ECOSOC HOLDS DIALOGUE WITH UNITED NATIONS COUNTRY TEAM FROM CHINA

ECOSOC HOLDS DIALOGUE WITH UNITED NATIONS COUNTRY TEAM FROM CHINA

GENEVA, 9 July (UN Information Service) -- The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) this afternoon held a dialogue with a Chinese government official and the United Nations system "country team" from China, detailing, among other things, efforts of specialized agencies in promoting sustainable development and eradicating economic disparities in that country.

Speaking on behalf of China, Sun Yongfu, the Director-General of the International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of China, said the Government had always attached importance to cooperation with the United Nations development system.  Although assistance was limited, there had been results.  Through cooperation, China had obtained important technology that had helped with its development.

Kerstin Leitner, the Resident Representative for China of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Resident Coordinator, said a Common Country Assessment/United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) exercise had begun in 1999 on a voluntary basis, with involvement as much as possible of the Chinese Government in the form of a "mirror team".  The process had chosen poverty alleviation, social security, democratic advancement, and human resources development as issues for the priority attention of the United Nations system.

Given the size of China and the many external partners available for cooperation with the Government, United Nations interventions had to be selective, Ms. Leitner said.  In the field of economic reform, they were particularly focused on strengthening the non-State sector, regional cooperation among neighbouring countries, and government fiscal management.

Asking questions from the floor, national delegations inquired about, among other things, the need for UNDAF in China, difficulties in the drafting of the country assessment with UNDAF, and family planning and reproductive health.

Joining Ms. Leitner on the China country team were Edwin Judd of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); Omar Salah Ahmed of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Djankou Ndjonkou of the International Labour Organization (ILO); Ichiro Otani of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); Emile Fox of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); Noboru Noguchi of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Sven Burmester of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Colin Mitchell of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Sergio Miranda-da-Cruz of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); Layan Chen of the

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); Else Larsen of the World Food Programme (WFP); Janos Annus of the World Health Organization (WHO); Juergen Voegele of the World Bank; and Eric Martens of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Statements of Panellists

KERSTIN LEITNER, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative and United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, said the issue of government leadership was moot in China.  In every programme run in the country, the Government had the last word.  A Common Country Assessment/United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) joint exercise had begun in 1999 on a voluntary basis, with involvement as much as possible of the Chinese Government in the form of a "mirror team".  A joint working group had been formed to ensure that the end result would be acceptable both to the United Nations system and to the Government.  Completion of the country assessment had given the United Nations team in China an enormous boost.

At the same time, China had been formulating its tenth national five-year plan, giving ample opportunities for everyone to compare notes and to align United Nations goals with national priorities.  In the end, the joint exercise had chosen poverty alleviation, social security, democratic advancement, and human resources development for the priority attention of the United Nations system.

Given the size of China and the many external partners available for cooperation with the Government, United Nations interventions had to be selective, Ms. Leitner said, and in the field of economic reform they were particularly focused on strengthening the non-State sector, regional cooperation among neighbouring countries, and government fiscal management.

DJANKOU NDJONKOU, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director for China, said seven strategic issues had been identified which were then used to set three basic goals -- promotion of sustainable development to reduce economic disparities; support of favourable conditions for national reform and development processes; and assistance to China's efforts to meet global challenges and promote international understanding.

LANYAN CHEN, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Gender Adviser for China, said United Nations theme groups had been constituted, among the most advanced of which were the AIDS group and the gender group, which, in the context of preparations for the Beijing + 5 Conference, had brought the United Nations system together and had mobilized many national non-governmental organizations.

ICHIRO OTANI, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Representative for China, said per capita gross domestic product (GDP) for China as a whole had more than doubled from 1990 to 1998 to about $800, but regional disparities were pronounced and growing, and vast regions of the country were still at the level of a low-income developing country.  Income inequality had been rising in both rural and urban areas, and was perhaps reaching the danger zone for social stability and economic well-being.  Against this background, the United Nations system had been making and would continue to make efforts to address economic and social

disparities and provide support for the country's new poverty alleviation programme that aimed to reverse those trends.

SVEN BURMESTER, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative for China, said that among the structural changes under way in China was a massive redistribution of the population from the countryside to the cities, posing challenges for keeping the rural economy vibrant while also making urban areas a sound and healthy environment in which to live.

SUN YONGFU, Director-General of the International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of China, said the Government had always attached importance to cooperation with the United Nations development system.  Although assistance was limited, there had been results.  Through cooperation, China had obtained important technology that helped with its development.  The next five to 10 years would be important to the future economic development of China.  A new five-year plan called for China to further its socialist, market economy, raising the level of people's material and economic lives.  China was still a developing country, and the infrastructure was still weak in areas.

The purpose of UNDAF, Mr. Sun said, was to help countries realize their priorities.  China's UNDAF contribution should be based on the priorities outlined in the Government’s five-year plan. 

Discussion

Remarks were offered by a number of national delegations from the floor.  Ms. Leitner and other responded to the queries, saying among other things, that bilateral agencies had told the country team that UNDAF was used as a framework that helped others know where to focus their energies.  It was now a reference document that could be used, and it did not previously exist.  Country team members were on rotating cycles, and there were examples of team members leaving in the middle of the drafting of UNDAF.  Furthermore, the headquarters of some United Nations agencies were more enthusiastic than others.  Concerning the effect of having a woman as resident coordinator, she said it was not known.  But she was aware of the concerns of China, because she had previously served there.

Answering other questions, team members said a family-planning programme was recently expanded to 800 counties, which covered roughly one third of the country.  The Chinese Government handled population shifts, and they had handled it well as related to capacity-building; more than 100 million Chinese people lived on less than $1 a day, and that was a number that could be two or three times as high.  China was putting forward efforts to develop the western parts of the country to help lower the poverty rate.

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