisory services carried out
at the request of interested countries.
An important advantage of UNECE is that its mandate
combines, within the framework of one institution,
analytical, normative, and technical cooperation
functions. This allows not only the direct translation
of intergovernmentally agreed norms and standards
into technical cooperation activities aimed at assisting
countries in their implementation, but also to have
a "hands-on" in-house experience of the
realities in the field which is of great value for
analytical, policy development and norms setting
work. Another way in which UNECE adds value to technical
cooperation activities carried out by other international
organizations in the region is its focus on cross-border
and subregional issues.
In 2004 UNECE technical cooperation
activities focused on the following priority areas:
-
Trade facilitation with a focus
on economies in transition and emerging market economies,
including through e-commerce.
-
Integration of economies in
transition and emerging market economies in European
transport and electric networks with a special emphasis
on the land-locked countries.
-
Promotion of SMEs and business/producer
associations, as well as support to women's and
youth entrepreneurship.
-
Promotion of the efficient use
of energy and water resources.
-
Promotion of rehabilitation
and protection of the environment.
-
Support for the development
of the e-economy and the information society, inter
alia, through diffusion and efficient use of ICTs.
-
Promotion of the development
of statistical tools for monitoring progress towards
development goals and good governance.
The UNECE technical cooperation activities are carried
out in cooperation with other international organizations
and institutions, both within and outside the UN system,
as well as various subregional organizations and initiatives
such as SECI, Stability Pact, CEI, CIS, and BSEC.
UNECE also has a shared responsibility with UNESCAP
to provide technical assistance to the Central Asian
countries within the framework of the UN Special Programme
for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).
SPECA was launched in 1998 by the Presidents of Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with the objective
to support the Central Asian States in developing
their cooperation, creating incentives for economic
development and integration into the economies of
Europe and Asia. Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan later
joined the Programme.
In early 2004, the UN Secretary-General, taking
into account recent developments in the region,
reconfirmed the full commitment of the United Nations
to SPECA and emphasized the importance of providing
system-wide support to it. He requested the Executive
Secretaries of UNECE and UNESCAP to conduct consultations
with the Governments of the SPECA Member States
on strengthening the Programme. In the course of
2004, UNECE and UNESCAP, on the basis of progress
achieved and problems encountered over the past
years, started elaborating, in consultation with
Governments, a range of proposals to make SPECA
more relevant to the current requirements of its
Member States. These proposals include organizational
reforms, new working methods, improved and more
stable funding, as well as possible new areas of
cooperation, such as trade, investment and enterprise
development, and ICT, among others.
On 25-27 May 2005, the Government of Kazakhstan,
in cooperation with UNECE and UNESCAP, will organize
an international conference on subregional economic
cooperation in Central Asia with a particular focus
on SPECA. It is expected that this conference will
benefit from the participation, in addition to all
SPECA member States, of representatives of other
interested countries, international and regional
integration and cooperation organizations, as well
as multilateral and bilateral donors.
The financing of the technical cooperation activities
is effected from the UN Regular Budget (mainly the
Regular Programme for Technical Cooperation and
the UN Development Account), extra-budgetary resources,
usually contributed to trust funds, as well as various
ad hoc and in-kind contributions. The resources
made available under the Regular Programme for Technical
Cooperation in 2004 (around US$ 1 million) are distributed
between the Subprogrammes on Environment, Transport,
Statistics, Sustainable energy, Trade development,
and Industrial restructuring and enterprise development.
Extra-budgetary resources spent in 2004 were about
US$ 6 million on 44 trust fund projects - more than
50 per cent were spent within the Subprogramme on
Environment and around 14 per cent within the Subprogramme
on Transport. More than 70 advisory missions were
undertaken in 2004 at the request of interested
countries to provide policy advice and implement
capacity building activities.
More detailed information of specific technical
cooperation activities as well as main achievements
can be found in other chapters of this Report.