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I. INTRODUCTION
The current medium-term plan of the United
Nations encompasses the period 1992-1997. The
medium-term plan is the organization's basic
strategy document, which is expected to reflect
the aspirations of the Member States in guiding
the work of the Secretariat and serve as a framework
for the biennial programme budget. However,
recently the usefulness of the plan has been
called into question both within the Secretariat
and among the Member States. At the forty-ninth
session of the General Assembly in 1994, the
Secretary-General presented a report submitting
a prototype of a new format of the medium-term
plan covering the period 1998-2001. That report,
which was prepared in response to earlier resolutions
and decisions of the General Assembly on the
review of the efficiency of the administrative
and financial functioning of the United Nations,
proposed that the current medium-term plan be
replaced by a document containing a perspective
and a programme framework.
For ESCAP, the exercise of preparing the proposed
medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001 was
initiated in the secretariat in April 1995.
As part of that exercise, the Conveners of the
Working Groups on each of the six subprogrammes
of ESCAP organized meetings for consultations,
drafting and review of the proposed subprogramme
plans. Subsequently the Programme Management
Division of ESCAP reviewed and consolidated
the overall draft medium-term plan in consultation
with the Conveners of the Working Groups. The
plan was considered and endorsed by the Advisory
Committee of Permanent Representatives and other
Representative Designated by Members of the
Commission (ACPR) at its hundred and ninety-ninth
session at Bangkok on 21 November 1995, and
subsequently submitted to the Controller of
the United Nations. The proposed medium-term
plan will be reviewed by the ESCAP Commission
in April 1996. The medium-term plan of the entire
secretariat of the United Nations will be submitted
to the General Assembly in 1996.
As the Working Group may know, the programme
of work of ESCAP has been formulated along thematic
lines since 1994. The 1996-1997 biennium is
thus the second where such an orientation is
being pursued. The same thematic approach has
been maintained in the Medium-term Plan for
the period 1998-2001. Accordingly, while the
statistics subprogramme will provide support
for the implementation of all other subprogrammes,
various objectives of the different subprogrammes
also require attention to statistical concerns.
For instance, attention to the collection, analysis
and dissemination of data and information on
the environment and natural resources as well
as environmentally sound technologies has been
emphasized in subprogramme 2 on Environment
and Sustainable Development. Similarly, one
of the objectives of subprogramme 3 on Poverty
Alleviation through Economic Growth and Social
Development is to formulate appropriate responses
to issues related to poverty, population and
development; this objective will be achieved,
among other things, through the improvement
of statistical capabilities and information
systems on poverty-related issues. Efforts will
also be made in subprogramme 6 (on Least Developed,
Land-locked and Island Developing Countries)
to strengthen the present weak information and
statistical base through assistance to improve
the statistical capability of the target countries
to identify, collect, process, analyse and utilize
data needed for their economic and social development.
This document has been submitted for the information
of the Working Group and for it to take note
that the Commission session in April 1996 provides
an opportunity for the Member States in the
region to review the proposed medium-term plan.
Relevant excerpts of the plan are being presented
in this document: the text of the programme
narrative for the whole of ESCAP is given in
section II below, in order to give an overall
perspective, while section III contains the
part of the plan concerning the subprogramme
on statistics. Other subprogramme narratives
also mention statistical concerns, as noted
in the previous paragraph.
II. PROGRAMME NARRATIVE
PROGRAMME 13. REGIONAL
COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA AND THE
PACIFIC
Mandates that provide
overall direction
13.1 The legislative authority of programme
13 derives from the terms of reference of the
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific as adopted by the Economic and Social
Council at its fourth session, amended by the
Council at subsequent sessions, and taking into
account, among others, various General Assembly
resolutions as well as ESCAP resolutions 47/3
and 48/2. The Commission formulates policies,
programmes and strategies for the overall economic
and social development of the Asian and Pacific
region and provides inputs for the global policy-making
processes of the organization. The Commission's
subsidiary bodies review its substantive activities
during their regular sessions and make recommendations
to the Commission for its consideration and
endorsement. The Advisory Committee of Permanent
Representatives and other Members designated
by the Commission advises and assists the Executive
Secretary in drawing up proposals for the medium-term
plan, programme budgets and work priorities,
and in monitoring and evaluating the implementation
of ESCAP's programme of work.
Broad approach to be
followed
13.2 The Commission will remain the
only forum in which all countries of the region,
at present containing some 58 per cent of the
world's population, can participate unconditionally
on an equal footing. The Commission's overall
objective is to respond more effectively to
the changing needs of its members and associate
members in the light of the emerging priorities
for economic and social development, and the
changing scope of regional and international
cooperation. To attain this objective, the Commission
will continue to focus on three major themes
namely, (1) regional economic cooperation, with
particular reference to the role of macroeconomic
variables, trade, industry, investment, and
technology transfer; (2) environment and sustainable
development that seeks to contain environmental
degradation and emphasizes sound management
and sustainable use of non-renewable resources;
and (3) poverty alleviation through economic
growth and social development, including human
resources development. In addition there will
remain a special programme for the least developed,
land-locked, and island developing countries,
a transport and communications programme that
seeks to assist in the expansion, upgrading
and maintenance, primarily of the transport
and communications infrastructure, to facilitate
accelerated development of individual economies,
and a statistics programme to provide support
for the implementation of all other programmes,
and to promote development of sustained statistical
capabilities in the countries of the region.
13.3 During the medium-term plan period, the
Commission will further strengthen its role
as the United Nations' focal point within the
region for international cooperation for development
through hands-on and concrete assistance to
countries in implementing the recommendations
of major conferences on development, and serving
as an institutional mechanism that brings together
regional and global concerns. Efforts towards
attaining a unified and effective United Nations
systemwide approach to regional development
will also be intensified, especially through
the Regional Inter-Agency Committee for Asia
and the Pacific (RICAP), and the sub-committees
thereunder.
Overall results to
be accomplished during the four-year period
13.4 The Commission will accomplish the programme's
objectives by utilizing its multi-disciplinary
capability: to undertake investigations and
studies of priority economic and social problems;
to assist the Economic and Social Council, at
its request, in discharging its functions within
the region: by providing direct advisory services
at the request of countries, by initiating training
and skill development; pooling of regional experience
within the framework of technical cooperation
among developing countries; facilitating information
exchange through meetings, publications and
intercountry networks; overseeing regional research
and training institutions in such fields as
specialized agro-economic research, population
and development, statistics and technology transfer;
and through the promotion of development assistance
activities and projects commensurate with the
priorities of the region. It is anticipated
that these activities will enhance economic
growth and regional economic cooperation, promote
social equity and the sound management and sustainable
use of natural resources, and human resources
development.
Accountability and responsibility
13.5 The Executive Secretary of ESCAP, and
the heads of division reporting to him, will
be responsible and accountable for the cost-effective
management of the human, financial and other
resources allotted to the programme, the competent
performance of mandates, and the achievement
of the strategic imperatives of the work programme.
In line with the reorientation of ESCAP's work
programme to a thematic approach as described
above, each substantive division will contribute
equitably towards the joint attainment of subprogramme
objectives. The conveners of the inter-divisional
thematic working groups as designated by the
Executive Secretary, will coordinate and be
held accountable for the integrated implementation
of the programme of work for their respective
subprogrammes.
III. SUBPROGRAMME
5. STATISTICS
13.32 The secretariat has played an important
role in facilitating the development of national
statistical capabilities in the Asia-Pacific
region and in disseminating social and economic
data on the regional members and associate members
of the Commission. During the plan period, the
secretariat will continue to assist the Committee
on Statistics in fulfilling its role as the
focus of regional statistical development and
in promoting its ownership of the subprogramme's
activities. The secretariat initiatives will
take due account of the different stages of
statistical development and the special needs
of various groupings among the countries of
the region, with particular attention being
given to the least developed countries and the
disadvantaged economies in transition. Close
collaboration and cooperation will be maintained
with relevant international organizations to
promote improved coordination of technical assistance
in statistics.
13.33 Under subprogramme 5, one major aim
will be to assist the countries of the region
in achieving or making further progress towards
sustained national statistical capabilities
for the purposes of informed policy making,
planning, programme implementation and monitoring
of progress. The secretariat seeks to accomplish
this objective by maintaining and if possible
increasing the momentum of capacity building
activities in various fields of statistics,
while special attention will be paid to contemporary
policy issues and the themes of the Commission.
Greater emphasis will be placed on skills development,
especially through support to the statistical
training programmes of the Statistical Institute
for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP), and on the
exchange of information and experiences through
appropriate programmes of technical assistance,
training and research. In the implementation
of the subprogramme, greater recognition will
be explicitly given to the growing competencies
of the countries themselves in contributing
to capability-building activities.
13.34 The second objective of the subprogramme
will be to widen the scope and improve the accessibility
and international comparability of the statistical
information compiled and disseminated by the
secretariat, taking into account user demands.
To this end the secretariat will focus on greater
use of electronic technology in the acquisition
and provision of data and information, and on
reducing the response burden of countries. The
major means will be the maintenance and further
development of the ESCAP Statistical Information
System (ESIS) as a comprehensive regional socio-economic
databank.
13.35 The third objective of the subprogramme
will be to strengthen the role of the countries
of the region in the development of international
standards, the use of improved methodology for
data collection, processing and analysis, and
the greater utilization of statistics. To realize
this aim, and in concert with the recommendations
of the United Nations Statistical Commission,
the secretariat will initiate and coordinate
at the regional level the development, revision,
testing and implementation of selected international
statistical standards, and where necessary,
their adaptation to meet the conditions and
needs of the countries of the region.
13.36 The fourth objective of the subprogramme
will be to promote information technology applications
and information resource management in the region,
especially in the public sector. The secretariat
will contribute by conducting studies, issuing
guidelines, and disseminating technical information
to promote enhanced understanding of the role
of information technology.
13.37 The convener of the inter-divisional
working group for this subprogramme will coordinate
and be held accountable for the integrated implementation
of the work programme.
Subprogramme 5. Statistics
List of relevant
resolutions
ECOSOC resolutions
1993/5 1993 System of National Accounts
1995/7 2000 World Population and Housing Census
Programme
1995/61 The need to Harmonize and Improve
United Nations Information Systems for Optimal
Utilization and Accessibility by All States
Commission resolutions
246(XLII) Statistical services in Asia and
the Pacific
A number of decisions of the Statistical Commission
also give guidance for planning the subprogramme.
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