RESOURCES FOR UN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE PREDICTABLE, CONTINUED AND ASSURED, ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE IS TOLD

Press Release
GA/EF/2727

RESOURCES FOR UN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE PREDICTABLE, CONTINUED AND ASSURED, ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE IS TOLD

Funding for United Nations operational activities for development should be on a predictable, continued and assured basis, several speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this afternoon as it continued consideration of those activities.

Inability to increase the funding of operational activities on such a predictable basis would impair their effectiveness, the representative of the Philippines said. The representative of Indonesia concurred and said that while it was the primary responsibility of governments to mobilize resources at the national level, they needed substantial increases in resources to put operational activities for development back on a predictable and continuous basis.

The representative of Guyana emphasized that increasing voluntary contributions to the core resources should remain the central effort of all donors. Mobilization of resources at the Headquarters level must be complemented by efforts in the field.

The new programming arrangements of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would lead to better designed, higher impact projects, said the representative of the United States. She supported the focus of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on economic and political empowerment of women, but added that the agency should be careful not to over- extend itself or inadvertently duplicate work of other United Nations bodies.

Also this afternoon, the Committee was told by a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that worldwide enrolment in schools had increased from an estimated 250 million children in the early 1950s to more than 1,000 million today, while the number of literate adults had nearly tripled from 1,000 million in the 1960s to more than 2,700 million. In addition, the number of children attending primary

school in developing countries had increased by some 50 million between 1990 and 1996, to reach 545 million.

The representative of Iran stressed the need for urgent action by related United Nations agencies to implement provisions regarding refugee children contained in the "World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children".

Statements were also made by the representatives of Egypt, Nepal, Guinea, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Ukraine and Bolivia. The Chief of the Division of External Relations of UNDP, the Director of the United Nations Inter-Agency Affairs of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and representatives of the UNIFEM, and the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development responded to issues raised by Member States.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Monday, 21 October, to consider issues on environment and sustainable development.

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Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to continue consideration of operational activities for development. Before the Committee was the Secretary-General's report on progress at mid-decade in implementation of the General Assembly resolution 45/217 on the World Summit for Children (document A/51/256). Also before it was a note by the Secretary-General on the advancement of women (document A/51/391). (For background information see Press Releases GA/9130 of 14 October and GA/EF/2725 of 17 October.)

Statements made

ADEL M. ABDELLATIF (Egypt) wondered how operational activities could be carried out effectively with dwindling resources. He said the cutbacks in resources would affect the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reform process and asked whether the reduction was meant for purposes other than the effective operation of the Programme. He also asked whether the Programme's Executive Board had approved the reform process. The reform should be related to the Organization's future operations, and he stressed the need for transparency.

PRATIVA RANA (Nepal) expressed support for the views expressed by Costa Rica on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China. He said Nepal had been one of the first countries to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It attached great importance to the work of United Nations development agencies. It believed that reforms should not mean reduction of financial resources for development activities. She expressed concern at decline in official development assistance (ODA) and welcomed the creation of the four Inter-Agency task-forces for the implementation of cross- sectoral issues.

Nepal had supported the 20/20 initiative and it supported the strengthening of the resident coordinator system, she said. It was concerned that it was one of the three countries in the world where women's life spans were shorter than men's. The Government of Nepal was taking steps in the areas of mother-child health, family planning and education, among others, to bring its women into the mainstream.

CECILIA REBONG (Philippines) said she supported the statement by the "Group of 77" developing countries and China. The full cooperation of the Group with its development partners in the triennial policy reviews of operational activities, and in the work of the Executive Boards of the Funds and Programmes, could prove that it cared about the resident coordinator system and the efficient functioning of the system at the field level. The Group believed that the issue of resources for operational activities for

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development was important because inability to increase funding on a predictable basis would impair effectiveness.

She stressed that ODA funds should be used to finance the development programmes of developing countries. She asked why activities relating to follow-up of resolutions on triennial policy reviews were financed through a Trust Fund; those contributions surely formed a part of ODA funds of concerned donor countries. Should not those activities be financed from the regular budget of the United Nations? she asked. Donor countries which had supported the Trust Fund should make their contributions to core resources.

ARAFAN KABINE KABA (Guinea) said countries were having to do more with less. The dwindling of the resources of the UNDP was having negative effects in the recipient countries. Efforts should be made to enhance not only the effectiveness of the reform process but the means to bring the erratic resource flows to an end. He believed the impact of operational activities for development could be strengthened by ensuring effective coordination of the organs of the United Nations system operating in their countries.

He said a workshop recently held in his country with United Nations agencies and Guinea's development partners had undertaken a critical review of projects and the effectiveness of operational activities. He said the relationship between operational activities and official development assistance was vital for stability. Africa needed resources to carry out its development.

MYUNG-CHUL HAHM (Republic of Korea) said every effort should be made to meet the targets outlined in the goals of the World Summit for Children. He stressed the need for coordination and cooperation between the various organs of the United Nations system to attain the goals of the summit. Although the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) should play the central role in the follow-up process, other agencies should incorporate the implementation of the summit's declaration and action plan into their own activities. For that purpose, he said, the resident coordinator system should be reinforced in the field while cooperative dialogue was undertaken at headquarters.

He also said various United Nations organs should conduct advocacy activities to advance the goals for children. His delegation was pleased that the summit for children, as well as recent United Nations conferences, had made valuable contributions to the cause of human development. National programmes of action should be incorporated into national development plans to serve as a basis for joint United Nations development activities. Resources for operational activities for development should be increased on a predictable, continuous and assured basis.

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TAIBOU BA (Senegal) said that in the light of dwindling resources and increased commitments, the mandates of the United Nations should be better defined. He welcomed efforts of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at decentralization. Effective functioning of the Programme required that it decentralize. In addition, harmonization of rules and sharing of services and premises was important. Moreover, consistent use must be made of the expertise available in at the field level in the countries being served. He stressed that whatever its scope, the reform process would be an empty exercise without the resolution of the financial crisis racking the Organization.

MOHAMMAD-ALI ZARIE-ZARE (Iran) said his country was pleased that the promotion and protection of the rights of children had been included in the agenda of the Assembly. That was a positive trend. Today millions of children throughout the world faced poverty, hunger, displacement, armed conflicts, prostitution and the possibility of being sold. The girl-child invariably carried a heavier burden of the victimization. Poverty constituted the biggest factor impeding the development of plans for children.

He said Iran believed that the future of children must be safeguarded through enhancement of the family unit, and through moral and ethical values. Urgent action needed to be taken by related United Nations agencies to implement the provisions of the world declaration and Plan of Action for children in relation to refugee children and internally displaced persons. Iran was host to many refugees, and had ongoing education programmes for refugee Afghan children among others.

NINA SIBAL of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said there was continued support and commitment to the declaration adopted at the World Conference on Education for All, and the principles embodied in it. Progress towards such goals as universal primary education had, however, been uneven and the gender gap was closing too slowly. The UNESCO/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Joint Committee on Education established in 1989 had played an important role in elaborating strategy guidelines on such key issues as education for girls, and a more effective monitoring of the goals set in the summit for children.

She said worldwide enrolment in schools had increased from an estimated 250 million children in the early 1950s to more than 1,000 million today, while the number of literate adults had nearly tripled from 1,000 million in the 1960s to more than 2,700 million today. The number of children attending primary school in developing countries increased by some 50 million between 1990 and 1996, to reach 545 million. Nearly one billion adults were still illiterate, and more than 130 million children of primary school age were denied their inalienable right of access to education. Innovative approaches and strong political commitment were needed. UNESCO continued to advocate increased investment in education.

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She said education was a leading modality to promote a culture of peace. By promoting a culture of peace, it was possible to prevent conflicts. Although action taken to prevent conflict was often invisible and unrecognized, in the long term it was more economical and sustainable. It was a necessary condition for advances in human development, justice and democracy.

SVITLANA M. HOMANOVSKA (Ukraine) welcomed reorientation of UNDP programmes towards human development, poverty eradication, advancement of women, regeneration of the environment and the attainment of sustainable development. It was her delegation's view that the process would speed up the achievement of the goals and objectives of recent United Nations conferences.

She said data in the UNDP publication on Ukraine did not correspond to national educational statistics. She said the Programme should in future harmonize its programmes with economic priorities of recipient countries, and also strengthen the monitoring and evaluation functions. Ukraine supported further decentralization of United Nations activities in the field, and also welcomed the planned reduction of UNDP staff at Headquarters. The key point was the need for simplification of the UNDP's structure to ensure a positive impact on its functioning.

HERIYANTO SOEPRAPTO (Indonesia) said one year had elapsed since the General Assembly resolution 50/120 on the triennial policy review was adopted. That resolution had provided a more comprehensive framework for the integration of all the elements that made up operational activities for development. The core dilemma facing the United Nations technical assistance programmes was that of the sharp decline in resources coupled with an increasing need for technical assistance. In addition, there had been a substantial decline in ODA. The incomplete fulfilment of commitments to the tenth replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA) was also a source of worry.

While it was the primary responsibility of governments to mobilize resources at the national level, substantial increases in resources were needed to enable operational activities for development to be put back on a predictable, continuous and assured basis. He said new and additional sources of funding should be explored and cooperation between the United Nations system and Bretton Woods institutions should be strengthened.

LESLIE LEBL (United States) said it was her country's hope that the various agencies would share experiences, so that future reform efforts could build on success and avoid pitfalls. The United States supported the new programming arrangements of UNDP and believed they would lead to better- designed, higher-impact projects, from which lessons could be learned. Close collaboration by the Funds and Programmes with the Bretton Woods institutions

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and other organizations in the United Nations system was a critical element in helping countries formulate and implement national sustainable development strategies.

She said the United States supported the focus of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on economic and political empowerment for women. The agency should, however, be careful not to over-extend itself or inadvertently duplicate work by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, or the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW). The three bodies should coordinate their work to ensure that all activities were "value-added priorities".

The United States was impressed by the work of the United Nations Capital Development Fund had done to improve its evaluation and monitoring of projects. It was also pleased that United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was providing more budget authority to country directors in the field, thus improving efficiency. The United States commended UNFPA's coordination with the World Bank to ensure the effective use of resources. She said UNICEF stood as one of the most dynamic examples of reform within the United Nations system.

GEORGE TALBOT (Guyana) supported the statement by Costa Rica on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China. He said funding for United Nations operational activities for development should be placed on a predictable, continued and assured basis. Increasing voluntary contributions to the core resources should remain the central effort of all donors. However, the valuable contribution to development arising from non-core resources needed to be acknowledged. Mobilization of resources at the headquarters level must be complemented by efforts at the field level.

RENE SORIA GALVARRO (Bolivia), speaking on behalf of Rio Group (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela), stressed the need for increased resources for operational activities. He said those countries had declared what their priorities were at their 10th meeting in Bolivia. They had, in a declaration, reaffirmed the need for the effective participation of all in the global economy. There was need for effective implementation of commitments made. Donor countries should live up to their commitments with regard to ODA, ensuring predictability and reliability. Operational activities should be carried out in accordance with the priorities of recipient countries.

He said development funds and programmes required resources to help countries achieve their development goals. The Rio Group agreed with the UNDP that its resources should be focused on sustainable development to deal with poverty eradication and job creation. He called for more use of national experts in programme execution. He said the specialized agencies should all work together. He supported efforts to decentralize the activities of the

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various funds and programmes. The tasks of resident coordinators should be carried out in consultations with host governments.

Responses by UN agencies

EDWARD OMOTOSO, Chief of the Division of External Relations, UNDP, responding to issues raised by representatives, said he agreed that coordination at the field level between UNDP resident coordinators and the World Bank had improved. The Programme agreed that core funding should be the centre of activities. Currently, the ratio between core and non-core funding was roughly equal. UNDP operations were being decentralized and nine centres of experimentation where the resident coordinators had been given more power had been set up. UNDP staff had been reduced by 600, mostly through attrition. The idea was to devote more resources to development. UNDP had indeed begun a reform exercise to help prepare it for the next century.

He also told a questioner that directives had been sent for field offices to incorporate the goals of the various United Nations conferences into programming at the country level. UNDP had been given the task of monitoring the outcome of the World Social Summit. It was making every effort to ensure more use of national expertise in programme execution and was helping to build national capacities for that purpose, he added.

FRED HAEMMERLI of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development said there were budgetary implications in the triennial policy review. Responding to questions on the Trust Fund, he said the Fund was used only for studies and reports.

ADO VAHER, Director of United Nations Inter-Agency Affairs at UNICEF, said UNICEF was working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in caring for refugee children under a memorandum of understanding it had signed with the refugee agency. A similar agreement had been signed on child labour with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). A report on the impact of conflict on children would be released in the Third Committee on 11 November.

NOELEEN HEIZER of UNIFEM said the Fund believed in building a strong partnership within the United Nations system.

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