ECA to host Regional Consultative Meeting of UN Agencies in Africa

High-level representatives of UN agencies, funds and programmes are to meet in Addis Ababa early in 1999 to exchange views on ways to improve coordination  of  their   inter-country  '  regional and subregional  ' programmes in Africa.

The  meeting,  tentatively planned for March 1999 and set to be the first   in  the  series  of  annual regional gatherings, is designed to promote  enhanced  coherence  of  the  UN's work in Africa. It will be convened  by  ECA,  and  chaired  by  Ms.   Louise Frechette, UN Deputy Secretary-General.

The  meeting is being held in the context of the endorsement by the UN  Economic   and  Social  Council  (ECOSOC)  in  July,  1998   of  the recommendation  of  the  Secretary  General to convene yearly regional meetings of UN agencies operating in each region.

The meeting follows an in depth review of the relationships between the  regional   commissions  and  other  regional and UN bodies in each region,   in  the  course of 1998. The review itself took place against the   backdrop  of the reforms announced by the UN Secretary General in July   1997  in  his  report  entitled  'Renewing the United Nations: A programme   for   Reform'.  In  that   report,  the  Secretary  General recommended  that ECOSOC initiate a general review of the relationship between  the  regional   commissions  and the global and other regional bodies  in  order   to  evaluate the most appropriate division of labor
with regard to standard setting and technical cooperation activities.

Staged review: This  review  was  undertaken  in three carefully sequenced stages. First,  each  regional  commission   prepared  a detailed report on its relationships   with    UN   bodies   and   regional   intergovernmental organisations  in their regions for the consideration of its principal legislative  organ  '  which  consists  of  all member states in their region.  The  intergovernmental  body deliberated on these reports and made  recommendations  addressed  both  to ECOSOC and the UN Secretary General.  Second,  the UN Secretary General prepared a report, drawing partly  on  the  findings  of  the   individual reviews by the regional commissions,  to  ECOSOC.  In turn, ECOSOC had extensive debate on the Secretary  General's  report,  of   which  one  of the outcomes was the endorsement  of  the   recommendation  of  the  SG to hold the regional consultative meetings among UN agencies operating in each region.

From  August 1997 when the reviews were initiated to the debate and decision  of   ECOSOC  in  July  1998, Mr. K.Y. Amoako, ECA's Executive Secretary,   served as the Co-ordinator of the Executive Secretaries of the five regional commissions, representing and articulating the views of  the  regional   commissions  before  various  UN  intergovernmental
bodies.

Besides   endorsing  the  regional  consultative  meetings,   ECOSOC reaffirmed   the   essential  role  of   the  regional  commissions  in norm-setting,  analytical functions and operational activities as well as  articulating  regional   perspectives on global issues and building consensus within their regions.

At  the same time, and given the reaffirmed team leadership role of ECA  as   the  regional  arm  of  the  UN in Africa, the UN system-wide Special  Initiative  on Africa ' which is co-chaired by Mr. Amoako and his  UNDP counterpart, Mr. James Gustave Speth ' has also strengthened its   leverage  as  an  instrument  for  inter-agency collaboration and co-ordination.

Active role: ECA  is  also  taking  an  active role in the implementation of the Secretary-General's  report  to the Security Council on 'The Causes of Conflict   and   the   promotion   of  Durable  Peace  and  Sustainable Development in Africa' in April, 1998. ECA will focus in particular on post  conflict  reconstruction   and development, through programmes of assistance  that enable countries emerging from conflict to make rapid transition  from  war to post conflict recovery. It main areas of work
will  include  assisting countries in rehabilitating and strengthening national    capacity   and  institutions  for  economic policy-making; supporting  activities  related  to  sub-regional   dimensions  of post conflict   reconstruction;  and   promoting  the  sharing  of  national experiences in post conflict peace building.

Staged review:  This  review  was  undertaken   in three carefully sequenced stages. First,  each  regional   commission  prepared  a detailed report on its relationships    with   UN   bodies   and   regional   intergovernmental organisations  in their regions for the consideration of its principal legislative  organ  '  which  consists  of  all member states in their region.  The  intergovernmental  body deliberated on these reports and made  recommendations  addressed  both  to ECOSOC and the UN Secretary General.  Second,  the UN Secretary General prepared a report, drawing partly  on  the  findings  of  the   individual reviews by the regional commissions,  to  ECOSOC.  In turn, ECOSOC had extensive debate on the Secretary  General's  report,  of   which  one  of the outcomes was the endorsement  of  the   recommendation  of  the  SG to hold the regional consultative meetings among UN agencies operating in each region.

From  August 1997 when the reviews were initiated to the debate and decision  of   ECOSOC  in  July  1998, Mr. K.Y. Amoako, ECA's Executive Secretary,   served as the Co-ordinator of the Executive Secretaries of the five regional commissions, representing and articulating the views of  the  regional   commissions  before  various  UN  intergovernmental
bodies.

Besides   endorsing  the  regional  consultative  meetings,   ECOSOC reaffirmed   the   essential  role  of   the  regional  commissions  in norm-setting,  analytical functions and operational activities as well as  articulating  regional   perspectives on global issues and building consensus within their regions.

At  the same time, and given the reaffirmed team leadership role of ECA  as  the  regional  arm  of  the  UN in Africa, the UN system-wide Special  Initiative  on Africa ' which is co-chaired by Mr. Amoako and his  UNDP counterpart, Mr. James Gustave Speth ' has also strengthened its   leverage  as  an  instrument  for  inter-agency collaboration and co-ordination.

Active role:  ECA  is  also  taking  an   active role in the implementation of the Secretary-General's  report  to the Security Council on 'The Causes of Conflict   and   the    promotion  of  Durable  Peace  and  Sustainable Development in Africa' in April, 1998. ECA will focus in particular on post  conflict   reconstruction  and development, through programmes of
assistance  that enable countries emerging from conflict to make rapid transition   from  war to post conflict recovery. It main areas of work will  include   assisting countries in rehabilitating and strengthening national    capacity   and  institutions  for  economic   policy-making; supporting  activities  related  to   sub-regional  dimensions  of post conflict   reconstruction;   and  promoting  the  sharing  of  national experiences in post conflict peace building.