ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HOLDS INFORMAL DIALOGUE WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM AT COUNTRY LEVEL

9 July 1996

Press Release
ECOSOC/5660

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HOLDS INFORMAL DIALOGUE WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM AT COUNTRY LEVEL

19960709 Coordination among United Nations agencies in Egypt was sometimes difficult as they had offices in 14 different locations and the provisions of their host country agreements with the Government varied, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in that country, Costante Muzio, told the Economic and Social Council this morning as it continued its operational activities for development segment.

As part of the current segment -- one of four which comprise the substantive session -- the Council is discussing the follow-up to policy recommendations of the General Assembly and coordination of system-wide development activities. At this morning's meeting, the Council held an informal dialogue with a group of representatives of agencies and bodies of the United Nations system based in Egypt. In addition to Mr. Muzio, representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) took part in the dialogue.

Mr. Muzio, who is also the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt, said that in order to project an integrated profile and image of the Organization in the field, a unified United Nations home page on the Internet was being created. Also a unified library as well as a unified media strategy were being devised to encourage harmonization in operational administrative matters.

A few agencies had already harmonized their programming cycles, Mr. Muzio continued. After two years preparing a country strategy note, Egypt would now take the initiative of preparing an area strategy note for the Sinai region. The Government had made the development of that region a priority, and the UNDP, with the help of other agencies, would work to address agricultural, educational and infrastructural problems there, he added.

Council members asked what was the role of the Government of Egypt within the system of coordination and how the lack of harmonization affected national institutions managing programmes which were externally funded.

Information was also sought on problems faced by field representatives vis-a- vis decisions taken at headquarters and on the views of the country directors of funds and programmes regarding coordination. Questions were also asked about the UNDP's role in the coordination of technical assistance and in poverty alleviation. Did the lack of supplementary funding lead to interruption of projects? country directors were asked. Another question concerned the time-frame for implementing common premises. In addition, it was suggested that greater thought should be given to the hiring of national experts.

Responding to Council members' questions, Mr. Muzio said there was no doubt that different rules and procedures were impediments to smooth operation. He stressed that the Government of Egypt was at the centre of inter-agency collaboration, chiefly through its ministries of foreign affairs and of international cooperation.

Specifying instances of collaboration, the representative of the WFP said recently the Programme had entered into an arrangement with the World Bank to provide aid to one of the poorest regions in Egypt. The Programme had required more cash injection for its project whereas the Bank was considering initiating a project where it would provide 40 per cent of the funds. Together, the two organizations would work to break the poverty cycle by preventing environmental degradation and overutilization of resources.

A major problem in implementing global decisions was that commitments often did not percolate to the lowest levels, the representative of the UNFPA said. He stressed the need for increased human resources, skills and visibility. At the bilateral and multilateral levels, the United States had been the main donor in population programmes and no problems had been faced in the coordination of assistance, he added.

The representative of the WHO emphasized that national partners should be involved at each stage of development activities. The Bretton Woods institutions should consult with United Nations health agencies, and should consider the technical inputs of those agencies, he said.

Concurring that technical expertise provided by United Nations agencies was welcomed by national agencies, the representative of UNESCO said the Government of Egypt was undertaking a major educational reform financed by the World Bank, and UNESCO was working with both the Government and the Bank to provide technical advice. However, the proliferation at the field level of specialized agencies' development activities could sometimes cause difficulties.

Economic and Social Council - 3 - Press Release ECOSOC/5660 26th Meeting (AM) 9 July 1996

Mr. Muzio said that resident coordinators sometimes were informed of Council and Assembly resolutions without comments, whereas at other times, agency executive boards provided an analysis. He stressed that there should be a system to evaluate the job performance of resident coordinators. As to funding, he said development agencies should plan for those funds which were realistically available, as opposed to those promised.

International agencies should promote projects which generated interest on the part of both the donor community and national governments, he continued. Commenting on a suggestion that more thought be given to hiring national experts, he said almost all the Programme's representatives today were nationals of countries in which they worked. In Egypt too international agencies were trying to make greater use of national human resources.

The representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said decisions on common premises were made at the headquarters level. While the Fund had no timetable for common premises, he stressed that development agencies at the national level should be given more leeway in that regard. Also, there was room for improvement in decision-making processes among agencies. Often, political changes in countries adversely affected supplementary funding, he added.

The Council will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue the informal dialogue with representatives of agencies and bodies of the United Nations system in the field.

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