Proposed programme changes for 1999 (E/ESCAP/1142)

1. The Commission, at its fifty-third session held in April 1997, endorsed the ESCAP programme of work for the biennium 1998-1999, which had been formulated to conform with the objectives of the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001, and on the basis of the indicative level of regular budget resources of US$ 62,875,000 for 1998-1999 provided by United Nations Headquarters. The endorsement was subject to an assessment of the views of governments on the question of setting priorities for the activities in the programme of work of the Commission and the allocation of resources to ensure the optimum utilization of the regular budget resources allocated to ESCAP.

2. The General Assembly, at its fifty-second session held in December 1997, approved the programme budget of the United Nations for 1998-1999, including Section 17 relating to ESCAP. The amount approved by the General Assembly for ESCAP was US$ 56,167,500 and the total number of established regular budget posts approved was 468, comprising 171 at the Professional and higher categories and 297 at the local level. The level of regular budget resources approved for ESCAP was much lower than the indicative level of regular budget resources, largely owing to a net reduction of 47 regular budget posts and recosting resulting from the devaluation of the Thai baht.

3. The Commission, at its fifty-fourth session held in April 1998, endorsed the programme changes for 1998-1999, taking into account emerging mandates of the Commission and other legislative bodies, the outcome of the reform of ESCAP, and the reduced level of regular budget resources made available to ESCAP. Many programme changes for 1998-1999 were under subprogramme 6, Poverty alleviation: rural and urban development, owing to the anticipated programme restructuring which would take effect from the biennium 2000-2001 and reductions in extrabudgetary funds from a traditional bilateral donor.

4. Progress on the implementation of the revised programme of work, 1998-1999, as of 31 December 1998 is reported to the Commission in document E/ESCAP/1141. The Advisory Committee of Permanent Representatives and Other Representatives Designated by Members of the Commission (ACPR), at its two hundred and thirty-fourth session held in March 1999, considered the secretariat's reports on the implementation of the revised programme of work, 1998-1999, as of 31 December 1998, and the proposed programme changes for 1999.⁽¹⁾ There was no comment by ACPR on the proposed programme changes. In the course of 1998, several events took place, necessitating further changes to the revised programme of work. The present document contains the secretariat proposals for programme changes for 1999, based on the following:

(a) Recommendations of the Commission and the legislative committees;

(b) Redeployment of regular budget staff resources effected as of 15 July 1998 in the context of the reform of ESCAP;

(c) Consultations with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, and other relevant intergovernmental bodies, with a view to increasing the coordination and harmonization of activities;

(d) Re-examination of activities against the available regular budget resources in 1999 and in the light of clearer prospects of the availability of extrabudgetary resources.

5. The reasons for the changes, as well as their resource implications, are provided for each programme output or activity. In pursuance of the recommendations of the Commission, reductions in technical publications are proposed under subprogrammes 4, 7 and 8.

6. The Commission may wish to note that the recommended changes, involving additional outputs and activities, would not affect the overall level of authorized regular budget resources. The secretariat will continue to request experts on a non-reimbursable loan basis from member countries, and to mobilize extrabudgetary resources from bilateral and multilateral funding sources for the implementation of programmed activities, especially for the provision of technical assistance to members and associate members of the Commission.

7. The Commission is invited to examine the proposals of the secretariat and guide it in its efforts to further streamline and rationalize the programme of work.

Annex

Proposed programme changes for 1999 (biennium 1998-1999)

Part V: Regional cooperation for development

Section 17: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Code (1)	Activities as in the programme of work, 1998-1999^a^/ (2)	Deletion (3)	Addition (4)	Modification (5)	Justification (6)
Subprogramme 1: Regional economic cooperation: trade and investment
I. Servicing of intergovernmental and expert bodies (RB)
1. Substantive servicing of meetings:
(e) Standing Committee of the Bangkok Agreement:
1-1-108	Standing Committee of the Bangkok Agreement: plenary (1998) (6 meetings)	X			The session of the Standing Committee could not be held in 1998 because bilateral negotiations for the accession of China were not completed.
2. Parliamentary documentation:
(e) Standing Committee of the Bangkok Agreement:
1-1-208	Report on developments in trade and investment in the Asian and Pacific region (1998, 1999)			Report on developments in trade and investment in the Asian and Pacific region (1999)	The session of the Standing Committee could not be held in 1998.
______________________________ a/ The subprogrammes are taken from the revised programme of work, 1998-1999, as approved by the Commission and contained in the report on its fifty-fourth session (Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1998, Supplement No. 20) (E/1998/40-E/ESCAP/1117), annex I.

3. Ad hoc expert groups and related preparatory work:
			1-1-305 Ad hoc expert group on investment promotion in the Pacific subregion (1999)		The Commission at its fifty-fourth session took note of the requests from Pacific island countries for further assistance from ESCAP in the areas of, among others, trade and investment-related issues. Necessary funds will be appropriated within the available RB resources under this subprogramme.
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
1. Mandated recurrent publications:
1-2-103	Trade Review of the Bangkok Agreement (1998, 1999) (RB)			Trade Review of the Bangkok Agreement (1999) (RB)	Lack of statistical data on conceded items of the Agreement from some members.
8. Technical material for outside users (databases, software etc.):
1-2-803	Training material on the Asia-Pacific Information Exchange (1998) (RB/XB)	X			ESCAP and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have been collaborating closely in the promotion of UNCTAD-initiated "Trade Points" which are being established in the region and where business users have global access to market information through the Internet. The deletion of this output on the Asia-Pacific Information Exchange (APIX) is proposed, in view of the increased number of Trade Points under the UNCTAD Trade Point Development Center at the Melbourne Institute of Technology, which includes the development of electronic information exchange, including training facilities and material.
IV. Technical cooperation (RB/XB)
1. Advisory services at the request of the governments:
1-4-102	Advisory services for promoting investment opportunities, including through capital market development (11 in 1998, 7 in 1999) (RB)			Advisory services for promoting investment opportunities, including through capital market development (3 in 1998, 5 in 1999) (RB)	Requests received from governments were below the number expected. Released RB resources will be utilized to organize an expert group meeting on investment promotion in the Pacific subregion, as proposed under 1-1-305.
2. Group training (seminars, workshops, symposia):
1-4-203	Regional seminar on promotion of commodity trade through the use of market-based mechanisms (1999) (RB/XB)	X			Owing to RB and XB resource constraints. The topic of commodity price risk management will be covered under an ad hoc expert group meeting on commodity-related issues (output 1-1-303).
1-4-208	Regional seminar on the development of stock markets (1998) (RB/XB)	X			Training documents were completed in February 1998. However, the training course was cancelled for lack of XB funds.
1-4-210	Interregional seminar on promotion of economic cooperation among the littoral States of the Bay of Bengal in the context of wider cooperation in the Indian Ocean basin (1999) (RB/XB)	X			Superseded by activities under 1-1-3041 and 1-3-001 relating to Bangladesh-India-Myanmar-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMST-EC), which represents an active cooperation arrangement in the Bay of Bengal area.
3. Field (country, regional, interregional) projects:
			1-4-401 Project on assistance to industry for export promotion (4 in 1998-1999) (RB/XB)		To reflect activities being undertaken by the secretariat. XB funds are made available by a bilateral donor to implement field projects at four sites in Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam. No additional RB implications.
	Subtotal	5	2	3
Subprogramme 2: Regional economic cooperation: research and policy analysis
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
3. Mandated non-recurrent publications:
2-2-304	Asia and the Pacific into the twenty-first century: information technology, globalization, economic security and development (1999) (RB)	X			The publication will form part two of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 1999 (2-2-101)
5. Electronic, audio, and video issuances, including films, videotapes, radio broadcasts, tapes of news, documentary and feature programmes:
			2-2-501 Study on integrating environmental considerations into economic decision-making		In line with the recommendations of the Regional Expert Group Meeting on Integrating Environmental Considerations into Economic Policy-making Processes and in consultation with the donor, it is proposed that electronic publication be added to enhance the materials developed under the project and publicize them to a wider audience.
	Subtotal	1	1	-
Subprogramme 3: Regional economic cooperation: industry and technology
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
1. Mandated recurrent publications:
			3-2-308 Implications of the East Asian economic crisis on industrial and technological development in the ESCAP region (1999) (RB/XB)		As requested by the Commission in paragraph 5 (b) of its resolution 54/3 of 22 April 1998 on the Bangkok Declaration on Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Industrial and Technological Development in the Asian and Pacific Region and the Regional Action Plan for Industrial and Technological Development.
4. Discretionary non-recurrent publications:
3-2-401	Small and medium-sized industries as vehicles for sustaining international competitiveness (1998) (RB)	X			Owing to secretariat restructuring, a P-3 post was redeployed in exchange for a P-2 post. The functions for this activity cannot be undertaken by the prospective incumbent of the P-2 post.
3-2-402	New approaches in promoting the sustained participation of women in industrial development (1998) (RB)	X			Owing to secretariat restructuring, a P-3 post was redeployed in exchange for a P-2 post. The functions for this activity cannot be undertaken by the prospective incumbent of the P-2 post.
IV. Technical cooperation (RB/XB)
1. Advisory services at the request of the governments:
3-4-104	Advisory services on utilizing emerging industrial complementarities (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)	X			The secretariat is currently implementing a project on industrial complementarities and a regional meeting will be held in mid-1999. It is therefore envisaged that requests for advisory services on this subject matter may be forthcoming thereafter.
2. Group training (seminars, workshops, symposia):
3-4-201	Regional/subregional workshop on new technologies for the increased competitiveness of manufacturing industries for small and medium-sized enterprises (1998) (RB/XB)	X			Lack of XB resources.
3-4-203	Workshop on regional cooperation for the sustained participation of women in manufacturing industries (1998) (RB/XB)	X			Lack of XB resources.
3-4-209	Regional cooperation for the adoption of ISO 14000 standards (1999) (RB/XB)			Regional cooperation for the adoption of ISO 14000 standards (3 in 1999) (RB/XB)	Instead of a regional seminar, the secretariat will organize three national workshops in 1999.
3-4-215	Meeting of the Regional Forum for Promoting Policy Dialogue in Industrial Development and Restructuring (1999) (RB/XB)			Regional forum on the implications of the East Asian economic crisis for industrial and technological development (1999) (RB/XB)	To comply with a request in paragraph 5 (b) of resolution 54/3 on the Bangkok Declaration on Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Industrial and Technological Development in the Asian and Pacific Region and the Regional Action Plan for Industrial and Technological Development, the scope and title have been reformulated.
	Subtotal	5	1	2
Subprogramme 4: Environment and sustainable development
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
1. Mandated recurrent publications:
4-2-105	Atlas of Mineral Resources of the ESCAP Region (1998, 1999) (RB)			Atlas of Mineral Resources of the ESCAP Region (1999) (RB)	Deletion of the 1998 issue is proposed owing to the redeployment of a regular budget post and lack of regular budget resources for printing.
4-2-108	Atlas of Urban Geology Series (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)			Atlas of Urban Geology Series (1999) (RB/XB)	Deletion of the 1998 issue is proposed owing to the redeployment of a regular budget post and lack of extrabudgetary resources for research and printing.
3. Mandated non-recurrent publications:
4-2-310	Environment and natural resources management using remote sensing and geographic information systems (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)	X			Change of policy regarding the printing of proceedings of meetings. In the past, the annual meetings on tropical ecosystem management had been published under this line. In future, the reports of the meetings will not be printed as publications.
4-2-311	Space technology applications for sustainable development (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)			Space technology applications for sustainable development (1998) (RB/XB)	Deletion of the 1999 issue is proposed owing to the change of policy regarding the printing of proceedings of meetings. In the past, the annual meetings of the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development and the four regional working groups had been published under this line. In future, the reports of the meetings will not be printed as publications.
4-2-312	Advanced earth observation satellite technology applications for environment monitoring and natural resources management (1999) (RB/XB)	X			Lack of XB resources.
IV. Technical cooperation (RB/XB)
1. Advisory services at the request of the governments:
4-4-101	Advisory services on implementation of the Regional Action Programme on Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development, 1996-2000 (2 in 1998, 2 in 1999) (RB)	X			Limited RB resources. The regional adviser on environment has met requests from national governments.
2. Group training (seminars, workshops, symposia):
4-4-207	Workshop on environmental management of mineral resources development (1998, 1999) (RB/XB); reformulated by the Commission at its fifty-fourth session to: Workshop on environmental management of mineral resources development (1999) (RB/XB)			Workshop on industrial minerals and offshore aggregates (1999) (RB/XB)	Workshop proposed on industrial minerals and offshore aggregates in Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with the World Bank, the Department of International Development of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Coordinating Committee for Coastal and Offshore Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP).
	Subtotal	3	-	4
Subprogramme 5: Poverty alleviation: social development
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
3. Mandated non-recurrent publications:
5-2-310	Review of the status of sexually abused and exploited children and youth and their access to social, health and other HRD services (1999) (RB/XB)			Review of the status of sexually abused and exploited children and youth and their access to social, health and other human resources development (HRD) services (3 in 1999) (RB/XB)	In addition to a regional synthesis report, separate reports will be issued for country studies in the South Asian subregion and the Greater Mekong subregion. XB funds are available for this purpose from bilateral donors.
7. Booklets, pamphlets, fact sheets, wall charts, information kits:
			5-2-707 Information materials to support implementation of the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2 in 1999) (XB)		The information materials will support the efforts of ESCAP members and associate members in the second half of the Decade to strengthen disability-related national coordination and to implement the Seoul Proposals for the Second Half of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, endorsed by the Commission at its fifty-fourth session. These efforts will be in consonance with the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, and in follow-up to paragraph 2 (a) of Commission resolution 54/1 on strengthening regional support for persons with disabilities into the twenty-first century, calling upon ESCAP members and associate members to intensify action towards the fulfilment of implementation targets. XB funds are available from bilateral donors.
IV. Technical cooperation (RB/XB)
2. Group training (seminars, workshops, symposia):
5-4-206	Subregional ESCAP HRD courses for social service personnel from centres of excellence in South Asia and Indo-China (2 in 1999) (RB/XB)			Subregional ESCAP HRD course for social service personnel from centres of excellence in South Asia and Indo-China (1999) (RB/XB)	As a cost-saving measure, the two courses will be merged into one for participants from both South Asia and Indo-China.
5-4-210	National ESCAP HRD courses for social service personnel from centres of excellence (4 in 1999) (RB/XB)			ESCAP national HRD workshops on sexual abuse and exploitation among youth (12 in 1999) (RB/XB)	All 12 participating countries in the regional project have requested that the national workshops be held. XB funds are also available for this purpose from bilateral donors.
			5-4-215 Regional meeting on education for children and youth with disabilities into the twenty-first century (1999) (RB/XB)		In paragraph 4 (d) (i) of resolution 54/1 on strengthening regional support for persons with disabilities into the twenty-first century, the Commission called upon the Executive Secretary to organize a regional meeting in 1999 on education and technology for the specific needs of disabled children and youth. The proposed activity will cover the technology aspects of education for the target beneficiaries. XB funds are available for this purpose from a bilateral donor.
			5-4-216 Regional meeting on meeting the targets of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons and equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities in the ESCAP region (1999) (RB/XB)		In paragraph 4 (d) (ii) of resolution 54/1 on strengthening regional support for persons with disabilities into the twenty-first century, the Commission called upon the Executive Secretary to organize a regional meeting in 1999 on implementation of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and fulfilment of the Decade targets. XB funds are being sought for this purpose.
	Subtotal	-	3	3
Subprogramme 6: Poverty alleviation: rural and urban development
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
4. Discretionary non-recurrent publications:
6-2-402	Strengthening of credit institutions for rural poverty alleviation (1998) (RB/XB)	X			Lack of XB resources.
III. International cooperation and inter-agency coordination and liaison (RB/XB)
6-3-008	Collaboration in organizing the IFA/FADINAP (International Fertilizer Industry Association/ Fertilizer Advisory, Development and Information Network for Asia and the Pacific) regional conference on plant nutrients for Asia and the Pacific (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)	X			Lack of XB resources.
IV. Technical cooperation (RB/XB)
1. Advisory services at the request of the governments:
6-4-102	Information management advisory missions on agro-chemicals (3 in 1998, 3 in 1999) (RB/XB)	X			Instead of advisory services, more group training activities are proposed under 6-4-219 in response to training needs of government organizations.
2. Group training (seminars, workshops, symposia):
6-4-203	Participatory group activities and employment promotion through market-oriented projects (16 in 1998, 16 in 1999) (RB/XB)			Participatory group activities and employment promotion through market-oriented projects (8 in 1998)	One national training seminar in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and six national evaluation seminars in Bhutan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines and Thailand complete the first seven outputs for 1998. The regional evaluation seminar on poverty alleviation through market-generated rural employment, held in November 1998, completed all training and seminar outputs for this project. Twenty-four more outputs were originally planned to accommodate a follow-up project which is not yet funded. Therefore it is proposed that these outputs be deleted.
6-4-210	Seminar on fertilizer policy issues (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)			Seminar on fertilizer policy issues (1998, 2 in 1999) (RB/XB)	To respond to the increased interest of participating countries in the project. XB funds are available for this purpose from a bilateral donor.
6-4-219	Workshop on agro-chemical information management (1998) (RB/XB)			Workshops on agro-chemical information management (6 in 1998, 2 in 1999) (RB/XB)	To respond to the training needs of government organizations. XB funds are available for this purpose from a bilateral donor.
6-4-2211	Land management for equitable access to land [postponed from 1996-1997] (1998) (RB/XB)	X			Lack of XB resources.
	Subtotal	4	-	3
Subprogramme 7: Poverty alleviation: population and development
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
4. Discretionary non-recurrent publications:
7-2-401	Family support and community services for the benefit of older persons (3 in 1998, 3 in 1999) (RB/XB)			Family support and community services for the benefit of older persons (2 in 1999) (RB/XB)	In pursuance of the Commission's directive that the ESCAP publications programme be streamlined, three publications originally programmed for 1998 will be combined into one publication, entitled "The family and older persons in China, Indonesia and Thailand" and published in 1999. The three publications programmed for 1999 will also be combined into one publication, entitled "The family and older persons in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka".
7-2-403	Female migration, employment, family formation and poverty (1998) (RB/XB)	X			This publication is proposed for deletion as the input will be incorporated in another related publication, entitled "A demographic perspective on women in development in South-East Asia" (1999) (RB/XB) (7-2-407).
7-2-404	Globalization and population change (2 in 1999) (RB/XB)			Globalization and population change (1999) (RB/XB)	One publication originally programmed as the output of the ad hoc expert group meeting on globalization and population change (7-1-302) will not be published.
7-2-408	A demographic perspective on women in development in South Asia (1999) (RB/XB)	X			This activity is proposed for deletion owing to the unavailability of XB funds. The RB resources programmed for this activity will be utilized for the implementation of the two additional activities being proposed: one regional training workshop and one regional seminar for 1999 under output 7-4-202.
IV. Technical cooperation (RB/XB)
2. Group training (seminars, workshops, symposia):
7-4-202	Regional seminar on monitoring and evaluation systems for reproductive health and family planning (1998) (RB/XB)			Regional seminars on monitoring and evaluation systems for reproductive health and family planning (1 in 1998, 2 in 1999) (RB/XB)	Two additional regional seminars are proposed for 1999 at the secretariat's initiative as the activities of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) project on strengthening performance monitoring and evaluation systems for measuring the progress of reproductive health and family planning programmes.
7-4-211	Policy seminar on gender dimensions of population and development in South Asia (1999) (RB/XB)			Training workshop on interpretation and analysis of population data for assessing the gender dimension of population and development (1999) (RB/XB)	It is proposed to reformulate this programme activity from a policy seminar to a training workshop with the support of UNFPA in order to serve the needs of member countries.
	Subtotal	2	-	4
Subprogramme 8: Transport and communications
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
1. Mandated recurrent publications:
8-2-103	ESCAP Tourism Newsletter (2 in 1998, 2 in 1999) (RB/XB)			ESCAP Tourism Newsletter (1998, 1999)	The Committee on Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development, at its first session in November 1998, endorsed reduction of the frequency of publication of this newsletter from biannual to annual.
2. Discretionary recurrent publications:
8-2-201	Infrastructure Newsletter for Asia and the Pacific (2 in 1998, 2 in 1999) (RB/XB)	X			This discretionary publication has not been included in the programme of work, 2000-2001 taking into account the exhortation of the General Assembly as well as that of the Commission to limit the number of publications. In view of the above, it is proposed to delete this publication from the current programme of work.
3. Mandated non-recurrent publications:
8-2-308	Methodologies for minimizing the environmental costs of damage caused by road transport (1999) (RB/XB)			Methodologies for minimizing the environmental damage caused by road transport (1999) (RB/XB)	The Committee on Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development, at its first session in November 1998, endorsed the modification of the title to reflect the nature and scope of the study more accurately.
			8-2-317 Strategy/ guidelines for upgrading the Asian Highway routes (1999) (RB/XB)		The Committee on Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development, at its first session in November 1998, requested the secretariat to undertake this study. XB funds are available from a bilateral donor.
5. Electronic, audio and video issuances, including films, videotapes, radio broadcasts, tapes of news, documentary and feature programmes:
8-2-502	ESCAP Homepage on the Asia Infrastructure Development Alliance on the World Wide Web (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)	X			It is proposed to delete the development of a homepage as the Asia Infrastructure Development Alliance could not obtain funding support for its operationalization.
8. Technical material for outside users (databases, software etc.):
8-2-801	ESCAP database on infrastructure in the Asian and Pacific region (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)			ESCAP databases on: (a) Asian Highway; and (b) road safety (2 in 1999)	It is proposed that the title be reformulated to reflect the nature and scope of the databases more accurately.
IV. Technical cooperation (RB/XB)
2. Group training (seminars, workshops, symposia):
8-4-201	Seminars/workshops on transport infrastructure development and facilitation (1998, 1999) (RB/XB)			Seminars/ workshops on transport infrastructure development, facilitation, freight forwarding and multimodal transport (1998, 1999)	The Committee on Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development, at its first session in November 1998, endorsed the modification of the title of the seminars/workshops to reflect the nature and scope of the activities more accurately.
	Subtotal	2	1	4
Subprogramme 9: Statistics
II. Other substantive activities (RB/XB)
1. Mandated recurrent publications:
9-2-104	Foreign Trade Statistics of Asia and the Pacific (1998, 1999) (RB)			Foreign Trade Statistics of Asia and the Pacific (1999) (RB)	Data for the publication scheduled for 1998 to be merged with the publication scheduled for 1999. RB staff constraints owing to the prolonged vacancy situation in the Division.
	Subtotal	-	-	1

1. OES/ACPR/1166 and OES/ACPR/1171, respectively.