‘No More Business as Usual’, Delegates Say as Economic and Social Council Concludes Phase One of Dialogue on United Nations Role in Post-2015 Era
Fine-tuning the funding architecture, streamlining operational activities and garnering a “new political momentum” were critical for the United Nations to play a key role in the post-2015 development era, the Economic and Social Council heard today during a dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the United Nations development system, as it also adopted three procedural resolutions.
Successful realization of the post-2015 agenda would also require strengthening of partnerships among Governments, civil society, private sector, international organizations and other relevant actors, said Council Vice-President María Emma Mejía Vélez (Colombia), who updated the body on progress made during the first phase of the Economic and Social Council’s dialogue, held in informal and formal sessions, briefings and workshops between December 2014 and June 2015.
“We now need to make sure the [Economic and Social Council’s] dialogue process moves to a high political level through the upcoming high-level summit outcome in September,” she said. “It is essential that the summit outcome injects new political momentum to this process of strengthening the United Nations development system.”
Presenting results of the dialogue’s first phase, she said the Organization’s current funding architecture had become too unbalanced and was not conducive to strengthening the normative, leveraging and convening role of the development system. As such, more systematically innovative methods should be explored.
Moving forward, she said, the United Nations development system would require differentiated country presence models in the post-2015 era in order to effectively meet the needs of programme countries at different levels of development. Also important was strengthening regional platforms and system-wide results-based planning.
During the ensuing discussion, delegates voiced their concerns. Summing up a common view, Indonesia’s representative said that from the start of the first phase, “the message was clear: no more business as usual”, as he underlined the urgent need to transform the development system so that it supported Member States in the implementation of the post-2015 agenda.
Speakers also shared their views on moving forward. On governance, Japan’s speaker said system-wide strengthened efforts should operate within existing parameters and not start from scratch. More generally, the United Kingdom’s delegate said the dialogue was contributing to reaching a consensus, but moving forward, it should recognize the link among the topics under consideration, including funding, governance and partnerships.
In other business, the Council adopted three resolutions related to its agenda items on non-communicable diseases, international tax matters and the United Nations research and training institutes. The Council also considered its agenda item on assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions.
Also today, Nata Menabde, Executive Director of the New York Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), introduced the report of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. Jafar Javan, Director of the United Nations System Staff College, presented the Secretary-General’s report on the Staff College.
Olivia Caeymaex, on behalf of James Cockayne, Head of Office of the United Nations University in New York, introduced the report of the Council of the University on the institution’s work.
Sally Fegan-Wyles, Director ad interim of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), presented the Secretary-General’s report describing the work of her institution, and Kim Won-Soo, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General, introduced the Secretary-General’s report on consultations on research, training and library services.
Also delivering statements were the representatives of Russian Federation, Italy, South Africa (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China), Libya, Kuwait, Algeria, United States, Guatemala, Brazil, China, Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Norway, Australia (also on behalf of Canada), South Africa, Argentina and Ethiopia.
The Council will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 10 June, to continue its work.
Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases
NATA MENABDE, Executive Director of the New York Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), introduced the Secretary-General’s note on the “United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases” (document E/2015/53), which transmits the report of the WHO Director-General on the Task Force.
The representative of the Russian Federation then introduced draft resolution E/2015/L.14, titled “United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases”.
By the text, the Economic and Social Council would encourage members of the Task Force to continue to work together in a coordinated manner to support national efforts to implement the commitments included in the 2011 Political Declaration of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and the 2014 outcome document of the Assembly’s high-level meeting on the comprehensive review and assessment of the progress achieved in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, building on guidance set out in the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2013-2020.
The Council, waiving the rules of procedure requiring a 24-hour period after submission prior to a vote, then adopted the draft text without a vote.
Follow-up to International Conference on Financing for Development
The Council considered a summary by the Council President of its special high-level meeting with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which was held on 20 and 21 April (document A/70/85-E/2015/77).
The representative of South Africa, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that co-facilitators of the financing for development process had demonstrated keenness to conclude drafting of an outcome document by 19 June. The Group felt that quality deliverables must come out of the Addis Ababa conference in order to not lose focus on the purpose of the meeting. With the deadline fast approaching, the Group was mindful not to compromise on important deliverables. The conference must resemble the scope and structure of the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration. The traditional definition of official development assistance (ODA) should be maintained. The financing for development track must be separated from the sustainable development goals and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Climate finance should not be included in the financing for development process.
He said that the Group resisted any attempts to weaken the outcome document of the forthcoming conference by erroneously turning it into the sustainable development goals and further turning it into Goal 17. The Group repeatedly called for the upgrade of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters to an intergovernmental entity to allow all Member States to have a say. Tax matters within the confines of national Governments should be respected. There should not be any interference from any external actors. In no way, should taxes replace ODA. The Group further proposed that the unfulfilled ODA commitments under the Millennium Development Goals should be carried forward and the impact of the "ODA deficit" be assessed in the review of the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration as a matter of urgency.
International Cooperation in Tax Matters
The Council considered the report of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters on its tenth session, from 27 to 31 October 2014 (document E/2014/45).
The representative of South Africa, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, introduced draft resolution E/2015/L.9, titled “Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters”.
The Council deferred action on the text to a later date.
Turning to draft decision E/2015/L.12, titled “Venue and dates of and provisional agenda for the eleventh session of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters”, the Council adopted the text without a vote.
By that text, the Council decided that the Committee’s eleventh session would be held in Geneva from 19 to 23 October.
United Nations Research and Training Institutes
JAFAR JAVAN, Director of the United Nations System Staff College, introduced the Secretary-General’s report on the Staff College (document E/2015/54), saying there was good return on investments in sending staff for training to drive the change that the Organization urgently needed.
OLIVIA CAEYMAEX, on behalf of James Cockayne, Head of Office of the United Nations University in New York, then introduced the report of the Council of the University (document E/2015/7), providing an overview of the institution’s work to address pressing challenges around the world.
SALLY FEGAN-WYLES, Director ad interim of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), introduced the Secretary-General’s report (document E/2015/12), describing the work of her institution.
KIM WON-SOO, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General, then introduced the Secretary-General’s report on consultations on research, training and library services (document A/70/79-E/2015/70). In an overview of the document, he highlighted recommendations to streamline training, to establish voluntary research networks for issue-specific or problem-driven collaboration and to ensure coherence of all Secretariat libraries.
During the general discussion, delegates commented on various institutions.
The representative of Italy welcomed the significant accomplishments of the Staff College in Turin over the past two years despite its lean organizational structure. He underlined the unique role of the institution in bringing together staff from the different parts of the United Nations system and building strong synergy within the Organization. There was an emerging need for training in the context of the post-2015 development agenda and a change of management to enable the Organization to be fit for purpose. He called for support for the adoption of the related draft resolution before the Council.
The representative of South Africa, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said that with the dawn of the post-2015 development agenda, training and research would be of paramount importance and would require capacity building, with UNITAR being poised to carry out its mandate. Commending the Institute’s work, he pointed out that courses provided must be in line with Member States’ needs and priorities as they entered into the post-2015 agenda era.
Libya’s delegate said UNITAR field workshops and training would help to build capacities in areas of justice, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution and prevention. He appreciated the workshop held in New York focusing on health and education capacity-building services, particularly in conflict-affected areas.
The representative of Kuwait, aligning with the Group of 77 and China, said UNITAR played an important role. Commending the Institute’s training activities, he appreciated the events on issues related to the post-2015 development agenda.
Algeria’s speaker, aligning with the Group of 77 and China, said his delegation supported the important work of UNITAR and its New York office.
The Council then took action on draft resolution E/2015/L.10, titled “United Nations System Staff College in Turin, Italy”.
The draft text would call upon all organizations of the United Nations system to make full and effective use of the services provided by the Staff College, strengthen cooperation and synergies with it and encourage the participation of their staff in relevant Staff College courses.
The United States’ representative said his delegation supported the resolution and the Staff College’s work.
The Council then adopted the text without a vote and took note of the introduced reports.
Assistance to Third States Affected by Sanctions
The Council then considered its agenda item on “Economic and environmental questions: Assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions”.
Dialogue
MARÍA EMMA MEJÍA VÉLEZ (Colombia), Vice-Chair of the Economic and Social Council, opened the “Dialogue on longer-term positioning of the United Nations development system in the context of the post-2015 development agenda”, providing updates on the first phase of the process. By resolution 2014/14 the Council decided to convene a transparent and inclusive dialogue, marking the first time that the body was mandated to conduct such a process on reforming the United Nations development system. It consisted of an 18-month period featuring informal and formal sessions with the outcome serving as a key input to the Assembly’s quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities of the United Nations system in 2016.
Since December 2014, three formal sessions and four informal workshops had been held to address key issues, she said. A civil society briefing had elicited perspectives of beneficiaries, partners and other stakeholders and a high-level retreat brought together permanent representatives and heads of United Nations funds and programmes and interagency bodies. “Member States now have a better understanding of the current state of play in the United Nations development system and also the likely implications of the post-2015 development agenda,” she said.
Outlining strategic priority issues stemming from the first phase, Ms. Mejía Vélez said clarity on emerging functions of the United Nations development system in the post-2015 era was critical for ensuring alignment with the following areas on which the dialogue focused. One finding was that the United Nations’ current funding architecture had become too unbalanced and was not conducive to strengthening of the normative, leveraging and convening role of the system. As such, more systematically innovative methods needed to be explored. There was also a need to improve system-wide governance.
Continuing, she said the United Nations development system would require differentiated country presence models in the post-2015 era in order to effectively meet the needs of programme countries at different levels of development. Also important was strengthening regional platforms and system-wide results-based planning. Cost-effective measurement of results in programme countries would require the system to adopt a coherent results-based management system across entities. In addition, she said, the “successful realization of the post-2015 development agenda will require strengthening of partnerships between Governments, civil society, private sector, international organizations and other relevant actors”.
“We now need to make sure the [Economic and Social Council] dialogue process moves to a high political level through the upcoming high-level summit outcome in September,” she said. “It is essential that the summit outcome injects new political momentum to this process of strengthening the United Nations development system. It will be important to further strengthen the capacity of the [Economic and Social Council] dialogue process during the second phase by enlisting the support of a group of high-level strategic thinkers and experts to assist Member States in concretizing, analysing and prioritizing options for strengthening the United Nations development system.”
The representative of Guatemala said that the United Nations development system must come up with differentiated modalities for different contexts. A message that came out of a retreat during the first phase of the dialogue was that the United Nations must play a role in strengthening national capacity, and supporting innovation to that end. It must also help countries deal with changes in social behaviours, such as those of consumers and producers. The Organization must be a credible convener, and that was not just a matter of power, but also legitimacy. The United Nations must also open up to various partners. In that regard, there was a need to strengthen regional institutions and cooperation.
The representative of Brazil said that the outcome of the first phase of the dialogue was useful, as it was consensual and reformist. The world was in a period of change and transition, which required more in-depth reflections. The post-2015 agenda would set the development path for the next 15 years and various aspects of the United Nations development system needed to be revisited. Regarding the quadrennial comprehensive policy review, there was a need to make the realignment simple, as it became counterproductive. Turning to governance, he stressed the need to rebalance developed and developing countries to achieve greater parity in representation. About 80 per cent of funding was non-core, becoming increasingly bilateral. Delivering as one needed to be more flexible, as it tended to be UNDP-filtered. It should not dwarf other agencies. There must be a better coordination as Member States did not have access to such mechanism as Chief Executives Boards.
The representative of China, noting that her delegation delivered a statement via the PaperSmart system, said that the current dialogue paved the way for the next phase, laying a solid foundation for the future. The United Nations development system was a critical partner in implementing sustainable development goals. China was committed to further engagement in the second phase of the dialogue.
Japan’s speaker said the dialogue was contributing to the further improvement of the United Nations development system. Highlighting several issues, he said the shaping of the post-2015 agenda was an opportunity to address concerns. The development system’s comparative advantages, including its global reach, must be considered. On funding, there was strong need for sustainable, predictable and flexible approaches, including with regard to core funding. However, caution must be used when considering the creation of new funds, which would produce increasingly fragmented funding patterns. System-wide governance should be strengthened by working within existing parameters and not “starting from scratch”.
The United Kingdom’s delegate said the dialogue was helping to reach an emerging consensus. In the consideration of funding, governance, partnerships and other issues, the dialogue should recognize the link among those areas. Engaging United Nations experts and others would help the process move forward even further.
The representative of Indonesia said that from the start of the first phase, “the message was clear: no more business as usual”, underlining the urgent need to transform the United Nations development system so that it supported Member States in the implementation of the post-2015 agenda. Profound adjustments on governance were fundamental to enabling the development system to meet the functions expected of it and representation of developing countries must be strengthened. Alongside new organizational arrangements, the development system should also focus more on national capacity development to adapt to the global architecture. As the Economic and Social Council started to “pave the way forward”, he requested clarification as to the development system’s role in developing countries. Issues that also should be considered included matching funding with country development priorities.
Germany’s speaker said as the adoption of the post-2015 agenda approached, the United Nations should be a pivotal actor in its implementation. The Organization faced strong competition from other actors, yet it provided a crucial added value and should undergo necessary reform to ensure its efficiency. Expressing appreciation for discussions held on the system’s functions, she said her delegation attacked high value to partnerships, which should be based on transparency and accountability. Discussions on the change of the institutional landscape was among the most challenging and sensitive tasks. Past reforms, including “Delivering as One”, had taken place in the field of organizational arrangements, she said, adding that radical changes were neither feasible nor positive. In closing, she said her delegation supported independent high-level experts in elaborating on concrete options for the future of the system.
The representative of the United States said that, at its creation 70 years ago, no one imagined that the United Nations would become a major actor in development cooperation in developing countries. The structure, scope and demands placed on the Organization’s development system had grown, in organic, and in some cases, duplicative ways. Going forward, the development system must focus on its comparative advantage in order to remain competitive and relevant, including its unique role as a multilateral organization with universal legitimacy, neutrality, focus on national ownership and leadership, global reach and convening power.
“The new paradigm for cooperation will no longer be of one region giving resources and advice to another; instead, countries from all corners of the globe will work together as partners to achieve our common goals,” he said. The development system must become more coordinated, and its core pillars must become mutually reinforcing rather than competitive and overlapping. If it was to continue playing its unique role in crisis-affected and fragile States, as well as coordinating both humanitarian and development efforts in some of the world’s toughest locations, there was a need to determine the best ways to deliver those services and then redesign the agencies in the most efficient manner. It should provide different services in different contexts. In middle-income countries, it should provide policy advice, leverage financial resources and set norms, while in least developed countries, it must deliver programmes, strengthening Government capacity and convening necessary resources. In both contexts, it must promote South-South and triangular cooperation.
The new funding architecture should also reflect the changing development landscape, with more funding capacity available and more able partners than before, he said. It that regard, he welcomed the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) “100 Donors” campaign, as well as other United Nations efforts to broaden the donor base. Given the recent fate of the proposed partnership facility, his delegation was also interested in ideas from others about how the United Nations could harness the vast potential of partnerships. The Organization could not assume donor countries would always give it hundreds of millions of dollars to carry out development work, or that programme countries would look to it as the primary partner to implement that work. There were other actors in the international system today.
The representative of Switzerland said that the current dialogue process was valuable. Unlike the past process led by experts, the current dialogue was led by Member States. Therefore, the outcome would be different. The format of engagement was a success as it encouraged open and honest dialogue. The first phase was successful, providing an excellent basis for the second phase, which could be challenging, as it would address how to handle high demand for implementation of the post-2015 development agenda within funding constraints. The United Nations must identify ways to leave some work up to other actors and should remain a multilateral holder of universal norms. The Organization must become fit for purpose, but it needed time for adaptation.
The representative of France said that the current exercise provided a road map based on high-quality discussion and reflections before the adoption of the new development agenda in 2015, which would be far-reaching, broader in scope, and go to new territories, such as governance, climate, and gender, putting pressure on Member States and the United Nations. He supported the six priority areas cited by Ms. Mejía Vélez. It was critically important to respect coherence, effectiveness, assessment and evaluation. There was a need to improve coordination between various entities. As for assessment, he proposed a more systematic mechanism. Lastly, he stressed the need to link the current Economic and Social Council dialogue and the intergovernmental process for the post-2015 development agenda.
The delegate from Sweden said the round of discussion had been valued as it showed an emerging convergence of thinking. At the current moment of transition, it was important that the United Nations delivered in the development sphere. His delegation expected the dialogue to intensify further, and going forward, there needed to be deeper strategic discussions and high-level political engagement.
The representative of Norway said the summary of the first phase reflected the six priorities for forthcoming discussions. The summit should contain a clear message of the repositioning of the development system. He wished that in the dialogue’s second phase, voices from the least developed countries were taken into account.
Australia’s speaker, also on behalf of Canada, said the different perspectives heard in the dialogue were important. When moving forward, questions on the functions of the development system needed to be addressed in order to find answers and solutions. There was a need for the United Nations to patch the gap between humanitarian response, resilience and other areas to address challenges. Entering the second phase, he said his delegation believed that efforts should make the process less cumbersome and not more.
The delegate from South Africa, on behalf of the Group of 77, said the dialogue must bear fruit from efforts made to improve the efficiency of the development system. Specialized agencies must adapt to a new landscape where poverty eradication must be achieved, he said, calling on UNDP to bolster support for South-South cooperation. The Group also wished to see a scaled up role in assisting developing countries in achieving goals, including through capacity-building.
The issue of poverty must be addressed and given the highest priority, he continued. Also of importance was the need to better reflect the multidimensional nature of poverty in efforts. There should also be a balance of core and non-core funding. In closing, he said that the Group appreciated the platforms provided to discuss the issue of the longer-term positioning of the development system.
The representative of Argentina stressed the need for work towards addressing the existing imbalance between core and non-core resources. For the development system to be able to deliver mandates, it was necessary to scale up core resources. It was also important for the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to hear the needs of countries. Some countries were imposed with what they did not need, he said, noting the importance of working closely with national coordinators. The role of regional economic commissions should not be forgotten. In Latin America, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) had done a remarkable job.
The representative of Ethiopia called on the international community to ensure a smooth transition from the Millennium Development Goals to sustainable development goals. That was particularly important for Ethiopia and other developing countries, as national capacity-building in the context of sustainable development goals was a big concern.