ECOSOC 10TH JULY 2007

Coordination Segment


Operational activities of the United Nations for international development coordination segment


The meeting opened by a declaration of the ambassador Idriss Jazairy, vice president of the ECOSOC. He explained that in the following operational debate which will take place, they are going to concentrate themselves on the way the UN works to: reduce poverty, increase the growth and the sustained development. He reminded the Assembly of the triennial exam which will take place in October and of its aim: evaluate the work of the UN concerning the development. This triennial exam will also study how UN has adapted itself to the new panorama of the international cooperation for development and will measure the performance and the efficiency of the UN system. Then he expressed himself on the Secretary General Report, saying that this report highlights the efforts weren’t always up to the ambitions of members’ states and of the system itself. Indeed, the part of regular resources is decreasing. Thus, this debate is the occasion to correct some of the current trends and to give a new political impulsion to the development’s process and to the UN reform. The debate will also prepare the work for the GA deliberations on the triennial exam of next October. He concluded by underlining that UN’s work at the regional level is still too much unknown and thus, the aim of the following roundtable is to light its importance and to share means to develop its impact and efficiency.

HIGH LEVEL INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION
“Contribution and effectiveness of the UN development system”

The Moderator, Mr. Kim Hak-Su, took the floor. He started his speech by highlighting the fact that UN system is sustaining the development in a different way than the one of the financial providers. He raised some questions such as: what’s the contribution of the UN in helping governments to pursue their national politics for the implementation of the ODM? Or: what’s the efficiency of the UN in helping national governments to reduce poverty?

The first guest who took the floor was Mr. Bert Koenders, Minister of the Development Cooperation in Netherlands. He stressed the necessity to adopt new structures for the international development, as for example reforming the SC. He deplored the decrease of the international help for development and the too much fragmentation of the UN. According to him, the resident coordinator should be available to take decisions and should answer for its actions. The activities of the UNDP and the coordinator’s role must be distinguished. He also warned the Assembly about the excess of documents and proposed only 3 documents.

Mr. Serge Chapatte, Assistant Director-General for the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation maintained that the help given to governments for a best adaptation of them at the hands of international standards has to be strengthened, in particular in the field work. He thinks that UN should retire itself of the implementation of the projects or should remains just for the main projects. According to him, UN system must speak with one voice and to realize this objective, the resident coordinator must speak on behalf of all the others. He also must have the right to allocate resources. He concluded by saying that the resident coordinator’s system and the director of the UNDP must work together on trust.

Then questions were raised by some delegations.

The delegation of Brazil expressed his doubts concerning the principle of a UN unified programme. Brazil thinks its negotiation shall take too much time as will take the determination of the multilateral entity which will subscribe to it. And it may increases the risk that the government sees its influence decline.

The Barbade delegate asked how it could be possible to obtain a better coordination between the Bretton Woods institutions and the other institutions at the state level.

Mr. Bert Koenders answered first, by affirming that UN remained the key entity and must be at the first plan. According to him, a unique organization will not be hurtful for the developing countries in the sense that having one partner clearly defined in each field (health, education etc,) is better than many. But as it’s impossible to establish a unique system for all countries, discussions must go on, in order to find a way to adapt it to each country.

The moderator also asked Mr. Bert Koenders a question. He said: if there is just one UN as one organization, what are we going to do of all the specialized institutions which could not integrate themselves in just one entity?

Mr. Bert Koenders answered that for him UN should work as a unique entity. He strongly wants than UN is more than the sum of the parts.

According to Mr. Serge Chappatte, a reform of the UN could increase the capacity of the governments. He also stressed the fact that at the regional and local level, still a lot of work has to be made. A better coordination between the UN and the World Bank is necessary.

Then, Mr. Boupha, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in Lao People’s Democratic Republic took the floor. He explained how the funds were used in his country to apply the national plans of development and then, described the objectives the Lao government has adopted in different fields.

Mr. Dossou, Director of Cabinet, Ministry for development, Economic and Finance in Benin started his speech by reminding everyone of the new context in his country since last April, due to the election of a new president with 75% of the voices. Then he did a presentation of the 6 strategic orientations his country implemented to fight poverty. The main pillar is the reconstruction of a public administration.

Then, as no questions were raised by delegations, the moderator gave the floor to the next guest speaker.

Ms. Annika Söder, Assistant director-General of the FAO enhanced the fact that the efficiency of the UN to reach the ODM is tributary of the governments’ volition. She thinks that the realization on the field has to be improved. According to her, the system of the resident coordinators must be a portal, a direct point of contact. It’s also important that FAO, UNPD and IFAID act in concert not only on the field, but also at the headquarters level.

Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director-General of the UNAIDS talked about the way the UN was discharging itself of is duty at the hands of the AIDS. He raised the question of how being more efficiency in respect to national programs. He underlined the strong progress made in the common work between the different agencies. According to him, the problem resides in the abundance of donators who subsidize programs outside them defined collectively. Then, he emphasized the importance for agencies to sustain the programs of the country. Indeed, they can’t be efficiency if they sustained only their own programs. They also should adjust themselves to the diversity of the States.

Mr. Ad Melkert, Associate Administrator of the UNDP informed the Assembly that they are preparing the launch of a surveillance program for ODM. Concerning the national resources, according to him the role of agencies is to advise governments to help them for a better administration of their resources. She got onto the problems of the financial resources, talking about the concurrency which exists in their getting. She also called for a better cooperation between the WB and the UN.

Questions were raised.

The delegation of Thailand gave its opinion on the progress made in the cohesion of the UN, saying his country was really satisfied of it but notified that the process of a unique program of the UN should take a specific form according to the specificities of the countries. He also strengthened the importance of the national appropriation.

Then the moderator complimented the Thailand for its plausible realization of the ODM by 2009.

Namibia took the floor and said a unique pattern for the UN programme is impractical. Then the delegate warned the Assembly of the risk that the cohesion objective begins an end in itself rather than a mean to improve the development.

The Barbade delegate agreed on the principle of a unique program for the UN but expressed their deception not to have enough help in the field of criminality and drugs. They deplored that the main part of the UN preoccupations are devoted to the security field.

Indonesia underlined the necessity of a foreseeable nature of the budget and called for a better recognition of the countries priorities.

Then NGOs declared than civil society should be better considered as a stakeholder.

Portugal on behalf on EU, asked which possibilities can be implemented to overcome barriers in order to reach a better coordination.

Mr. Melkert answered that it was the differences between the States which determinated the kind of actions engaged by the UN.

Then the president took the floor and concluded by saying that the ODM were only a mean among others ones to improve the development. According to him, the fragmentation and the inefficiency are attributable to the donators. The international NGOs are also a reason of it because of the implementation of their own programs. He doesn’t think that the financial power of the WB can influence the moral power of the UN. Then he called for a better participation of the civil society in the South and for a different evaluation than the one of the WB.


Outcome of the high level segment

The president of the ECOSOC invited the main groups to come in his office for an ultimate meeting in order to reach a consensus on the Ministerial Declaration and suspended the meeting. He asked all delegations to come back at 7.30pm.

The president resumed the meeting and announced that a compromised had been found. Then he read out some amendments of the declaration and the Council adopted the Ministerial Declaration by consensus, as contained in an unedited informal paper circulated in English.

Pakistan made a statement in which he thanked the President and the facilitator for their work and said that the Ministerial Declaration as all compromises contained some things they didn’t agree with and didn’t contain some things they would have wanted. He added that in the future, Declarations should answer to the questions raised during the debate and contains concrete measures.

Portugal and USA welcomed the Ministerial Declaration and USA declared they would have preferred if the document had been shorter.

Then Cuba did the last intervention by saying they wished the process would have been shorter, specifically Cuba blamed countries which had refused G77 propositions whereas they were already present in other declarations. He also reproached that only an English version has been printed.

The president of the Council thanked all delegations for their patience and forbearance and concluded the high level segment of the 2007 substantive session of the Council.