ECE/GEN/99/4
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR
EUROPE
(Fifty-fourth session, 3-6
May 1999)
The Fifty-fourth Session of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) has this year
three major parts: the UN Spring Seminar; its opening day
discussion and the more traditional part related to econmomic
matters.
The UN Spring Seminar will start on
Monday, 3 May 1999, at 10:00 a.m. in room XVIII of the Palais des
Nations. It will focus on
the economic implications of population ageing in the UN/ECE
region.
Four themes will be discussed:
The economic consequences of
population ageing and the macroeconomics of pension reform;this
session will open with the presentation of a paper by John
Eatwell (Professor of Economics and President of Queens' College,
University of Cambridge). Colin Gillion (Director, Social
Security Dept., ILO); Domenico Mario Nuti (Professor, University
of Rome "La Sapienza" and London Business School); and
Tomas Weiss (Deputy Head of Economics Division, Federal Ministry
of Labour and Social Affairs, Bonn) will act as discussants..
Pension reform in market
economies; Lawrence Thompson (Senior Fellow, Urban Institute,
Washington, D.C.) will present a paper. Johann K. Brunner
(Professor, University of Linz); Joakim Palme (Swedish
Institute for Social Research, University of Stockholm); and
Andras Uthoff (Regional Adviser, Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean) will participate as discussants.
Reforming pension systems in
the transition economies: problems and policies within a broader
programme of transformation; Maria Augusztinovics (Institute
of Economics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences) will present a
paper. Jerzy Hausner (Professor, Academy of Economic Science,
Cracow); Romas Lazutka (Director, Institute of Social and
Economic Research, Vilnius); and Paul Wachtel (Professor, Stern
School of Business, New York University) will be discussants.
What are the implications for
pension reforms of the global financial and economic crisis? Jean-Michel Charpin (Commissaire, Commissariat général du Plan,
Paris) will chair the panel. JiÍí Rusnok (Deputy Minister of
Labour, responsible for Social Insurance and Income Policy, Czech
Republic); Brigitte Granville (Head, International Economics
Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs, London, and
Centre for Advanced International Studies, Moscow); Tatyana
Maleva (Bureau of Economic Analysis, Moscow); and Daniel Wydler
(Director, Banque Pictet et Cie., Geneva) will participate in the
panel.
On Tuesday, 4 may 1999 the opening day
discussion will constitute the major highlight of the Session. It
will start at 10:00 in room XVIII of the Palais des Nations. The
debate will focus on three
major topics:
The impact of the global
financial and economic crisis on the UN/ECE region, with special
emphasis on western and central Europe. This session will be
chaired by Miroslav Somol (Czech Ambassador to the
United Nations in Geneva and President of the Commission).
Jorge Braga de Macedo (Professor, Nova University, Lisbon, former
Minister of Finance, Portugal, and former EC Director General);
Christian de Boissieu (Professor, La Sorbonne, Paris);
Antonio Costa (Secretary General, EBRD); László Csaba
(Budapest University of Economics and KOPINT-DATORG); and
Daniel Gottlieb (Senior Adviser to the Governor of the Bank
of Israel) will act as discussion leaders.
Overcoming the crisis of the
Russian economy. This session will be chaired by Antonio
Costa (Secretary General, EBRD). Grzegorz Kolodko,
(Professor at Warsaw School of Economics, Deputy Premier and
Minister of Finance of Poland, 1994-97); Jorge Márquez-Ruarte
(Deputy Director, Europe II Department, IMF); Alexsander Shokhin
(Deputy of the State Duma of Russia, former Deputy Prime
Minister, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economy);
Andrei Swinarenko (Deputy Minister of Economics of the
Russian Federation); and Mikhail Zadornov (Minister of
Finance of the Russian Federation) will act as discussion
leaders.
The threats to the transition
process in other economies. Bernhard Molitor (Chairman, OECD
Economic Development and Review Committee) will chair this
session. Daniel Daianu (former Minister of Finance of Romania and
President of the Romanian Institute for Free Enterprise); Lutz
Hoffmann (President, DIW, Berlin); Igor Mitiukov (Minister of
Finance of Ukraine); Brigita Schmögnerová (Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Finance, Slovak Republic); and Timo
Summa (Director, Directorate-General IA, European Commission)
will act as discussion leaders.
The third part of the
Commission session on Wednesday 5 May 1999 and Thursday 6 May
1999 will take place in room VII of the Palais des Nations.
It will focus on the implementation
of the reform; on matters arising from the work of ECE subsidiary
bodies, and on the proposed programme budget for 2000 and 2001.
The Bureau of the Commission is currently
composed as follows: Mr.Miroslav Somol (Czech Republic), Chairman
of the Commission, Mr.Harald Kreid (Austria), Mr.Petros Eftychiou
(Cyprus), and Mr. Bolat Utemuratov (Kazakstan) as
Vice-Chairpersons.
A new Bureau will be elected at the end
of the session.
The Seminar as well as all sessions of
the Commission are open to the public.
For further information please
contact:
Information Unit
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UN/ECE)
Palais des Nations, Room 356
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: +(41 22) 917 44 44
Fax: +(41 22) 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org