ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR CONFERENCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES SAYS UN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAGS FOR LACK OF STRATEGY

16 July 1996

Press Release
ECOSOC/5670

ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR CONFERENCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES SAYS UN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAGS FOR LACK OF STRATEGY

19960716 Continuing General Segment, Economic and Social Council Also Discusses Population Questions

"I want to state at the outset that the United Nations, due to various reasons, has globally fallen behind in information technology."

With that remark, the Assistant Secretary-General for Conference and Support Services, Benon Sevan, opened the Economic and Social Council's discussion this afternoon on international cooperation in the field of informatics. Continuing its general segment, the Council also began consideration of population questions.

Mr. Sevan said that thanks to the isolated initiatives of some highly competent staff, the Organization had made considerable progress in trying to limit the damage in the area of informatics. The lack of a global information technology strategy had resulted in dramatic budgetary reductions at precisely the time when new investments were needed. The Secretariat was in the process of developing an information technology strategy, including proposed activities and related costs, which would be presented to the fifty-second session of the General Assembly. Member States would then decide on the Organization's future direction in that area, he added.

The Permanent Representative of Pakistan, Ahmad Kamal, in his capacity as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Informatics, said the Group had achieved much progress. He added that the most immediate issues which must be addressed were providing connectivity to all Member States; finding a uniform e-mail system available to all missions; continuing the Internet training programme; connecting the optical disk system to the Internet; and encouraging United Nations departments to post information on the World Wide Web server.

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Several speakers stressed that the Working Group should continue to function. They emphasized the importance of improving the access of permanent missions to United Nations electronic information. Statements were made by the representatives of Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Argentina, South Africa, Russian Federation, United States, Colombia, China, Philippines, Algeria, Lebanon and Venezuela. A representative of the United Nations Scientific, Cultural and Educational Organization (UNESCO) also spoke.

Also this afternoon, the Council took up population questions. Presenting an oral report to the Council on activities under way to implement the Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994), the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Nafis Sadik, said that during the past two years, much progress had been made in implementing the goals set in Cairo in such areas as the reduction of infant, child and maternal mortality; the provision of universal access to education; and the provision of universal access to a whole range of reproductive health-care and family planning services.

Introducing the report of the Commission on Population and Development, the Director of the Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Joseph Chamie, said the Commission fully supported the need to protect the Division's long-term work programme, including both traditional demographic work and the development of innovative approaches to meeting new demands, following the outcomes of the Cairo Conference and other recent major United Nations conferences.

Also speaking on papulation questions were the representatives of Costa Rica (on behalf of the Group of 77), Pakistan, Ireland (on behalf of the European Union), United States, Russian Federation, Jamaica, Japan, Belarus, Argentina, Philippines and Cote d'Ivoire. A representative of UNESCO also spoke.

The Economic and Social Council will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 17 July, to continue its general segment.

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this afternoon to take up international coordination in the field of informatics, as well as population questions.

A report of the Secretary-General on international cooperation in the field of informatics (document E/1996/81) discusses the findings of the ad hoc open-ended working group on the need to harmonize and improve United Nations information systems for optimal utilization and accessibility by all States. The group found that the problems of electronic access were related to the fact that there was no comprehensive policy for the Organization in that area, as well as to budgetary constraints. "As a result, new technologies that were being introduced by the computer industry were not adopted rapidly by the United Nations." However, the Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have taken steps to address the concerns of Member States.

For example, responding to a recommendation of the working group, a focal point -- the Director of Information Technology within the Office of Conference and Support Services -- was appointed to deal with the provision of information in electronic format to Member States. The Secretariat also established a dedicated help desk for permanent and observer missions to handle any technical problems that might be encountered in using United Nations database services.

The UNDP has been the focal point in assisting permanent and observer missions in New York in establishing connections to the Internet and to its e-mail system, the report states. As of the beginning of June, 93 missions had access to the UNDP Internet host. The report foresees that all missions will be equipped and connected to it by the end of 1997 at the latest. In support of the resident coordinator system of the United Nations, the UNDP works closely with the United Nations information centres and the United Nations organizations and agencies on information dissemination at the country level.

Information dissemination is provided by the United Nations and its specialized agencies over the Internet through a Gopher server and through a World Wide Web server, the report continues. The United Nations is actively expanding the amount of information on its Web server in New York. "Additional information materials have been added to the Web site, including press releases and summaries, and other features that make the site more attractive and user-friendly."

The Department of Public Information (DPI) has initiated an interdepartmental group to expand the Web service to include information prepared by all substantive departments, according to the report. One of the first substantive departments to participate in placing information on the Web

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server was the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, which has used the Internet to disseminate information about economic and social issues, including sustainable development, the advancement of women, global climate issues and desertification. Further, the DPI is currently coordinating an interdepartmental initiative to further improve the United Nations home page.

With the rapid development of the United Nations home page and the expansion of information both at Headquarters and abroad, the need for guidelines to standardize presentation and formats has become apparent, the report states. Accordingly, guidelines for the presentation of information on the Internet have been elaborated by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library and widely circulated. Guidelines on electronic publishing will be issued shortly. Efforts are currently being made to address the issue of providing information in many languages.

The report notes that "this new technology will also require capital investments, as well as a major training effort to upgrade the skills of staff in its utilization", adding that those issues would be raised during consideration of the 1998-1999 proposed programme budget. The Secretariat expects that the developments that have been initiated to provide access to Member States will continue to be expanded during 1997 and beyond.

According to the report, it will be necessary to complete work on an information technology plan that better incorporates the needs of Member States for United Nations data in an easily accessible electronic format. The information technology plan, in turn, will need to be reflected in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, and the necessary resources will need to be allotted to it.

The report of the Commission on Population and Development on its twenty-ninth session (New York, 26 February-1 March) (document E/1996/25) contains one draft resolution and one draft decision.

By the draft resolution, the Council would stress the need for an accelerated international response to the challenges of the Programme of Action adopted by the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994) relating to reproductive rights and reproductive health. The draft emphasizes the importance of information, education and communication as a strategy for follow-up to that Conference and urges the Population Division to highlight the efforts of governments in that regard.

The Secretary-General would be requested to arrange a liaison between non-governmental organizations and the Commission, and to ensure full communications with them in order to facilitate the dissemination of information, according to the text. Those organizations would be invited to participate on an exceptional basis at the Commission's next session. The

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Council would request that a revised version of the report on the activities of non-governmental organizations in the sector of reproductive rights and reproductive health be presented to the Commission's 1998 session.

Also by that text, the Council would request improved annual reporting on financial flows relating to the costed elements of the Programme of Action, including a clear account of levels and trends of funding by source. It would encourage the widest possible dissemination of reports by the United Nations system on progress in implementing the Programme of Action, including, wherever possible, through electronic channels of communication. In addition, the Council would request that evidence of further progress in achieving the goals of the Programme of Action be communicated to the Commission.

The draft decision would have the Council take note of the Commission's report and approve the provisional agenda for its next session. The provisional agenda, as in previous years, would include a general debate on national experiences in population matters. The session would then focus on international migration, with special emphasis on the linkages between migration and development and on gender issues and the family. Discussions would be held in the context of follow-up to the recommendations of the Cairo Conference.

International Cooperation in Informatics

BENON V. SEVAN, Assistant Secretary-General for Conference and Support Services, introduced the Secretary-General's report on cooperation in the field of informatics. "I want to state at the outset that the United Nations, due to various reasons, has globally fallen behind in information technology." The Organization had not been able to adjust to a rapidly changing environment, he added.

Thanks to isolated efforts and the initiatives of some highly competent staff, the Organization had made considerable progress in trying to limit the damage in the area of informatics, he said. The lack of a global information technology strategy had resulted in dramatic budgetary reductions at precisely the time when new investments were needed. The report was incomplete; it did not cover all of the Organization's activities in the field of informatics, since the lack of a global strategy had made it impossible to have an overall view of such activities.

He went on to say that the Secretariat was in the process of developing an information technology strategy which would be presented to the fifty- second session of the General Assembly. "It will contain detailed information on the activities proposed, together with related costs. It will be up to the Member States then to decide in which direction we shall go."

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The long-term design would address not only Headquarters, but also the regional commissions, which currently had inadequate resources, he said. "It will only be through an upgrade of the infrastructure at all duty stations that the Organization will be able to meet the rapidly growing requirements in information technology, and that Member States will be able to take full advantage of the facilities that information technology can provide."

AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan), Chairman of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Informatics, gave an oral report on the Group's work. The Group had decided to focus on increasing the incidence of connectivity between the permanent missions and the United Nations by bringing more missions on line; initiating training programmes on the use of the Internet for delegates; and identifying and eliminating impediments in access to the United Nations databases and information systems. A small technical subgroup had been set up to meet twice monthly, within existing resources, to discuss those goals.

He said the Working Group had registered much progress, including a 25 per cent increase in connectivity of permanent missions to the United Nations system. It had also started a training programme for officials of permanent missions on use of the Internet. Concerning impediments to access, it was found that modems had been the source of many shortcomings, and, in response, the number of modems had been increased to nearly double the original number.

The United Nations cc:mail system was "most user-unfriendly" for those dialing up from the outside, he went on. "No satisfactory explanation has been forthcoming so far as to why this archaic system continues in service in the United Nations Secretariat, or why the relevant department in the United Nations Secretariat has not considered switching over to the better and more user-friendly system being used across the street at UNDP." Another choke- point was the lack of connectivity between the United Nations optical disk system and the Internet.

He said that the most immediate issues which must be addressed were providing connectivity to all Member States; finding a uniform e-mail system available to all missions; continuing the Internet training programme; connecting the optical disk system to the Internet; and encouraging United Nations departments to post information on the Web server.

The Working Group had identified video-conferencing as one of the more promising avenues for cost reduction, he stated. "Travel and per diem expenditures could be dramatically reduced if multiple video-conferencing facilities were to be made available in different parts of the United Nations system." There was also a need to explore the possibility of using the Internet as a tool for providing technical assistance.

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OSCAR ACUÑA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said the United Nations had a critical role to play in enabling Member States to benefit from the recent developments in the area of informatics. That could be done by eliminating the technological obstacles to establishing connectivity and by upgrading the level of expertise at permanent missions through training programmes.

The Working Group should continue its efforts so that all impediments to easy access to United Nations information systems could be removed, he said. Action should be taken to implement the Working Group's recommendations. "This would not only improve the availability of information to Member States, but would also save costs and improve the overall efficiency of the Organization."

OSCAR ALEJANDRO AVALLE (Argentina) said that the various United Nations databases should be available over the Internet. The Working Group had made valuable suggestions; the Council should provide the backing it deserved.

MATHE DISEKO (South Africa) said that the technological revolution that was sweeping the world was doing away with geographic borders, shortening spaces and facilitating communication. Information technology had made life more rewarding for those that possessed it. For those possessing such technology, power, influence, privileged status and domination were further enhanced and assured. The reverse was true for those without access. Informatics had enormous potential to redress disparities and material inequalities, but it also had the ability to accentuate inequalities and powerlessness among those bypassed by the information superhighway.

Harmonization and improvement of the United Nations informatics system would be crucial to the smooth functioning of the "global village", he said. The wealth of information, research, statistics and general knowledge at the disposal of the United Nations was second to none. The participation of delegations in United Nations debates would be enhanced through the timely availability of United Nations reports and relevant information. The means should be explored to provide technical assistance and training to increase the connectivity of permanent missions to the United Nations' information systems.

OLEG V. RUDENSKIY (Russian Federation) said that the Secretariat had made progress towards the presentation of online databases on sustainable development and towards the idea of the United Nations' server hosting Internet Web pages for permanent missions. United Nations databases should be posted in all working languages, including Russian. There was also a need for technical assistance to permanent missions wishing to build their own Web pages. The statements of permanent missions should be posted on the Internet along with software to allow searching of those texts.

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LESLIE S. LEBL (United States) said that United Nations work in the fields of telecommunications and informatics was very much appreciated. It was important that the Working Group's efforts lead to a coordinated United Nations policy on informatics.

NINA SIBAL, a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that her organization had begun international cooperation in the field of informatics in the early 1980s. Since last year, UNESCO's cooperation with other United Nations agencies, particularly the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the UNDP, had focused on Africa, central Asia and the Arab States.

The UNESCO was now focusing on networks for information exchange, she said. Among the initiatives being undertaken were INFORMAFRICA, a programme on strengthening human skills in information technologies in Africa, within the Programme Priority Africa; the Regional Informatics Network for Africa (RINAF), which aimed to develop human resources through the provision of training; and the Regional Informatics Network for Arab States (RINAS).

JAIRO MONTOYA (Colombia) said delegations had a need for electronic access to information. The Working Group had done valuable work in starting to meet that need. In the future, it would be important to draw on UNDP's experience, while, at the same time, working to ensure that the necessary changes would be made at the lowest possible cost. Further, training programmes should continue.

He welcomed the designation of a focal point in the Secretariat to speed up the execution of informatics programmes. It was hoped that the momentum achieved in providing access to Member States would be maintained in the coming biennium. It was important to maintain a continuous flow of information from the Secretariat to the permanent missions. All missions must be connected to the United Nations by the end of 1997 at the latest. In order to achieve that target, the Working Group should continue to operate.

YU QINGTAI (China) joined others in commending the work of the Working Group. Urgent attention must be given to the need to connect permanent missions to the United Nations information systems. The Working Group should continue to play its positive role in that area.

CECILIA B. REBONG (Philippines) said that developing countries were very interested in the efforts of the Working Group on informatics, adding that it should continue its work until such time as it completely fulfilled its objectives.

KHEIREDDINE RAMOUL (Algeria) said that significant progress had been made in the area of connectivity, training and removing impediments access to databases. The Working Group was yielding tangible results in a vital area of

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interest to all delegations; it had carried out its work without incurring additional expenses for the Organization. Its work should be sustained in the coming year.

HICHAM HAMDAN (Lebanon) said that not only databases, but video- conferencing, should be considered an important new area of information technology. He hoped to see some tangible progress on that score soon.

ROSANA FIGUERA (Venezuela) said that it was strange to think that the United Nations could enter the twenty-first century without an advanced informatics system. All Member States should have easy electronic access to United Nations databases. Also, permanent missions should be provided training so that they could make the best possible use of all new resources.

Mr. SEVAN, Assistant Secretary-General for Conference and Support Services, replying to the statements made by delegations, said that he was all for outsourcing, not only by giving contracts to outsiders, but to the UNDP if it could do a better job, so long as that did not result in duplication of the work of the United Nations. Great cost-reductions could be achieved through cooperation and the avoidance of overlap.

Welcoming calls to extend the mandate of the Working Group, he said it was important for the Secretariat to have an intergovernmental forum to give it the necessary push. The Secretariat was fully committed to joining its efforts with those of the Working Group. "If full support is not there next year, you can rest assured that some heads are going to roll", he said.

Population Questions

Dr. NAFIS SADIK, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), gave an oral report to the Council on activities under way to implement the Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994). During the past two years, much progress had been made in implementing the goals set in Cairo in such areas as the reduction of infant, child and maternal mortality; the provision of universal access to education; and the provision of universal access to a whole range of reproductive health care and family-planning services.

To coordinate system-wide efforts, several task forces had been established, she said. At the country level, it had become apparent that States were reorienting their family-planning programmes to correspond with the broader framework of reproductive rights and reproductive health set out at the Cairo Conference. Greater emphasis was being placed on the quality of care; the role of men; the provision of appropriate information to adolescents; and the involvement of women's groups in the design and implementation of reproductive health initiatives. Women's empowerment and

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their participation in decision-making processes were a crucial aspect of the reproductive health approach in all countries.

Concerning funding, she stressed that countries themselves must make a concerted effort to mobilize resources for social development. Likewise, the international community must do its part to fulfil what had been agreed in Cairo. The private and non-governmental sectors also had an important role to play in mobilizing resources for social development at the country level.

While there had been a positive response to the call for funding the Programme of Action, the resources now available were clearly not enough, she said. A total of $1.2 billion was available for international population assistance, representing roughly a 24 per cent increase over the previous year. While that was welcome, it was estimated that some $5.7 billion was needed to implement the Programme of Action for the year 2000.

JOSEPH CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, introduced the report of the Population Commission. In addition to approving a draft resolution on the follow-up to the Cairo Conference for adoption by the Council, the Commission had adopted a resolution on the work programme on population. By that text, the Commission noted that the work of the Population Division served the crucial needs of the United Nations and the international community for scientifically sound inputs to analysis, debate, planning and policy in the area of population and development.

"The Commission fully supported the need to protect the long-term work programme of the Population Division, including both traditional demographic work and the development of innovative approaches to meeting new demands, following the outcomes of the International Conference on Population and Development and other recent major United Nations conferences", he said.

Anticipating the Commission's next session, the Population Division was preparing a report on international migration and development, he said. The report would cover the most substantive issues in the area, including population dynamics; national migration policies with respect to both documented and undocumented migrants; refugees and asylum-seekers; labour migration; gender perspectives; and international migration and development.

The Population Division's work programme was geared towards providing the scientific basis for monitoring implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action, he stated. Time did not permit a full discussion of the extent and value of that work, but written materials on the subject were available to interested Council members.

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EMILIA COSTA DE BARISH (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said that the ICPD Programme of Action had set out the framework of strategies to be pursued in coordination with the various global development conferences. A number of activities had begun in connection with the ICPD, such as working groups on reproductive health and common data systems on maternal and child mortality. The Group of 77 believed that resolute commitment on the part of international States, international organizations and NGOs was essential in order to make the best use of the United Nations system in the area of population and development.

MANSUR RAZA (Pakistan) said that the ICPD Programme of Action would be successful only if organizational efforts were carried through with adequate, predictable resources. His Government approved of organizational measures being undertaken in that regard; he believed that consensus on population issues was anchored in a "development approach".

PHILIP GRANT (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the member States of the European Union, expressed disappointment that the report of the Secretary- General had not been completed in time for presentation to the ECOSOC. The Union endorsed the draft resolution on follow-up to the ICPD, he said. The European Union also endorsed the proposals for structuring the work programme of the Commission on Population and Development. He commended the work of the inter-agency task force on the follow-up of the ICPD.

The European Union believed that, given the importance of the empowerment of women to the successful implementation of the Programme of Action, elaboration on the relationship between the Task Force on Basic Social Services for all and the new Inter-Agency Commitee on Women would be welcome. The European Union wished to highlight the importance of the UNAIDS programme as a means of providing a more coordinated response by the United Nations system in that area. The Union welcomed the efforts to ensure an efficient division of labour by the United Nations development system in the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action and would be grateful for further information on the agreements which had been made in that connection.

MARGARET J. POLLACK (United States) said that it was important to measure the outcome of work carried out in follow-up to the IPCD. She was particularly interested in how the Resident Coordinators were undertaking that effort. The inter-agency task forces had a critical role to play in identifying tasks to be undertaken in follow-up to the Programme of Action. She wanted to stay in touch with the work of the various working groups. Her Government endorsed the structure of the Commission on Population and Development and hoped that NGOs would play a dynamic role in its work. The United States endorsed the report of the twenty-ninth session of the CPD.

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OLEG RUDENSKIY (Russian Federation) said the draft resolution contained in the Commission's report was of particular importance and warranted the Council's support. The Council should also adopt the draft decision on the Commission's programme of work.

VILMA MCNISH (Jamaica) commended the work of the task force on basic social services for all. In addition to the areas of its present mandate, the task force should also address issues relating to children, the elderly and the handicapped.

Concerning the lack of resources for population activities, she said successful implementation of the Programme of Action was dependent on resource mobilization. Jamaica supported adoption by the Council of both texts contained in the Commission's report.

KEN OKANIWA (Japan) said that his Government was an active member of the work of the CPD and hoped that its draft resolution would be adopted by the Council. Operationalization of the follow-up to the IPCD at the field level would be facilitated by the task-force guidelines. Multilateral organizations and recipient and donor governments would also benefit. Indicators of specific goals to IPCD follow-up were important. They would help identify the best possible role of the various actors -- international organizations, developing countries and donors.

SYARGEI SYARGEEU (Belarus) said that his Government supported the work of the CPD in pulling together various national experiences. Unfortunately, many countries still had high levels of infant mortality and low life expectancy. Whereas in industrialized market economies and in developing countries there had been steady population growth, States with economies in transition had seen a negative trend. The population of Belarus had actually been reduced by 27,000 -- it was as if an entire small city had disappeared. Life expectancy had declined by 2.5 years and the incidence of cancer -- brought about by environmental catastrophe -- had increased by 50 per cent.

OSCAR ALEJANDRO AVALLE (Argentina) said it was critical to know and discuss what the agencies and task forces were doing. "Dr. Sadik's report was an example of how the Economic and Social Council should operate in the future." It was hoped that other agencies should follow her example. The Commission's work was very valuable; it was setting the example of how to implement the outcome of a Conference. Much progress had been achieved in that area.

The Commission would have to examine the issue of migration in the context of economic growth and sustainable development, he said. While that issue had not been adequately discussed at the United Nations, "the situation in the real world outside this building obliges us to discuss it". It was critical to hold broad-ranging consultations with agencies both within and

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outside the United Nations system on the issue. Flexibility in the work of the UNFPA had enabled it to be more cost-effective.

Ms. REBONG (Philippines) said attention should be given to problems encountered at the national level which hampered the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action. She welcomed the close collaboration among the members of the United Nations system in the follow-up to the Cairo Conference, notably the establishment of the inter-agency task force on basic social services for all. Activities by the regional commission in the follow-up to the Conference were also of great importance.

She went on to say that the international community, especially developing countries, must work to fulfil the commitments made at all recent major United Nations conferences. National governments, even when assisted by members of civil society, could not do everything by themselves. She stressed that while coordination was very important, the issue of financial resources was as important or more important.

The Secretary-General's report on migration and development should include inputs from all members of the United Nations system dealing with those issues, as well as other intergovernmental bodies working on the matter. The Philippines supported both drafts contained in the Commission's report.

CAMILLE NDRI (Cote d'Ivoire) said that in the oral report of the Executive Director of the UNFPA, no mention had been made of the impact of AIDS on population issues. Would that impact be considered in the context of the follow-up to the ICPD?

NINA SIBAL, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said that UNESCO had participated actively in the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. As the lead agency for the inter-agency "Working Group on Basic Education with Special Attention to Gender Disparities", UNESCO had produced guidelines on how the United Nations system should work together under the leadership of Resident Coordinators. UNESCO had also contributed to the work of the ICPD working groups on reproductive health, women's empowerment, national capacity- building, policy-related issues, and international migration.

In collaboration with the UNFPA, UNESCO was promoting population information, education and communications projects in Africa, the Arab States, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, most of which had a reproductive rights and reproductive health component.

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