ECO/ETC/1/5

Appre ciating the assistance given by the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of the Netherlands in financing economic and technical co

operation among developing countries activities and thereby promoting interregional co-operation,

Conscious of the limitations imposed on the development of economic and

technical co-operation among developing countries, by the inadequacy of resources, 1. Congratulates the executive secretaries of the Economic Commission

for Latin America and the Economic Commission for Africa on having convened the first Joint Meeting of Governmental Experts from Africa and Latin America on Economic and Technical Co-operation;

2. Recognizes the joint action-oriented proposals as contained in the report of the meeting, including those in resolution II annexed to the report, as constituting the basis for interregional co-operation between States members of the two Commissions and urges the two executive secretaries to assist the States members of their respective regions to implement them fully and speedily;

3. Commends States members of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Economic Commission for Latin America on the steps already taken to implement the action-oriented proposals in respect of mineral resources development and trade promotion, and requests the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, in collaboration with the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America, to intensify the efforts in assisting member States in this

regard;

4. Urges the Executive Secretary to continue rendering assistance to member States in their co-operation with the Economic Commission for Western Asia and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific;

5. Requests the Executive Secretary to contribute effectively to the dynamic development of Afro-Arab co-operation by collaborating fully with the Organization of African Unity and the League of Arab States, and by participat ing in meetings of the Standing Commission for Afro-Arab Co-operation, and to assist specialist bodies dealing with Afro-Arab co-operation in implementing concrete projects and programmes for strengthening Afro-Arab co-operation;

6. Calls upon the Executive Secretary to continue to assist member States in conducting multilateral negotiations on the Global System of Trade Preferences and related economic matters within the framework of economic and technical co-operation among developing countries as agreed at meetings of

the Group of 77 in Caracas and elsewhere;

^* Commends the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of the Netherlands for their support to the Commission's interregional technical and economic co-operation activities and appeals to them and to other funding

agencies which have not yet done so, to render generous support to the Commission's interregional economic and technical co-operation programme;

8* Reguests the Executive Secretary to report to the nineteenth session of the Commission on progress made in the implementation of this resolution.

229th meeting,

2 May 1983.

Aware of the urgent need to imoorve economic and social policy formulation planning, administration and analysis in the context of the Lagos Plan of Action 25/

which aims to promote African development through collective self-reliance.

Recognizing that the effective organization of these activities requires adequate quantitative information at the national, subregional and regional

levels.

Noting that many African statistical services are not yet able to supply this information in a satisfactory and timely manner because of significant interrelated constraints which include low data demand for non-technical plan

ning, statistical brain drain, management weaknesses, data processing difficulties and failure to regard data applications as a principal guide in organizing data collection, processing and analysis.

Further noting that there is still a lack of co-ordination in external

assistance to statistics and international recommendations in this field do not adequately cover data analysis and applications,

!• Urges Governments of the region to:

(a) Accord higher priority generally to the improvement and strengthen ing of their statistical services so as to provide data which will assist in assessing current economic and social problems and in accelerating development;

(b) Identify data applications as a basis for determining priorities for data collection and analysis in each subject field;

(c) Utilize fully available training facilities to provide staff for statistical services and ensure that these services are efficiently managed;

(d) Take steps to overcome existing data processing difficulties through the provision of adequate equipment and by ensuring that statistical personnel play a more direct and active role in computerized data processing;

(e) Make increasing use of national statistics co-ordinating organs for

the planning and co-ordination of activities and for the preparation of realistic and integrated statistical development programmes, which should be incorporated

(f) Within the context of their development programmes, ensure that sta

tistical services prepare annual work programmes for issuing regular publications and reports on surveys, etc. and for conducting other activities in a timely

manner;

24/ See chapter III, section C, paragraphs 289 to 295 agove.

25/ A/S-ll/14, annex I.

(g) Encourage both central planning agencies and those dealing with par ticular subject fields to adopt a more technical and analytical approach to plan preparation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review;

2. Recommends that the United Nations and its specialized agencies should:

(a) Continue existing efforts to co-ordinate technical co-operation in all aspects of quantitative information;

(b) Extend international statistical recommendations to include guide lines on data analysis and applications;

"** Appeals to inter-governmental agencies, multilateral and bilateral organizations to:

(a) Continue to assist in strengthening the operation of statistical infrastructure in the region;

(b) Support activities designed to improve the utilization of statistical data for development;

4. Requests the Executive Secretary of the Commission to take all necessary steps to assist the improvement of African statistics along the lines indicated

above.

229th meeting, 2 May 1933.

470 (XVIII) . Perspective studies in African countries — The Conference of Ministers,

Recalling the Monrovia Strategy for the African Region in the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade adopted in resolution CM/Res.722 (XXXIII) by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity on 18 July 1979,

Recalling the Lagos Plan of Action 27/ for the implementation of the Monrovia Strategy, adopted by the second Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity on 29 April 1980,

Bearing in mind the necessity for African countries to undertake periodic perspective studies with a view to devising and assessing alternative ways of implementing the Lagos Plan of Action,