Economic and Social Council

2006 Substantive Session

44^th Meeting (PM)

Economic and Social Council notes 2006 report of Programme, Coordination

committee in preparation for transmittal to General Assembly

The Economic and Social Council, this afternoon, took note of the report of its Committee for Programme and Coordination on the work of its 2006 substantive session, with a view to transmitting it to the General Assembly.

Introducing the report, Committee Chairperson Norma Taylor Roberts of Jamaica said that, in its review of the United Nations programme performance for 2004-2005, the Committee commended the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) for advancing a results-based culture in the Organization, and recommended that the General Assembly help ensure that all programme managers and their staff make better use of such programme performance data in decision-making.

She said the Committee also recommended that the Assembly review the Plan Outline (Part One) of the proposed strategic framework for the period 2008-2009, so that it more accurately reflected the Organization’s longer-term objectives, and agreed that the OIOS should continue to undertake thematic evaluations.  While noting key achievements by the United Nations system in implementing the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Committee recommended that the Executive Coordination Board report on the system’s progress in overcoming difficulties in addressing malnutrition and hunger.

South Africa’s representative, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said the Executive Board had played a vital role in helping to improve inter-agency cooperation and enhance the effectiveness of support to NEPAD.  It should continue to make every effort to strengthen implementation of the development agenda and institute a system-wide approach to the coordination of agency actions to fight hunger and poverty.

Guinea-Bissau’s representative, while noting the important work that the Committee was doing, said that, if General Assembly resolutions in regard to streamlining its working methods were not respected, then calls for its abolishment would gain strength.

Responding to the latter comment, Ms. Roberts said the Committee had been considering, over many years, the improvement of its working methods and procedures, but there had been no consensus on the many proposals under consideration.  The Committee would report to the next General Assembly session on some of those matters, thereby fulfilling its mandate in a timely fashion.

The United States representative recalled that his delegation had declined to approve previous reports because the Committee had not improved its working methods, but its non-intervention in the current phase did not imply approval.

Rather than intervening in the noting of the report, the delegations of the United States and Japan would both wait until the report was discussed in the General Assembly.

Following the Council’s decision to take note of the programme and coordination report, South Africa’s representative said the Group of 77 and China had joined the consensus because the Committee had fully executed the mandate given to it by the General Assembly and had been able to include in its report a text of the broadest possible consensus on ways to improve its working methods.

The Economic and Social Council then adjourned for informal discussions and will meet again at a time to be announced.

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For information media • not an official record