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GENERAL
E/ESCAP/1195/Add.2
25 April 2000
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Fifty-sixth session
1-7 June 2000
Bangkok

ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES DESIGNATED BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

(Item 11 of the provisional agenda)

REPORT OF THE OPEN-ENDED INFORMAL WORKING GROUP OF ACPR, JUNE 1999-MARCH 2000

Addendum

I. BACKGROUND

1. In its report to the Commission at its fifty-fifth session, held at Bangkok in 1999, the Advisory Committee of Permanent Representatives and Other Representatives Designated by Members of the Commission (ACPR) noted with satisfaction the progress made in the implementation of reforms pursuant to mandates given by the Economic and Social Council and the Commission, and recognized that current budgetary constraints increased the need to intensify efforts to provide focus in the programme of work and to determine strategic directions for further activities. The Advisory Committee discussed areas that required immediate action within the context of the ongoing reform of ESCAP. It decided to submit four recommendations to the Commission. The recommendations, as contained in document E/ESCAP/1151/Add.1, were as follows:

(a) To improve the mechanism within the secretariat for appraising the timely and full implementation of Commission resolutions, to review existing mandates with a view to ascertaining their continuing relevance and to report regularly to ACPR and the Commission on the benefits and performance appraisals of the activities undertaken;

(b) To strengthen the capacity of the secretariat to review, on a continuous basis, the effectiveness of the activities of ESCAP;

(c) To explore ways and means to improve the visibility of the work and activities of the Commission, by disseminating information on the results and benefits through all available means, including better use of the media, and in a clear and concise manner;

(d) To further strengthen cooperation with other United Nations bodies, funds and programmes, and other regional and subregional organizations active in the Asian and Pacific region, in order to enhance the impact of each other's activities.

2. As the Commission supported the above recommendations, the Advisory Committee decided to reconvene the Open-ended Informal Working Group (IWG) to assist in its work. IWG met on a monthly basis from June 1999 to March 2000. Following the organizational meetings in June 1999 and a meeting in July 1999 chaired by Mr Eiichi Kawahara, the meetings were chaired by Mr Anuson Chinvanno. Under his chairmanship, IWG discussed the process of planning, and appraisal of the implementation of Commission mandates by the secretariat; improvement in the visibility of the work and activities of the Commission; and the strengthening of cooperation with other United Nations bodies and entities. It also examined the major constraints in the implementation process and made recommendations on measures to address those constraints.

II. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

A. Planning process

3. The secretariat's presentations on the planning and implementation of the programme of work had assisted the representatives to understand more fully the United Nations process and how specific activities had been developed in response to mandates. It was felt that periodic briefings on the planning process, and on the work and achievements of ESCAP should continue to be conducted. The United Nations medium-term plans and programme budgets were set in advance. For ESCAP, the process was initiated about two and a half years before the start of a medium-term plan cycle, and about a year and a half before a biennial programme budget cycle. The secretariat identified emerging issues during the implementation of its programme of work and, based on the advice and guidance of governments on priority concerns in the region, adjusted the programme as it was executed. IWG held the view that the planning capacity of the secretariat should be enhanced and that increased participation of ACPR in the planning process should be encouraged.

B. Time frame for the planning process

4. The time frame imposed on the secretariat by the planning process in the United Nations necessitated a planning exercise spanning up to six years. This covered the period of inception, planning, formulation and adoption of the medium-term plan covering a four-year period, and two biennial programmes of work within each medium-term plan period. It was, therefore, necessary to be flexible and even general at the initial stages, although specific outputs reflecting mandates in Commission resolutions and decisions should be incorporated to facilitate resource mobilization.

C. Sources of mandates

5. When developing the programme of work for a biennium, the overall objectives contained in the medium-term plan had to be taken into account, as well as other mandates received from the Commission or under global requirements. The mandates included resolutions, decisions or general observations or comments made during the sessions of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies. The secretariat translated those mandates into activities in a number of prescribed ways. The regional commissions were also responsible for translating and implementing activities called for under global mandates. In each biennium there was also a particular focus on activities responding to important current and emerging issues and follow-up of prior activities, aimed at maintaining continuity for the replication of success. In some areas, trends were evident and in those cases, resolutions assisted the secretariat in mobilizing the resources that were necessary to ensure that the operational elements were accomplished. Importantly, resolutions could play a catalytic role in strengthening the secretariat's mandates and they contributed substantially to regional cooperation in the implementation process.

6. There are three general categories of mandates:

(a) Activity specific (for example, trade fairs). These are fully implemented when the activity is completed;

(b) Area specific (geographical) and mandate-specific. These are specific follow-up activities to be implemented within a specific time frame;

(c) Omnibus type. These are general declarations with several components concerning a subject area. They are without specific time frames and are ongoing in nature.

D. Enhancing the validity of mandates

7. In the programme planning and budget framework, only mandates adopted within five years of the planning exercise were used, except in case of the omnibus type mandates. For example, mandates for the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific and international decades were not renewed and discussions or related decisions at the annual sessions of the Commission were sufficient for those purposes. As the sessions of the Commission were held annually and the review of the implementation of the programme or work was always included in the agenda, there was ample opportunity to review the activities of the secretariat and for governments to convey their changing needs and priorities and to take decisions on the programmed outputs and activities.

8. IWG, however, noted that the mandates contained in some resolutions did not have explicit completion dates and were generic in nature, resulting in activities continuing over a considerable period of time without satisfactory conclusion. While internal review by the secretariat was conducted as a matter of course during the planning and preparation of the medium-term plan and during the implementation of the programme of work, IWG held the view that the dates for the review of activities should be stipulated clearly in the texts of mandates. It was also noted that while the secretariat could plan and mobilize funds for the activities in the approved programme of work, additional topics raised at Commission or Committee sessions often required additional personnel or funding resources and could result in the termination of some mandated activities in the approved programme of work. Feedback from interested member States, particularly those benefiting from the activities, should be forthcoming in the review of implementation of work at the legislative committee level. The review process could also be an opportunity for governments to reiterate their interest in activities, articulate the benefits derived from them, and exhibit commitment to those activities.

9. IWG noted the advantages and disadvantages of generic mandates. Such mandates allowed flexibility to cover emerging regional issues. They could be adapted to suit changing priorities within the region (for example, the recent economic crisis). Furthermore, general resolutions concerning disadvantaged groups of countries were useful as they clearly signalled the country groups accorded priority by the secretariat. However, there was a need to review the content of such resolutions on a regular basis to ensure the continuing relevance of requested activities. Such reviews could be related to those mandated by major international conferences concerned with special country groups (such as the UNCTAD least developed countries conferences, sustainable development of small island developing states conferences, and special bodies). The contents of such mandates should be general enough to cover changing priorities and allow for demand-driven activities.

10. The Commission and its subsidiary legislative committees were the appropriate bodies for the review of ESCAP mandates and its programme of work. Reports of committees and their endorsement by the Commission could give further guidance on the mandates, strategic directions, and prioritization of the expressed needs and required responses. Moreover, IWG held the view that a critical internal review and assessment of each operational subprogramme within the secretariat could be conducted more effectively by using indicators such as the following:

(a) The support given to particular subprogrammes/projects as expressed by statements of member States at intergovernmental forums and legislative committees;

(b) The number of written requests received by specific subprogrammes/projects for the provision of technical assistance;

(d) The amount of funds provided to a specific subprogramme by the United Nations agencies/bodies for project implementation (which could indicate the leading role of ESCAP and the effectiveness of programme coordination by ESCAP);

(e) The feedback on evaluation questionnaires on the effectiveness/usefulness of specific ESCAP activities, including meetings and publications. In that connection, the results of such feedback should be reported annually to ESCAP members and associate members.

E. Enhancing visibility

11. IWG noted the urgent necessity of identifying target groups for interaction with a view to increasing awareness of ESCAP.

12. IWG considered the ESCAP web page to be an important medium for improving both the visibility and transparency of ESCAP activities. It was of the opinion that additions needed to be made to the web page on both the factual and promotional fronts, including deeper coverage of the important areas of ESCAP work. IWG stressed the importance of updating the web page at regular intervals. It was found that greater coordination was needed between the United Nations Information Services (UNIS) and the substantive divisions in obtaining relevant and up-to-date inputs for posting on the web page.

13. The involvement and interest of the press in the activities of ESCAP was of crucial importance and regular press briefings and issuance of press releases on the major work and activities of the substantive divisions would attract more publicity for the Commission.

14. IWG attached importance to the partnership programme and considered it crucial for ESCAP to forge close relations with the press and the media and United Nations information centres in the region, as well as United Nations associations in various member States, especially when budgetary limitations were the main constraints.

15. It was recognized that the ESCAP flagship publication, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific had commanded wide press coverage in Bangkok and major cities in other parts of the world, but there was room for improvement in enhancing information dissemination.

16. When considering ways of improving the visibility of ESCAP technical assistance projects/activities, IWG suggested some rethinking should be done on how to conceive projects in a more integrated and focused manner.

F. Strengthening cooperation with other bodies

17. Due to time constraints, IWG focused on cooperation within the United Nations system. In this regard, IWG emphasized that ESCAP, as a regional commission, was mandated as the team leader for social and economic development in the Asian and Pacific region. The Regional Inter-agency Committee for Asia and the Pacific (RICAP) had been established in 1994 as a forum for the review of regional programmes and the work and priorities of the respective agencies/organizations, in order to minimize overlapping and to adopt a collaborative approach to programme implementation. IWG noted that RICAP was one of the established mechanisms within the Asian and Pacific region for identifying ways of improving coordination between the respective agencies and programmes. IWG made some recommendations in that regard. However, IWG also noted that each United Nations agency was different from the other and had been established for a different purpose. Therefore the comparative advantages of the various agencies would have to be emphasized as would the value added from the agencies participating in those activities.

18. IWG expressed concern that while the close working relationship between UNDP and ESCAP continued, UNDP had shifted its core resource support for regional programmes away from ESCAP.

III. PROPOSALS FOR ADDRESSING THE FOUR RECOMMENDATIONS

19. In the light of the above findings and conclusions, IWG made the following proposals for further action in addressing the four recommendations.

(a) Proposals on strengthening the implementation of mandates and the effectiveness of related activities

(1) Diminishing regular budget resources. Fuller discussion on the mandates and proposed programme of work needed to be undertaken. It was essential that requested activities correspond to the medium-term plan. Additional mandates over and above the approved programme of work needed to be accompanied by the provision of adequate resources, where necessary. Activities in the programme of work should be related to specific mandates and should add value and not duplicate the efforts of other agencies and programmes working in the region. Rather, such activities should strengthen collaboration with them.

(2) Time frame for implementation of resolutions. Resolutions adopted in the future should, to the extent possible and feasible, contain specific time frames for implementation, monitoring and review to ascertain any need to refocus, reformulate, or even terminate if found no longer valid or relevant to the current situation in the region. Existing mandates needed to be reviewed to establish time frames for completion, if appropriate.

(3) Implementing capacity. When proposing and adopting resolutions, governments should pay attention to the implementation capacity of the secretariat with regard to staff resources and the availability of funding. A statement of programme budget implications is given at the time of the consideration of draft resolutions. Such information is provided for the review and reference of governments in their decisions on the resolution. While new resolutions provide a way to bring emerging and urgent matters into the programme of work and when additional regular budget resources are not available, there is a need to provide other additional resources or to reallocate existing resources to undertake new work requested, since regular budget resources would have already been committed for the approved programme of work in accordance with the United Nations planning process. Governments also need to consider and decide on outdated activities which can be deleted and on the re-prioritization of mandated activities. If extrabudgetary funding is required, the interested governments should make some form of commitment.

(4) Vacancies. ESCAP should improve its plan for staffing, such as through succession planning and decreasing the time for recruitment. In view of the fact that a large number of Professional staff from the United Nations secretariat, including ESCAP, will reach retirement age in the next five years, there was immediate need for ESCAP to formulate a succession plan for the medium term. Where posts could not be filled by internal candidates, efforts should not be spared to identify and attract qualified external candidates, in keeping with United Nations procedures and guidelines.

(5) Technical assistance projects. The planning and funding process for extrabudgetary projects should be demand driven and directed at identified priorities to ensure that the expressed needs of members of the Commission and intended beneficiaries were addressed and that assistance was timely and relevant. Governments should be closely associated with the planning process and development of the programme of work and its implementation in the secretariat, in addressing the priorities and urgent needs identified. To ascertain their benefits and results, it was proposed that all technical assistance projects should include adequate budget provision for an evaluation component to assess the results and to ensure that resources had been used for the intended purposes.

(b) Proposals on improving the process of review of the activities of ESCAP

(6) Strengthening evaluation processes. Evaluation processes could be improved by:

(a) Enhancing the objectivity in the evaluation and assessment process by involving independent evaluators and highlighting not only the achievements, but also the constraints and shortcomings experienced by the secretariat in the implementation of activities/projects/programmes and their results;

(b) Ascertaining the usefulness of outputs produced and services rendered by the secretariat through regular review and assessment based on direct feedback from the end-users;

(c) Highlighting how the monitoring and evaluation findings, and the conclusions and recommendations were used internally by the secretariat;

(d) Making available to member and associate member Governments information on the lessons learned for the purposes of improving programme performance as well as future planning of the programme of work.

(7) Government participation and feedback. Governments should actively assist in setting criteria for the assessment and evaluation of activities and provide the resources that are necessary for those purposes. Member States, through their participating agencies, legislative committees, ACPR and the Commission, should also support evaluation activities by participating in evaluation exercises, including responding to questionnaires and surveys used to assess the effectiveness of programmed activities and services such as meetings, training workshops and publications. Information on the work and achievements of ESCAP could also be disseminated to and by member States.

(8) Setting priorities and strategic direction. Given the multiple requests and resource constraints, the Commission needs to specify actively and explicitly the priority needs and set the strategic direction for the ESCAP programme of work. For example, priorities of least developed countries and other special groups needed to be conveyed appropriately, such as through attendance at meetings of the special bodies. Members should be encouraged to provide comments/feedback on ACPR decisions and other documents, even if they had been unable to attend the meetings.

(9) Consistent directives. It was also necessary to reflect consistency in the directives given by government representatives in different forums of the United Nations (such as the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Committee for Programme and Coordination etc.) and of United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, and funding programmes (such as UNCTAD, UNDP and the World Bank).

(c) Proposals on improving the visibility of the work and activities of the Commission

(10) The ESCAP web page. The web page played a very important part in giving visibility to ESCAP work. In recognizing this, IWG considered it essential that the web page should be updated regularly. The following should be included and updated on a regular basis:

(a) Charts on the organizational and the subsidiary structures of ESCAP;

(b) Information documents provided by the divisions to ACPR and to IWG, on their work functions;

(d) Press releases.

(11) Webmaster's post. If the work on the web site was to be dependable, up-to-date, and successful, the post of full-time webmaster should be established. ESCAP was urged to request the requisite budgetary provision from Headquarters.

(12) Publicity through the press and the media. While recognizing the difficulties, including budgetary constraints, IWG considered that UNIS should intensify its efforts to promote public awareness by exploring ways and means to enhance the visibility of the work and activities of ESCAP, including the development of new and innovative publicity campaigns. The secretariat should consider the following suggestions:

(a) In trying to improve the access of ESCAP to the press and the media, due attention should be given to those media specialized in specific issues covered by ESCAP;

(b) High profile celebrities, personalities and eminent persons associated with the work could play a crucial role in promoting understanding of and support for the Commission's activities. Accordingly, interviews with such celebrities could naturally draw upon the press and media coverage of those ESCAP activities, in which they were participating;

(c) UNIS could take advantage of the presence of personalities who were visiting Bangkok by organizing interviews with them by the local press which could then be encouraged to continue to carry such columns on ESCAP activities on a regular basis. The permanent representatives of ESCAP would also be able to assist in identifying and facilitating such interviews;

(d) Another mechanism for publicity included the issuance of press releases that focused more on the benefits and outcome of the work being done by ESCAP;

(e) IWG held the view that not enough attention had been given by the press to the annual sessions of the Commission. Press coverage could be found on the commencement of the sessions, but not on the meetings of the sessions. In order to attract the attention of the people in the region at large and to promote more visibility of ESCAP activities through the press and the media, future sessions of the Commission could be held in other member countries from time to time, say, once every three or four years;

(f) Stickers, bookmarks and posters could, at the same time, provide publicity for the ESCAP web site.

(13) Partnership programme:

(a) UNICs of the countries of the region should be urged to intensify their dissemination of information to the press and the media on the objectives and purposes of ESCAP missions to those countries. Through the partnership programme, the Centres should foster closer relationships with the local institutions, such as universities, academic and research institutions and the United Nations associations to explore ways to cooperate translating information material into local languages. Their cooperation could also be enlisted in the dissemination of these materials to the local people at large, drawing upon their interests for better results and visibility;

(b) ESCAP could solicit the cooperation of its counterpart agencies in the region in an effort to promote the usefulness and uniqueness of ESCAP activities by providing them with substantive inputs and information;

(c) IWG recommended that the partnership network and the press should also be mobilized for publicizing other major activities of the secretariat, such as the Commission sessions, and the ministerial conferences organized by ESCAP;

(d) Those counterpart agencies should be urged to nominate prominent personalities and eminent persons to open and participate in the high-level intergovernmental meetings and other important events of ESCAP in order to attract publicity and enhance visibility through the press and the media.

(14) Brochures. To further enhance the dissemination of information, brief brochures, highlighting the main points, or "sound bites", of important major studies and publications could be prepared and circulated, with the objective of focusing on facts that could be quoted easily by journalists.

(15) Improving the visibility of ESCAP technical assistance projects/activities:

(a) Some rethinking was needed on how to conceive projects in a more integrated and focused manner. Projects should be sharper in focus and efforts taken by the secretariat to generate more effective visibility of ongoing activities at the regional, subregional, national and local levels during the implementation of the project;

(b) Focused brochures with visuals on ESCAP success stories and projects could be disseminated through closer liaison between UNIS and the substantive divisions.

(d) Proposals on strengthening cooperation with other United Nations bodies and entities

(16) Enhancing the effectiveness of RICAP:

(a) There should be more interaction between RICAP and its subcommittees and ESCAP legislative committees to lessen duplication of activities;

(b) Familiarity with the programmes of other United Nations agencies and organizations as well as their respective comparative advantages and areas of competence was useful and beneficial in minimizing duplication and overlapping of work;

(c) There should be more interaction between RICAP and its subcommittees and ACPR. ACPR should be informed of RICAP meetings so that representatives could be updated on vital coordination issues and inform their respective governments of the results of those discussions. Reports of meetings of RICAP and its subcommittees should be provided to ACPR members;

(d) Joint programming with other agencies could be undertaken together with a more coordinated approach on some specific agenda items;

(e) More effort was needed to increase coordination in programming and implementation, especially where two or more agencies had mutual concerns or could potentially multiply synergies;

(f) Governments should take care to reflect consistency in directives by their representatives in different forums of the United Nations system, taking into consideration the mandates and expected role of the United Nations bodies and specialized agencies where they are members.