ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL BEGINS DISCUSSION ON JOINT

UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS

Public Service in Africa is Subject of Panel Review

GENEVA, 19 July (UN Information Service) -- The Economic and Social Council held a panel discussion this morning on the recently adopted Charter for Public Service in Africa, with participants contending that the true challenge was to put the Charter into effect and noting that a key difficulty was lack of resources to pay sufficient salaries to civil servants.

The Charter was adopted in February by the Third Biennial Pan-African Conference of Civil Service Ministers, held in Windhoek, Namibia, the result of an exercise initiated by African civil service ministers and supported by the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The panel consisted of Ousmane Batoko, Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reform of Benin; M'hammed El Khalifa, Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reform of Morocco; and Hage G. Geingob, Prime Minister of Namibia.

The moderator, Guido Bertucci, Director of the Division for Public Economics and Public Administration of DESA, opened the event by saying that economic globalization meant that more than ever nations, including African nations, needed efficient, well-prepared, ethical civil services if they were to develop effectively.

Mr. Batoko said, everything that happened in Africa proved the importance of the civil service and that steps needed to be taken to reverse declines in the salaries of such employees and to end the overly politicized nature of much African civil service work.  Mr. El Khalifa said the subject was of concern not just to African countries but to the international community, as the effectiveness and professionalism of the civil services in Africa had global ramifications.  Adoption of the Charter was of little use if it was not implemented.  Prime Minister Geingob said the civil service should be regarded as the “Fifth Estate” and that the Charter could lead to unity in Africa, but would have to be popularized among key Government institutions.

National delegations offering remarks from the floor said that the decentralization of public services -- something often called for -- required that local civil servants be sufficiently trained to handle their increased responsibilities; and that major development projects under way or planned for Africa clearly required effective action by national public services.

The Council also dealt this morning with an outstanding item, approving by consensus a resolution on developments concerning the question of the observance by the Government of Myanmar of the International Labour Office (ILO) Forced Labour Convention.  The Council took note of the outcome of the discussion that had taken place during the eighty-ninth session of the International Labour Conference; including the understanding reached between the ILO and the authorities of Myanmar regarding an objective assessment to be carried out by an ILO high-level mission to the country.  The Secretary-General was armed to keep the Council informed of further developments in this matter.

The Economic and Social Council also began discussion of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.  Peter Piot, Executive Director noted that ten years or more had been stripped from life expectancy in the worst-affected countries, and that a 10 per cent HIV rate caused an annual loss of around 1 per cent of a country's GDP.  Such effects were cumulative.  It had been estimated, for example, that by the beginning of the next decade South Africa's GDP would be 17 per cent less than it would have been without AIDS.

There were statements from representatives of Belgium (on behalf of the European Union), Ukraine, Norway, United States, Russian Federation, Nigeria, and Sudan.  Officials from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions also spoke.

Action on Resolution

In a consensus resolution on developments concerning the question of the observance by the Government of Myanmar of the ILO Forced Labour Convention, the Council took note of the outcome of the discussion that had taken place in the Committee on the Application of Standards during the eighty-ninth session of the International Labour Conference.  It also noted the understanding concluded between the ILO and the authorities of Myanmar regarding an objective assessment to be carried out by an ILO high-level mission.  This would deal with the practical implementation and actual impact of the framework of legislative, executive and administrative measures reported by Myanmar with the objective of the complete elimination of forced labour in law and practice.  The text also took note of the fact that the ILO Governing Body would examine the report of this mission at its 282nd session.  It requested the Secretary-General to keep ECOSOC informed of further developments in this matter.

Public Service in Africa

MARTIN BELINGA-EBOUTOU, (Cameroon), President of the Economic and Social Council, said the panel was the result of the Third Biennial Pan-African Conference last February, when African ministers adopted the "Charter for Public Service in Africa."  The Charter reaffirmed the ethics that should govern public service.  The debate was directly related to the subject of this year's high-level segment, namely, development in Africa.  Public service needed good management, transparency, and the absence of corruption.  All of this depended on the civil servants.  If they had not been trained in public service, all efforts would have no effect. 

GUIDO BERTUCCI, Director of the Division for Public Economics and Public Administration of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), who served as moderator of the debate, said an efficient, well-prepared, ethical civil service had to come to the fore for effective development to succeed.  The Charter for Public Services in Africa would set very useful standards in that regard, and the adoption of the Charter was just a first step -- now it had to be put into effect. 

OUSMANE BATOKO, Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reform, Benin, said there were common points that bound all civil servants.  Civil servants had a privileged position in society -- whether they were at the top or the bottom of the bureaucratic hierarchy.  Their position gave them privileges not enjoyed by other members of society.  In a sense, they belonged to a caste, one that served the State.  In Africa, there was a private sector that was just now emerging.  The State was the main recruiter for civil servants, and paid them what resources were available.  Reductions in remuneration caused a problem with motivation of civil servants.  That obviously affected their behaviour and their performance.  Another demotivating factor was the over-centralization of structures, which did not allow civil servants to take initiative.  Most African administrations were highly politicized.  Benin had about 120 political parties, and out of those, at least

80 were led by civil servants or former civil servants.  Their behaviour was influenced by political concerns.

M'HAMMED EL KHALIFA, Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reform, Morocco, said the effectiveness and professionalism of the civil services in Africa needed to be strengthened considering the challenges facing the continent, including now a high level of international economic competition.  Civil services had to be improved to enable African countries to compete and to set an example for African people and the African private sector. 

The challenge was for the Charter to be put into effect by African countries so that a neutral, stable environment for civil service could be established.  Governments had to show the will and commitment to rationalize services provided to the public and to assure sufficient resources for those services. 

HAGE GEINGOB, Prime Minister of Namibia, said there was talk of the Organization of African Unity being transformed into the African Union.  Who would be actually doing that? he asked.  It was the civil servants.  Their role should not be under-estimated.  There should be steps taken to implement this Charter.  It could lead to unity in Africa.  It would have to be popularized among key government institutions. 

Namibia had presented the Charter to the Cabinet because the ministers would have to know about it and accept it.  Then the Charter had been taken to Parliament, which was the most democratic forum in Namibia.  It had been discussed and debated for four days, and thereafter, it had been adopted.  It could now be said that the Charter had been accepted by Namibian institutions of governance.  All African countries should do this.

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

PATRIZIO CIVILI, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, said that in 2000, executive heads had engaged in an extensive process of reflection on how the United Nations system could best tackle the challenges of globalization and help to address its consequences.  This reflection had now been integrated into a broader discussion on how the system could maximize its contribution to the follow-up to the Millennium Summit.  The Council had shown in recent years that it could play an important role to stimulate conference implementation and to launch innovative policy approaches and broad-based programmes.  The segment that was opening today provided an excellent opportunity to both give impulse to better efforts by the United Nations system to implement the Millennium Summit and conferences, and to search for ways to strengthen the impact of the Council's work.

PETER PIOT, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said AIDS was uniquely devastating because young adults were most affected.  Ten years or more had been stripped from life expectancy in the worst-affected countries, and within two decades some of those countries would have more surviving adults in their sixties and seventies than in their forties and fifties.  Further, as HIV prevalence increased, economic production dropped.  A 10 per cent HIV rate caused an annual loss of around 1 per cent of GDP, and the effect was cumulative.  For example it had been estimated that by the beginning of the next decade South Africa's GDP would be 17 per cent less than it would have been without AIDS.

He said UNAIDS was focusing on putting AIDS on top of the world's agenda.  It was changing the focus of the global response to the epidemic to attack underlying causes of vulnerability.  It was broadening responses to involve both health and other sectors, such as building partnerships between Government, private and civil society efforts.  It was extending access to care.  Benchmark prices for combination anti-retroviral therapy in development countries were now less than 10 per cent of the prices paid in high-income countries.  The UNAIDS was coordinating the response of the United Nations system itself.  Challenges to be faced included creating integrated work plans for UN theme groups on AIDS; improving United Nations support of national responses to the disease; expanding the range of players involved in combating the pandemic, and keeping their activities transparent and accountable.  AIDS was to be addressed as a multi-sectoral issue, taking into account the important influence of such matters as debt relief and poverty reduction.

BRUNO VAN DER PLUIJM (Belgium), for the European Union, said the United Nations System Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS for 2001-2005 needed to be strengthened.  He stressed the importance of further refining the objectives in light of the goals of the United Nations General Assembly’s Special Session, and of clarifying the implementing roles and commitments of individual organizations and ensuring greater relevance and responsiveness of global and regional efforts to country-specific needs. 

The European Union was satisfied with the outcomes of the special session of the General Assembly on HIV/AIDS.  It would actively participate in the various activities flowing from the session.  Given the complexity of the HIV/AIDS crisis, there was room for focused approaches of specific topics, in all appropriate forums both within and outside the United Nations.  Various interests of both donor and recipient countries, and of all other stakeholders.

IHOR SAGACH (Ukraine) said the battle against HIV/AIDS could be won only with the concerted efforts of the international community.  Dissemination of knowledge, experience and best practice was crucial in the fight.  Governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientific circles and business circles all needed to be involved.  There was a shift going from a simple health approach to a broader, multi-sectoral one.  Ukraine appreciated the activities of UNAIDS in Ukraine.  It was an active and efficient operation. 

The special session of the General Assembly on HIV/AIDS had ensured proper organization of the United Nations system in battling the pandemic.  Ukraine fully endorsed statements about the need for full engagement from top political leaders to mobilize in the fight against AIDS.  It was a top political priority of the President of Ukraine, who had already issued two decrees on measures to help slow the spread of the disease. 

ARMAN AARDAL (Norway) said prevention should remain the mainstay of the responses to the spread of AIDS.  A massive effort to prevent the further spread of the virus, through political leadership and willingness to address sensitive issues related to sexual relations, inclusiveness towards vulnerable groups, the mobilization of religious groups, trade unions, employers, youth, women's organizations and non-governmental organizations.

Norway believed that the pharmaceutical industry had to be held morally responsible for making drugs affordable.  But this alone was not enough.  Even in situations where drugs were free or inexpensive, and easy to administer, they still needed to be administered within a public health system that was able to reach even the poorest of the poor in ways that safeguarded the rights both of individual patients and of society as a whole.  A new infusion of additional resources was clearly necessary.

DAVID HOHMAN (United States) said his country was pleased that the United Nations system was paying increasing attention to HIV/AIDS and would be looking for tangible results from these increased commitments.  All the co-sponsoring agencies, by working together at global and country level, and with bilateral partners, were making a difference.  There should be continued focus on making United Nations theme groups work effectively in all countries, and there needed to be increased accountability at the country level on achieving results from theme group efforts.

At the global level, the United States hoped that all countries and other donors, including foundations, the private sector and even individuals, would step forward to support the Global AIDS and Health Fund, which the United States hoped would be operational on 1 January 2002.

MR. FETISOV (Russian Federation) said UNAIDS had an important coordinating role to play.  The development of this role through theme groups was well conceived and corresponded fully to the current stage of the fight against the epidemic.  The Russian Federation was increasing its participation in the international battle against AIDS in coordination with the United Nations.

One major factor in the spread of the disease was drug-taking.  His country was interested in studies on treating addiction.  It had experience and methodology and a network of centres dealing with HIV/AIDS, and was willing to share its expertise. 

SEGUN APATA (Nigeria) said he was pleased that the Global AIDS and Health Fund had topped the billion dollar mark.  The commitment of Nigeria was demonstrated by the donation of $10 million to the fund.  All Member States, needed to work on the modalities of the fund itself.  What was required was urgent sustained action.  The body in charge of the fund should be representative of both developed and developing countries. 

There should not be a donor/recipient format, because it was not that type of situation.  This was designed to tackle a devastating epidemic that was universal. 

MURAT WAHPA, (UNDP), said the fight against AIDS was vital not only for reasons of health but because of the devastating impact of the disease on development.  UNDP looked at HIV/AIDS in depth as it related to development.  It was an issue of poverty.  The UNDP supported strategic interventions that involved all groups in combating the epidemic.

OMAR MANIS (Sudan) said his country was content that ECOSOC had taken charge of this important topic.  It was necessary to link the international efforts on HIV/AIDS with meeting the needs of malaria and tuberculosis as well.  These diseases also had negative effects on many parts of the world.  The resources of the HIV/AIDS fund should be linked with malaria and tuberculosis.

M. T. BELLAMY, of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), said there was a need for contributions from all parts of society to combat AIDS.  The workplace was deeply affected by AIDS, which hit young adults disproportionately and whose victims suffered discrimination in the workplace. 

The global response to HIV/AIDS should place emphasis on prevention, education, respect for the human rights of those who had the disease, and on behaviour modification.  The Confederation was prepared to promote a sharing of information and material among trade unions and to be the link between the trade union movement and other organizations on issues relevant to HIV/AIDS.  

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