SECRETARY-GENERAL NOTES NEW POLITICAL CONSENSUS ON STRENGTHENING ROLE OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL, SAYS 'OPPORTUNITY MUST BE SEIZED'
Press Release
SG/SM/6455
ECOSOC/5749
SECRETARY-GENERAL NOTES NEW POLITICAL CONSENSUS ON STRENGTHENING ROLE OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL, SAYS 'OPPORTUNITY MUST BE SEIZED'
19980206 Addressing Council's Organizational Session, Kofi Annan Reviews Work of ACC, Calls It Symbol of Unity of Purpose of United Nations SystemFollowing is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's statement to the organizational session of the Economic and Social Council, at Headquarters this morning:
Let me, at the outset, congratulate the newly elected President and Vice-Presidents of the Economic and Social Council. The Council is fortunate to have again at its helm Ambassador Juan Somavía of Chile, who brings to the presidency his challenging vision of the future of the United Nations, and four Vice-Presidents with such a wealth of experience and such a steadfast commitment to the Organization.
I am grateful for the Council initiative which led to this meeting today.
I should like to think that it was, at least in part, a response to the strong interest I expressed, at your high-level segment last year, in intensifying the dialogue with the Council.
Your initiative is also very much in line with the spirit of the reform programme I launched last year: a call for the strengthening of interaction and the building of new partnerships within, as well as between, Secretariat structures, and the intergovernmental machinery was one of the main themes underlying that programme.
And a dialogue between the Council and the Secretary-General, as Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), is indeed a necessity if we are to realize one of the main objectives of the reform process: mobilizing the system in order to place development at the top of the international agenda.
In line with your suggestions, Mr. President, I will not confine myself to the outcome of the fall session of the ACC. I will share with you some
reflections on the role of the ACC and the evolution of its work over last year. I will also venture some thoughts on the Council's work during 1998.
The ACC is a unique instrument. In many ways, it is the symbol of the unity of purpose of the system; of the decentralized, diverse, but united system that our founders envisaged as the instrument to harness the specialized capacities and constituencies of the various agencies to meet the economic and social objectives of the Charter. But the ACC can and should be far more than a symbol. And I believe that we have only begun to exploit its potential:
-- its potential as an instrument of leadership for the Secretary- General in bringing to bear the wide-ranging capacities of the system on the overall effort to advance security and development;
-- its potential as a collective source of advice to intergovernmental bodies and as an instrument for pursuing in a comprehensive way intergovernmental mandates; and
-- its potential as a source of support for individual organizations within the system, in the face of challenges that are beyond the capacity of any one of them to address.
Let me comment on each of those three points.
Since the beginning of my term, I have given a great deal of personal attention to my responsibilities as Chairman of the ACC; to building and strengthening my personal relations with the executive heads of the system; and to reinforcing a sense of common purpose among them. I view this as key to the overall effort to revitalize the economic and social role of the United Nations and international cooperation for development.
In the past few years, there has also been a very positive evolution of the relationship between the ACC and the central intergovernmental machinery charged with coordination responsibilities -- particularly this Council. Some of the mutual suspicions of the past are being steadily replaced by a new sense of partnership and shared responsibility.
The recent global conferences and summits -- which have shown the unique convening power of the Organization -- have been a turning point in this evolution. They have brought out for agencies the full capacity of the United Nations to establish policy frameworks which build on their distinct roles and capacities and, at the same time, impart to them common directions sanctioned at the highest level.
In turn, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly have appreciated the ACC taking the lead in arranging for the system to identify,
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from the results of these conferences and summits, cross-cutting themes and common operational and programme priorities. This will, in turn, help the Council reassert its role in providing policy direction and ensure coordinated implementation. It is an excellent example of the mutually reinforcing relations that the ACC and the Council must nurture.
But the most significant evolution I have perceived lies in the Executive Heads' own perceptions of the role of the ACC and inter-agency coordination. The wide-ranging discussions that have taken place in the ACC over the past year have brought to the fore the major strategic and managerial challenges confronting the system as a whole; they have strengthened the realization that the future of each part of the system cannot be separated from that of its other parts; and they have led to a renewed commitment to utilizing the ACC as the privileged forum where Executive Heads' programme and managerial initiatives should be concerted, and their impact on the overall capacity of the system and its future assessed.
The ACC's discussions on reform during the past year have been pursued in this perspective.
Executive Heads committed themselves to a continuing exchange of information on these processes to ensure that they are mutually supportive; that policy, programme and managerial implications for other organizations are taken into account; and that best practices are institutionalized and drawn upon system-wide.
Another major theme of the ACC's work during the year came under the broad heading of "peace-building". It involved the development of a common, system-wide "strategic framework" that would help harness the capacities available throughout the system for assisting countries in responding to crisis, and recovering from it.
The objective is to integrate the system's analytical capabilities, its capacity for political mediation and humanitarian intervention, and its experience in development cooperation into a coherent force to build and sustain peace; but also to address the basic factors at the root of ongoing or potential conflicts.
Mr. President, you have spoken eloquently about these issues in the Security Council, highlighting the crucial requirement of reconciliation. This is, indeed, a crucial component of peace-building where many of the agencies have, actually or potentially, a great deal to offer. We shall pursue this important dimension in shaping further the elements of the "strategic framework".
The ACC also gave continuing attention during the year to the implementation and impact of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative
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on Africa. And I have begun an intensive process of inter-agency consultations aimed at developing a concerted system-wide approach to the major reconstruction and development challenges being faced by the countries of the Great Lakes region.
I am confident that, working with governments in the region, and with the support of other development partners, the United Nations system is in a position to launch a well-coordinated effort to help these countries resume their path to development.
A further major focus for the ACC during 1997 was the challenge of enlisting the increasingly essential cooperation of civil society -- including the private sector -- in handling the global agenda.
There was a broad consensus that a strengthening of the system's partnerships with civil society should be viewed as a key objective of the reform processes currently under way. These partnerships are indeed an important dimension of the effort to adapt the system to the changes that are taking place in the national and international environment. And they are directly relevant to many of the major issues before us -- from increasing resource flows and strengthening the system's impact on development, to enhancing public support for the United Nations.
In conjunction with the ACC's October session, we held the first ever Retreat of ACC members. It was attended -- as was the first ACC session I chaired in April -- by all the heads of ACC member organizations.
Focusing on the changing role of the State and its implications for the United Nations system, our discussions addressed programme and institutional implications arising from globalization and other trends in the world economy. We also reviewed key issues such as the prospects for development cooperation and new approaches to development financing. And we considered how to adapt the role and functioning of the ACC to the demands of the new international context.
Drawing on the outcome of the retreat, I expect the ACC session in March to finalize several new initiatives that will facilitate a more effective policy dialogue within the system; these range from a dedicated information network to frequent Executive Heads-level consultations making use of teleconferencing.
I hope that this Council will also consider carefully whether its present pattern of meetings, revolving around a single, extended substantive session a year, is conducive to the kind of in-depth dialogue we seek; and, more generally, whether it is best suited to the continuous policy management and monitoring role that the Council is called upon to perform.
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The rapid changes unfolding around us are a stark reminder that the United Nations cannot remain on the sidelines; it must be prepared to impact the problems of the real world. To do so requires an institutional setting rooted in the Charter, but not constrained by the methods and structures of the past. If we want to be faithful to the objectives of the Charter, we must be prepared to change the status quo.
We are indeed making major strides in reforming the United Nations. Together, we are laying the foundation for a more effective Organization which will enhance our relevance and impact, especially in the field of development. But one of the biggest challenges still lies before us: reviving the political will to utilize fully the improved tools that we are now shaping.
We must then proceed on two tracks: we must pursue our reform efforts further, while, at the same time, tackling substantive policy issues more forcefully in a way that breathes new life into the work of the Organization.
The Economic and Social Council has a crucial role to play in both respects. There is a new political consensus on strengthening the role and capacity of the Council. This opportunity must be seized. Already, important new initiatives have been launched which hold the promise of rejuvenating your work.
Indeed, the progress made by this Council in developing new and more effective methods of work is yet to be matched by the General Assembly itself and other parts of the intergovernmental machinery. But there is no room for complacency. A number of major reform issues are before the Council this year. 1998 will be critical. And I have no doubt that the work of the Council will have a broader signal effect; it is, in many ways, a test case for the Organization's ability to enhance relevance and impact in a crucial sector of its overall mission.
Resolutions 50/227 and 52/12B outline some of the main follow-up actions that have been entrusted to this Council in advancing the reform process. They involve the Council pursuing a review of its subsidiary bodies, including the regional commissions.
There are other important issues before the Council this year that are, in equal measure, reform and policy challenges, and are central to the exercise of its main Charter functions.
The decision to establish a new "segment" on humanitarian assistance not only fills a major gap by strengthening governance arrangements in a key sector; it also adds an important new dimension to the role of the Council in contributing to the construction of a more secure and humane world.
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Regarding operational activities, the Council will review the work of Executive Boards of its funds and programmes. The Council is challenged to exercise its oversight function in a way that advances the integration of the work of their governing bodies; and, most importantly, in a way that will lead to a qualitative strengthening of the United Nations operational activities.
In the policy coordination area, I look forward to your deliberations on the important issues of human rights and the advancement of women. These will be the lead themes of the Council's coordination and operational activities segments. The Council will also consider the issue of market access in the context of globalization. This is a most timely issue. Its selection underscores the willingness of the membership to address, through the Council, highly relevant contemporary policy issues with major implications for international cooperation. In addition, several special events are scheduled this year which should serve to galvanize our collective efforts in this area.
The high-level special meeting of the Council on 18 April can do much to foster a truly constructive interaction between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions in order to bear to fruit their complementary strengths. I look forward to taking part in this discussion.
In May, the Council will convene a special session to further consider the follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits.
The ACC will place before the Council its assessment of the impact of the thematic task forces it had charged with promoting an integrated follow-up to the results of these conferences.
I hope that the Council will be able to reinforce the international community's commitment to the agreements reached; and that it will, at the same time, forge ahead with future efforts to meet the underlying objectives of these conferences: a concerted attack on poverty.
You can count on the ACC giving the utmost priority to harnessing all the capacities of the system in support of this effort.
Indeed, in all areas of your work, you can count on the full support of the ACC and on the readiness of the organizations of the system to engage with you in a continuous, sustained dialogue. Agency policies and activities should not only be the subject of the work of this Council; they should provide its main foundation.
Today, I join you in a spirit of commitment to the work of the Organization in the economic and social fields. I am confident that we can achieve our goals. I pledge to you my full support and I wish you every success.
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