Reguests the Ad Hoc Committee to report on its work to the Conference of Ministers at its fourteenth session in 1988

251st meetina, 24 April 1987.

618 (XXI I) . In-depth Study of the United Nat.ions Interaovernmental Structure and Functions in the Economic and Social Fields

The Conference of Ministers,

Recallinq Economic and Social Council resolution 671 A (XXV) of 29 April 1958 which established the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and determined its terms of reference,

Recallinq also General Assembly resolution 32/197 of 20 December 1977 on restructuring of the economic and social sectors of the United Nations, and its annex, section IVan structures for regional and interregional co-operation in which the General Assembly formally designated the regional commissions as the main general economic and social centres within the United Nations system for their respective regions and instructs them to exercise team leadership and responsibility for co-ordination and co-operation at the regional level; and resolution 33/202 of 29 January 1979 on restructuring of the economic and social sectors of the United Nations system in which the General Assembly decided that the regional commission shall have the status of executing agencies, in their own right, in respect of the categories of projects described in and in conformity with paragraph 23 of the annex to resolution 32/197,

Recallina further Commission resolutions 1988 (IX) of 10 February 1969 on institutional machinery of the Commission which established the Conference of Ministers; 191 (XI) of 12 February 1969 on transitional provisions which provided for interim arrangements until the Conference started its work and which contains the list of items to be included in the agenda of every session of the Commission; 311 (XIII) of 1 March 1977 on the creation of the Multinational Programming and Operational Centres; 328 (XIII) of 3 March 1977 on restructuring of intergovernmental machinery for development and co-operation in Africa; 330 (XIV) of 27 March 1979 on restructuring of intergovernmental machinery for development and co-operation in Africa with which it approved the present structure of the institutional machinery of the Commission according to which there are organs dealing with overall development issues at the ministerial level and their technical committees of experts, organs dealing with sectoral issues at the ministerial level and their committees of officials, and technical SUbsidiary bodies; and re.solution 521 (XIX) on sessions of the Commission with which it decided to continue to meet on an annual basis subject to the practice being reviewed at the twenty-third session of the Commission and fourteenth meeting of the Conference of Ministers in 1988,

Further recallinq resolution 40/237 of 18 December 1985 on review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations with which the General Assembly decided to establish a Group of High-level Intergovernmental Experts to Review the Efficiency of the Administrative and Financial Functioning of the United Nations with a term of one year, to carry out, in full accordance with the principles and provisions of the charter, the task of conducting a thorough review of the administrative and financial matters of the United Nations with a view to identifying measures for further improving the efficiency of its administrative and financial functioning, which would contribute to strengthening its effectiveness in dealing with political, economic and social matters; and resolution 41/231 of 19 December 1986 on review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations with which the Assembly, inter alia, decided that the

recommendations as agreed upon and as contained in the report of the Group of High-level Intergovernmental Experts to Review the Efficiency of the Administrative and Financial Functioning of the United Nations j l / should be implemented by the Secretary-General and the relevant organs and bodies of the United Nations in the light of the findings of the Fifth Committee and subject to other specific conditions,

Takinq note of the opinion of the Fifth Committee

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that suitability of the acti vi ties of the regional commissions is a matter to be determined primarily by the member States concerned and that the regional commissions should be consulted on any action to be taken in that regard,

Welcominq the decision ~ of the General Assembly that the Economic and Social Council assisted as and when required by relevant organs and bodies, in particular the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination, should carry out the careful and in-depth study of the intergovernmental structure in ·the economic and social fields proposed by the Group of High-level Intergovernmental Experts to Review the Administrative and Financial Functioning of the United Nations in its recommendation 8,

Welcominq also the decision

.iii

of the Economic and Social Council to establish a Special Commission on the in-depth study of the United Nations intergovernmental structure and functions in the economic and social fields, which will be open to the full participation of all States members of the United Nations on an equal basis and whose proceedings will be governed in all other respects by the relevant rules of procedure of the Council and to request

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all subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly in the economic and social sectors and all subsidiary bodies of the Economic and Social Council to submit to the Spe c Lal, Commission, within thirty days of the conclusion of their next session, their views and proposals on achieving the objectives envisaged in recommendation 8 of the Group of High-level Intergovernmental Experts regarding th~ir functioning and that of their subsidiary machinery,

Mindful that the purpose of the study is, inter alia. to (a) identify measures to rationalize and simplify the intergovernmental structure, avoid duplication and consider coneo Ld.da t.Lnq and co-ordinating overlapping activities and merging existing bodies in order to improve their work and make the structure more responsive to piese~t needs; (b) develop criteria for the establishment and duration of subsidiary bodies, includin9' periodic reviews of their work and mechanisms for implementing their decisions; (e) define in precise terms areas of responsibilities for the various bodies, with particular attenti~n being given to strengthening coherence and integrity of the structure and facilitating the formulation of a comprehensive approach to development issues and to the necessity of putting more emphasis on regional and subregional co-operation: (d) improving the system of reporting from sUbsidiary to principal organs, thereby reducing the number of reports and avoiding duplication of documentation,

iY

^A/4l/49.

42/ A/4l/795. para. 43.

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A/Res./4l/2l3 (I)l(e).

~ Decision 1987/112 (a) •

.12/ 1£.!£. (

i l .

Havino examined critically the existing intergovernmental machinery of the Commission including their agendas, calendars and programmes of work,

Conscious of the crucial role of the Commission in the and as the main general economic and social development United Nations system in the region in particular,

region in general, centre wi thin the

Convinced of the continuous relevance of a unified approach to development analysis and planning,

Commission as the main general the United Nations system for of operational projects;

1. Reaffirms the primary role of the economic and social development centre within Africa, and as executing agency in its own right

2. Confirms that the activities of the United Nations Economic Commission

Dans le document Annual report 22 April 1986 - 27 April 1987 : Economic Commission for Africa. (Page 160-163)