EU Presidency Statement - Major UN conferences and summits

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia), the other associated countries (Cyprus, Malta and Turkey) and Norway align themselves with this statement.

The thanks the European Union Secretariat for its comprehensive report on the activities of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, which constitutes a useful and comprehensive presentation of the work carried out by the ACC and its subsidiary bodies throughout 1999. However, we regret that the report contains neither a summary nor an evaluation of the activities carried out during the first six months of the year 2000 as we requested last year.

The European Union welcomes the revitalization of the Administrative Committee on Coordination over the last few years, which has in particular resulted in the international financial institutions showing renewed interest in it. It is essential that the ACC be strengthened so that it can fully assume its role in interagency coordination and respond effectively to the needs of the intergovernmental bodies within the United Nations system.

The European Union also welcomes the enhanced dialogue between ECOSOC and the ACC which has led to regular reports on the ACC's activities, thematic briefings and written notes. We also appreciate the support given by the institutions to the work of ECOSOC's technical committees and the ACC's involvement in the preparation of follow-up meetings to major United Nations conferences. This interaction between the ACC and ECOSOC is essential if ECOSOC is to play its part in coordinating the various funds, programs and specialized agencies.

The European Union is of the opinion that the issues on which the ACC has focused its attention in 1999 - the challenges of globalization, the follow-up to major conferences, peace and sustainable development in Africa, AIDS - are of great importance.

As regards peace and development in Africa, the European Union welcomes the efforts made by the ACC to improve the coordination of the activities of the UN bodies and the many initiatives for Africa. We would emphasize in particular the ACC's involvement in strengthening the UN Special Initiative as the main instrument for coordinating the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. This involvement was reflected in particular in the organization of the first interagency meeting for Africa in Nairobi in March 1999, followed by a second meeting that took place in Addis Ababa last June.

For the year 2000, the European Union supports the guidelines set out in the report with regard to the ACC's work programme, in particular the links between trade, environment, the labor market and human rights, financing for development, AIDS and the integrated and coordinated follow-up to major UN conferences and summits.

With regard to agenda items 7a and 7b, the European Union acknowledges the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on activities during the first part of its fortieth session.

The CPC devoted the main part of its substantive session to an examination of the draft Medium-Term Plan for 2002-2005. This plan constitutes the general policy directive of the United Nations Organization, setting out the medium-term objectives, the strategy to be pursued and the means of action to be used. As a subsidiary body of ECOSOC and the General Assembly, the Committee for Programme and Coordination plays an essential part in the process of approving this strategic document.

The European Union unreservedly supports the new presentation of the draft Medium-Term Plan. The different programs are now organized according to a clearly-defined structure: general guidelines followed for each subprogram me by a definition of the objectives to be achieved, the strategy to be implemented in order to do so, results expected and, lastly, performance indicators for measuring the progress achieved. This unified presentation represents real progress by comparison with previous medium-term plans and it should serve as a framework for preparing programme budgets drawn up during the period covered by the plan.

In accordance with its mandate, the Economic and Social Council can forward to the General Assembly its comments and recommendations regarding the relevant programes in the Draft Medium-Term Plan submitted by the General Secretariat. The European Union hopes that in carrying out this task, the Council will adequately take account of the outcome of the deliberations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination.

Thank you for your attention.

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• EU Presidency Statement - Administrative Committee on Coordination (27/7/2001)