UNITED
.~A'l'IONS_ :ECONOMIC ANOSOClAL COUNCIL
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ECONOMIC COMlHSSIONFOR ,,!'hICA . Eighth meeting of the Conference of
Ministers·
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D'i st r , : GENEPAL E/Ef:A/C!!.P/1 A/A<id.1 . . 5 April 19Pc .
Original: ENGLiSH
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Tripoli, 'Libyan Arab Jamahiriya;. ..
?7-30 I\pril 198?
FOLLOW-UP ACTION O'll Cm~n$S.ION RFSOLUTIo'llS AND DEr,ISIONS
AODm-mUM
Resolution 405 (XVI) on Implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action has been implemented in accordance with the requirements of its operative paragraphs 7, 3 and 4. In this connection, the ECA secretariat has expanded and improved
document E/CN.l~/TEPCO~ II/1R, E/CN.14/ROl in the light of the comments made by TEPCOWat its second meeting, held in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The expanded version' was discussed with the OAU secretariat before it was presented t.o the' second meeting of the JointConf'erence of African piaimers~' Statisticians and Demographers, where it was examined by the Planning Committee.
The OAli Assistant Secretary-General responsible for economic development and co-operation and a professional staf'f'<member- from the Department of Economic Development and Co-operation of OAU participated in the discussion of ·the revised version.
The new version, which contains the amendments made by the two secretariats based on the suggestions made by the Planning Committee and accepted by the Joint Conference of African Planners, Statisticians.and Qemographers, is now submitted, on the instructions of the Joint Conference, to the eighth meeting of the Conference
of Hinisters. .
Since resolution 409 (XVI) on re?ional and subregional institutions sponsored by the Commission was adopted by the seventh Conference of Ministers of EeA, Chief Executives of ECA-sponsored regional and suhregional inStitutions met in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast, on 1-5 December 1981.
The purpose of this meeting was to ensure the implementation of resolution 409 (XVI) in respect of increasing the membership of institution5. the payment o~
contrihutions due to institution~, the regu1~rexphangeof inf'ormation ~etween
them, the estahlishment of' a ~uffer fund, aUG the repular submission of' a bi ennial conso l idat od renort on them to.the EC.~ Conference of 'Hnisters.
~embership of' institutions, contrihutions hy memher St~tes and.buf'fer f'und.
:.82-317
E!ECA!CM.8!14!Add.l Page ?
The Chief Executives were of the view that the problems that face African institutionsare mainly the result of two factors, namely restricted membership which, in turn, affects their finances, and the reluctance of some member States to pay their contributions, or a combination or Doth. It is clear that, given the limited resources of African countries, institutions for joint co-operation are essential to the economic and social development of Africa. What is required, therefore, is some method of ensuring that such institutions achieve their full membership quota and that sufficient fund are avai LabIe to them to ensure their efficient and effective functioning.
In an attempt to increase the membership of the in~titu~ions,ChiefExecutives have undertaken membership drives which have included travel to non-member States to persuade them to become members of institutions.
The Chief Executives felt that membership of i.nstitutions and payment of contributions were very closely related and that even though automatic membership and the establishment of a conSOlidated budget were not now feasible, a buffer fund should be established to help get the institutions off the ground and to provide financial support during periods of economic difficulty. It was decided that ECA- sponsored institutions should themselves make initial contributions to the buffer fund, as this would encourage African governments and potential donors to follow suit.
It was possible, however, that at the next ECA Pledging Conferen~e, scheduled to take place in 1983, African governments might be encouraged to make pledges to the buffer fund, or to make contributions that could be used for it, if the
institutio_ns themselves had set an example in self-reliance in that regard. What was most important, therefore, was that- the institutions should be seen to be doing something themselves about the problem, so as to induce governments and donor- organizations to help. Another point raised was that donors would be more inclined to contribute to the buffer fund if their contributions were to be used only for identifiable projects. The Chief Executives then decided that the buffer fund should be formally established, that eacl, Chief Exec.uc ivc .:;~ot;.ld seek, as soon as possible, the approval of his governing body to contribute to that fund, and that the outcome should be reported to the Executive Secretary of ECA. ECA should write to the governing bodies o~ the institutions concerned in that connection.
Consolidated biennial report
The resolution directed that a consolidated biennial -report on the institutions should be submitted to the ECA Conference of Ministers in order to publicize them and to bring to the attention of that important forum on a regular basis, the vital roles that the institutions were playing in the social and economic development of the region. The opportunity provided by that Conference to promote the institutions is of enormous value and should not be missed.
It was decided that the working groups of the institutions would meet and prepare the format of the biennial report and its contents, which the Chai rmar. of each working group would co-ordinate and send to ECA not later than the end of January 1982 so -as to enable the fiT-st bieanial report-to be circulated to African governments well in advance of the eighth meeting of the ECA Conference of Ministers.
That report, based on the contributions received in fact has already been prepa~ed
for submission to that meeting.
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'./ECiVC1. 8/14/ Mel. IPage 3 Legal, administrative, management and audit services
ECA has provided 'such services to the institutions and was now capable of doing even more. What was required, however, was for the Inst i.tuttons to prepare a programme of requests for,ECA assistance. In that regard, the Chief Executives agreed that, for a start, institutions should prepare their requests 'for the' year 1982. That would enable ECAto work out an orderly programme of ossistance to them.
It is expected that these requests will be received in the near future.
The Commd s sion was called upon hy the Conference of /.linisters, under It s resolution 410 (XVI), to report on the follow-up activities of the International Year of Disabled Persons - 1981. These are described below and are based on the reco!J1l1lendations of the HDP Regional Seminar, adopted by the Conference of Hinister!
at its Seventh Meeting, held in Sierra .Leone on 6-10 April 1981. In addf.t Ion , a number of ongoing regular programmes also include components which link up with the follow-up activities of the IYDP.
In co-operation withQAU anu ILO, the Commission is g1v1ng technical support to the establishment of an A£rican Rehabilitation Institute. 'The Institute Is being established in accordance with a recommendation of the Seminar calling for the
~ntensificationofregional co-operation in the field of disability prevE1ntio.l'I,.al'ld . the .rehabd'l.Lt at.Ion of disabled persons with a view to finding appropriate common
solutions to similar prohlems faced at various levels through a regional institute or other organ for this purpose (operative paragraph 9 of resolution II).
It is not intended to create a new structure for the proposed Institute, but rather that it should be a decentraTiz"ed, service-oriented facility which will make ... ' . 'use of'<exi.st Ing facilities in African countries, such as universities, rehabd Ht.ation
centres, research institutes, and training centres. It is also proposed that foeal points should be established in Southern, Eastern, Central, Northern and Western Africa, with certain national facilities 'assuming specific responsibilities within a wide range of multidisciplinary programmes; Emphasis will be placed on the
strengthening and upgrading of suitable national institutions so as to convert ,them into decentralized branches of the African Rehabilitation Institute.
To this end the organizing committee is in touch with the governments .of member States in order to assess the facilities available in each country with a view to identifying those that are most suitable for expansion or upgrading into subregional centres to serve the interests of a number of countries at t~at level.
Five such centres are proposed. A co-ordinatingsecretariat or unit, based in Addis Ababa, will co-ordinate the work of the five subregional ,centres and t~e
projects of non-governmental organizations, and will give technical support and assistance to both regional and national programmes.
The subregional centres will primarily be concerned with research and the provision of training courses for trainers 'of medical, paramedical, technical, vocational and other related rehabilitation personnel, with the aim of bringing services to the maxiMUm number of all categories of disabled persons at the community level. Particular attention will be given to training courses for mUlti-purposes rehabilitation personnel with the prime task of preventing and reducing disabilities and their socio-economic effects. Short intensive training courses for key professionals, such as instructors in the fields of physical and occupational therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, as well as for'vocational
instructors, workshop managers, etc., will be provided.
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Representatives of the organlZlng committee have undertaken missions to a
number of countries, and have had consultations with various United Nations agencies and 'international organizations with a view to obtaining funds and support for the Institute. Favourable responses have been received from a number of countries and organizations, and further missions are heing planned. The Institute is expected to he operational as soon as the 'necessary funds have been obtained.
The Commission is keeping in close touch with national IYDP committees with a view to, sustainlng the momentum and 'enthusiasm generated during the Year and to'give support 'to, and generate fresh effort in, the expansion of national
programmes in the field of disability prevention and rehabilitation services. It is hefngstressed in particular, that such programmes as may be formulated should 'be'part and parcel of over-all socio-economic development plannin&.
The Commission recognizes the need for, and encourages co-operation between member States in the field of aisability prevention and the rehabilitation of disabled persons. To. this end, the Commission is giving techrrical 'suppor-t to subr-ag iona I co'-opernt ton in seeking common solutions 'to s irrd Lar or related probt'ems 'faced at various levels, and the co-ordination of activities' so that
neighbouring States can, for example, jointly run an inter-State training progr~mme
to meet their manpower needs, or establish the j oint production 'of mechanical aids for disabled persons. Research programmes can al so be' carried out jointly for the benefit of a group of countries .
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. The 'Commission is encouraging and assisting governments of member States to strengthen their training programmes for personnel working in the field of rehabilit- -ation 50 that they can cater for the specific needs of the country. member States
are also being encouraged to pool resources in training programmes so as to benefit from economies of scale. Advisory services are provided, on request, to those
countries that may require them in order to develop or establish training programmes suitab l e to their specific needs.
The Commission is encouraging member States to review their policies and programmes regarding disabled persons and the facilities and resourCeS available to them, and is giving technical support to the formulation of new programmes that would cover the greatest number of disabled persons at the least possible cost, mainly through self-help schemes. Emphasis is being placed on prevention 'and on eliminating the causes of disability as well as on changing the traditional attitudes of communities towards disabled persons.
The Commission is emphasizing the need for ';Jember States to embark, on the collection of reliable statistical data at the national level with the aim of obtaining a clear picture of the nature and magnitude of the prohlem of disability and its causes in the country. Such information is vital in planning comprehensive country-wide programmes.
The Commission is assisting member States to estahlish or strengthen their community welfare services so as to cater for those persons who, by the nature of their disability, cannot be rehabilitated so 'as to be ab l e to work or lead an independent life.
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The Commission is glvlng technical indignous working techniques for making simplified appliances and standardizing ation aids.
E!ECA!CM.8!14!Add.l Page 5
support to member States in establishing use of local raw materials designing
all the parts and components of rehabilit- The Commission, ·in col Iabornt ton with FAD,has an intensive programme in family life and population training which lays particular emphasis on nutrition and the improvement·of the quality of life. To combat malnutrition as one of
the main causes of disability in the region, the Commission has an ongoing programme of intinerant training workshops for the training of trainers in population activi- ties, leadership and skill training for women. The curricu1um.materia1 stresses nutrition and maternal and child health and family living. Training workshops have already been held in several African countries and more are being planned.
The Commission is strongly urging member States to implement the recommendations of the IYDP Seminar, and assisting them to do so, and on the basis of those recommend- ations to build UP meaningful programmes for disability prevention and the rehabilit- ation of disabled persons. The Commission. is doing whatever is possible within
the limits of its resources to lend support to national measures intended to maintain the effort generated during the International Year of Disabled Persons.
In collaboration with OAU, it is proposed to convene at an early date an African conference of experts to review the postcIYDP situation in .Africa and to map out new·strategies for making a 'significant impact on the problems of disability.
It is intended that a number of disabled persons, including women, should be among the participants at this conference.
The Commission has an ongoing publicity progr-amme intended to draw public attention to an Incr-ease awareness of the plight of disabled persons in Africa with a view to .alerting people to the problems of di sabi l ity and the need for the.
community as a whole to assist disabled persons to
be
independent and useful members of their community.As part of this programme, the Commission has recently published a wel1- illustrated booklet featuring both country exper-iences and the work being carried out in a number of African countries by governments, national and international voluntary agencies, and inter-governmental bodies with programmes in the field of rehabilitation. Resources permitting, another edition will be published showing
IYDP-fol1ow-up activities and the progress being made in a number of African countries towards disability prevention and the rehabilitation of disabled persons.
During the Sixteenth Session of the Commission and Seventh Meeting of the Conference of Ministers held in Freetown in April 1981, the'ECA secretariat
presented a paper on the Multinational Programming and Operational Centres0ffJLPOCs) which reviewed their operational activities, described their problems· mid .prospsct s , and underscored the need to strengthen them by, inter alia, providing them with resources under the United Nations regular budget. At that session, the Chairmen of the :Councils of Ministers of the four 1,PJLPOCs expressed satisfaction with the role that the MULPOCs were playing in their respective 5ubregions, and were unanimous in their appeal that this. role should be further strengthened and consolidated.
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E/ECA/01. 8/14/Add.l
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In the ensuing debate , representatives of member States reiterated the neert to provide extra resourCeS for the NULPOCs, not only in orner to enable thein to implement their present work programme more effectively, but also to discharge additional responsibilities assigned to them under the United Nations decent- ralization resolutions. Consequently, the Conference of Ministers adopted resolution 41'l (T!J)on the MULPOCs, which succinctly summar-ized its views and convictions on the matter and made recommendations for practical action.
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This paper is intended to bring to the attention or the present session of the Conference ofl'inistersthe steps taken by the ECA secretariat to
implement that resolution,. and to indicate why the efforts made over the past year - strenuous as they have been - have not heen entirely successful.
In this discussion of the main recomnendations of ·the above resolution, and the extent to which they have, or have not, been succes s fu lLy implementers . each operational paragraph will be reviewed in turn.
(i) Co-ordination and harmonization of work progranmles
First and foremost, the resolution reiterated the need to co-ordinate and
ha~onize the I~ILPOC programmes with those of the inter-governmental organizations pursuing the same objectives within the subregion. In this connection, the
secretariat would like to emphasize that the co-ordination and harmonization o~
the activities of the various subregional organizations, both among themseives, and between them on the one hand and the HULPOCs on the other, has continued to he the one of the cardinal principles guiding its suhregional operations. In the case of the Niamey MULPOC, for example, the focal point of the work programme from its inception was - and remains .- the co-ordination and harmonization of the work program~es of the numerous West African inter-governmental organizations. At the policy level, this is achieved through EC\s participation in the organization and conduct of meetings of the heads of those organizations, which are now held regularly prior to meetings of the MULPOC Council of ~inisters. At the operational level, ECA has provided assistance on request to IGOs in the implementation of specific projects that will facilitate the subregional integration process in Africa. As an illustration of the latter, ECA has continued ·to provia~:
(a) Assistance to ECOWAS in the formulation of various protoco l s , e.g., on customs t<lri-Ffs nn(l on the free novenent of ne r sons ;
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Assistance to ECOI'IAS in the preparation of a legal framework for the estahlishment of the ECOWAS Community Enterprises Company for the promotion of subregional trade and industries; . .(£) Assistance to ECOWAS, CEAO and the Mano River Union in negotiations on the harmonization of their trade liberalization arrangments.
The secretariat has also, through its Lusaka l~jLPOC and its Division of International Trade ~nd Finance, assisted the Southern African Development
Co-ordination Conference (SN1CC) in the preparation 0" a study on the establishment of a Southern African Development Fund and participated in all SADCC meetings on . the matter. In the same way the Lusaka llULPf1C has worked closely with the Southern African Labour Commission (SALC) and has provided it with an interim secretariat.
It should be noted that both SADCC an~ SALC are comparatively new organizations:
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E/ECA/01.8/14/Add.l
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the first consists of nine southern African States and was establi shcd fo l Iowi.ng' the Lusaka Declaration of April 1080, while tho second consists of seven countries
(including the BLS States) and was established in 1981. By co-operating with these two new multinational organizations within the Eastern and Southern African Subregion, the secretariat is seeking to ensure the proper co-ordination and harmonization of their emerging work programmes with those of the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa, which was establishei in December 1981 as a first step towards the creation of a subregional economic communitv. In Central Afric~the Yaounde MULPOC is of crucial importance in present efforts to create a Central African Economic Community. The MULPOC undertook an evaluation of UDEAC in 1981; one of the by-products of that study was the Declaration adopted by eleven Heads of State and Government of Central Africa calling for the creation of a Central African Economic Community. In the negotiations which are now
beginning, it is anticipated that a new role for UDEAC and CEPGL within the larger
co~~unity will be defined. The activities of the Gisenyi IULPOC are integrated with those of CEPGL, the Great Lakes Energy Commission, and the subregional Agronomic and Zootechnical Research Institute.
(ii) Staffing of the HULPOCs
The resolution called on the Executive Secretary to integrate, as far as possible, experts from the HULoOCs into the manning table of staff financed from the regular budget of the CommiSsion. It is worth pointing out that, from the time that the /·lliLPOCs were established, ECA has constantly striven towards this goal, but hes been severely constrained by the inadequacy of regular budget resources. Win the adoption. of the resolution under discussion, these efforts were intensified, but the limjtations have remained. However, it is hoped that,
followin~ the adoption of General Assembly resolution 36/178 on the I~LPOCs,
efforts will be intensified to provide part of the funding for them from the regular budget of the United Nations. A paper on tho programme budgets for the MULPOCs for the period 198'-1986 is before this meeting.
h~ile negotiations continue, however, the Conference will no doubt wish to be appraised of the extent to which the I~LPOCs are currently financed from regular budget sources. This is shown in Table 1.
E/ECA/CM.8/14/Add.l
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(iii) Financing of core staff from Yev,ular budpe~
The resolution urged the Secretary-General to take whatever steps were needed to ensure that the operational staf+ of the MULPOCs, and in particular the
Director and two experts from each ~~ILPOC, were covered by the regular budget of the Unit ed Nat ions.
As can be seen from Table 1, this is not the case at present. If the Tangier MULPOC, which is not yet operational, is not taken into account, it can be seen that, as of 31 December 1981, only seven posts out of an establishment of 71 for the four MULPOCs vrere financed from the regular budget of ECA. These were all General Service posts - four in the Lusaka lfiJLPOC and three in Niamey. In the case of the Gisenyi and Yaounde ~mLPOCs, all posts, whether in the Pro+essional or General Service category, were financed by IINDP extrabudgetary resources except one, which was financed by the Uni ted Nations Fund For Technical
Assistance (UNTA). It should be noted, in pgrticular, that none of the Directors' posts, as yet, is funded f"om the regular budget; of the four Directorships, threp,
(Lusaka, Gisenyi and Yaounde) are financed by UNDP and one (Niamey) is financed by U!'ITA.
It appears, therefore, that this part of the resolution still remains to be implemented. Meanwhile, ECA has spared no efforts in preparing the ground for its implementation. Since April 1981, when the resolution was adopted, the ECA secretariat has put before the Secretary-General of the United Nations the full case underlying this nart of the resolution. On the basis of the approved
'~lLPOC work programme for the biennium 1987-1983, the secretariat has prepared a detailed breakdown, 1'1ULPOC by l1ULPOC, and sector by sector; of the requirements for regular budget resources in both man-months and in dollars. In doing this, it has dra"~ a careful distinction between, on the one hand, those tasks concerned with executive direction and management which, by their very nature, have an
undisputed claim on regular budr-ot; resources arid which therefore imply 'In irreducil;>le core of rer,ular staf'f posts and, on the other, thos e tas ks which are purely oner-atLonal in nature ilnd which C'ln he expected to attract extrabudgetary financinr from such
sources as UNDP, IlNFPi\, the Uniter' Nations Trust Fund for African nevelopment (llNTFfJl), bilaterill dnnors, etc. There 'lre also, of course, tasks falling somewhere between these tW0 c'lte?ories fnr which a case can be maoe f0r regular hudget funding even if such activities may have enjoyed extrabudgetary support in the past.
The secretariat therefore wishes to make it clear that, during and since the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly, it has endeavored to secure funds for the financing of the core staff of the MULPOCs from the United Nations regular budget. The matte" has been discussed in the Second Com~ittee and in the General Assembly but has not been settled and is still lTIlder active review.
(iv) Short-term consultants provided by Member States on their own account The secretariat has continucd to appea l to ll'U1.CE" States to provrde short- term consultants to the :"lLPOCs on their own account, but so far with little
success. t10st member States seem willing to n l aco the services of their nationals at the disposal of missions whic" they may have requested the secretariat to
organize on their beha lf. For example, some of the missions connecter! with the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern anc Smthern Africa (PTA), and also the I1fJEAr:
•• E/ECA/CM.8/14/Add.1 Page 11 evaluation ~issir-~, inclu?d~ national participants' from the subrerions concerned.
It is hoped that during the period 19R7-l983, member States will be ,hIe to provide
short-term experts on their m'm acrn~''''':t J:"nr t ... ; iT""T)l')J'!1f'nttltinn o.c s:,~ei"'ic t vsk s , (v) Use of unattached funds from UNTAFAO
The Executive Secretary was requested to take into account the needs of
t~e rlli~rOCs in using the unattached funds pledged to UNTFAO. The secretariat welcomed this request,_ and has therefore utilized a portion of the unattached UNTFAD funds in the implementation-of certain MULPOC· activities for which no- alternative source of funding was available. These activities have included:
~ IS (a) Establishment of Preferential trade Area for
Eastern-and Southern Africa. . • • • • • . • • • • • 93,610 - (b) Interdisciplinary mission on the evaluation
of UDEAC • • • . • • • ._ • . . _. . • • • • . . • 60,000 (c) 14ulti-agency mission to Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan
and Uganda • • • • • • . • . . . • . . • . • • • . . . 6,540 (d) Feasibility study on the establishment of a
subregional Trade and Development Bank for Eastern and
Southern Africa . • • • • • • • . . • . 10,000
ttl;' .. ,
• Total 17,],150
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With respect to (a), the llNTFAD resources were used not only during
_..nego.tiation on the PTA Treaty, but also for the servicing of the Summit Heefing of Heads of State and Government of the member States of the Lusaka MULPOC, at which the Treaty establishing a Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern
Africa was signed in Lusaka on 71 December 19~1.
As far as (b) is concerned, the secretariat responded to a request by the Heads of State and Government of the UDEAC countries to undertake an evaluation of UDEAC with a view to recommending measures that would iMProve its performance- in promoting subregional economic co-operation in Central Africa. A mission was
therefore organized in 1981 and, as stated earlier, the report of that mission.~hich
was submitted to the regular annual meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the UDEAC countries, became the basis for the Declaration of Intent to Establish a Central African Economic Community, signed in Libreville in December 1981.
As regards (c), the mission to Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda was a multi-agency mission organized by the United Nations in New York in response to a request from these four drought-stricken African countries. The ECA secretariat accepted a request to participate in the mission by making available the services of a staff member from the Lusaka MULPOC.
Concerning (d), the secretariat, at the request of member States of the
Lusaka rlliLPOC, carried out a feasibility study on the establishment of a subregional Trade and Development Bank for Eastern and Southern Africa, which, it is envisaged will be one of the institutions of the PTA.
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E!ECA!CM.8!14!Add.l Page 17 .
In parenthesis, it may be added that the failure, so far, of the.tIDLPOCs to secure regular budget financing means that the secretariat must continue for the time being to tap UNTFAD resources whenever this becomes necessary.
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(vi) ~jember States1 pledges cor the MULPOCs
The resolution recommended that member States should take account of the needs of the lillLPOCs when making pledges for UNTFAD. It will be recalled that, during the last pledging conference held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in April 1981, certain member States did indeed make specific pledges for the MULPOCs. Thus, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Zaire and Zambia, between them, pledged a total of $US 123,000 for the MULPOC budget. It is to be hoped that
this co~endablcpractice will continue. As has already become clear in connection with the use made of the unattached UNTFAD funds, a number of other countries, without specifically giving their permission, have allowed their contribtltions to be used for ~lliLPOC projects, among others, at the discretion of the Executive
Secretary. Pledges for 198~-1983 specifically for the '~JLPOCs are shown in Table 7.
Ta~le 7. Pledges for 1982-1983 spec~tica11y fer the I~TLPOCs'
(US dollars)
Total
10,MO 10,000 7,500 1,000 30,Oon 10,SnO 'l5,000 40,000 113,non 717,000
For
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In impleE8,ting this part of th8 rp$olution, it would appear that member States have the fo l Lowtng opt Lons , in iecreasing order, Clf flexibility:
(a) They rnav contribute to the general UNTFAD fund without' specifying the purpose' to which their c-mt r lbut i.ons should he put. Such "unattached"
contributions af::0r<1 tb2 Executive Sccrct ary maxi.nur: flexibility in deciding how they shouldba :JtiJ.ized - i,8" wnethcT for th£ NULPOCs or otherwise;
(b) They r.ay in,licc,tc that chei r co.rt r lbut i.on shou.Ld govt o support the tAULPOCs in genr.ra l , without specifying P, par-ti cul a r 'fLlLPOC. , I n that case, the Executive SeCl'(-3·:::.~:cy",'ij.l h:1\."8 the rOWel' to uii Li ze such funds for any or all HULPOCs, as he doet..: 2-~~T\'lyy-iate;
(c) They may dcci de tr,"'c their contribution should go towards the financing of a p art icul a'r I:CLPGC wit1'Oilt cD8cifying the exact project or
activity to b8 financed; OT .
(d) They may rleci(e tlw:: thci r cont ri.but Ion is for the financing 'oF
a speci fi c P'i~oj\~ct G:: :'lc"i:ivity with in 2. specif.ic MULPOC .
. Dependt.rg OJ". ;,:.hE.::!.x' p:::·...-t Lcu l a r r)refe'i~ences and cir.cumstances, individua1 member States may ·.'li~;i. t ( ) select any or 8.11 of the above options , knowing that they represent V~:'J::'E,U, d"grco85 of fl ex ibi lity in the use to which their con- tr Ibutions nay be pv.t ,
(vii) "'72'-:;'
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~1O~P(1Cs. hy the United Nations Development Programme (UNDPJ_After exp ror s i.ng p:fl1:i~ude fo'r the very signi.fi cant; assistance which UNDP had so far ext ended to the ~1ULP()Cs, 'che resolution went on to invite UNOP to
increase its fin'ln6al1.5d to t',e ',nlLPOCs considerably during its 19R/-1986 programaing cyc I»,
As the whole cue sti o., ,,~i-.; ~'t~::"'~'.[2 £:r.,~:-_':::~~'~t; (/~ the !·1lJLPOCs is the subject of a separate p aner, ,"'jeh is being tabled at this Conference prior to its sub- mission to the ELCnOIDJ.L Hn(~ So~:i(!l COVT1cil Ln. cornpli ance with General Assembly resolution 36/:17[" tIl:.? n.atte r '.,,(.:Ll only be touchcd on lightly here.
At t',.,? t i.mo 0;' wri t iC1g, ~he extent of
umw
financia l support for the MULPOCs during the pJ..~e~cr.'c cyc l e 1.:: net YI)t knotm. As far as the fd rst year of the present biennium is conc e rned , nCA.eV81'.> t~1C fund., earnorked by UNf)P, far from showing any increase, are slishtIy ~.r1"i81' thai. the approved allocations for 1981, namely,$US 1,700;000 for 1987 ," 0;:p03e" to c;US 1,738,145 for 1981. If 19~.? is any indication) t.he're fo'r c , it doss not appenr t.hat the "cons i.dc rab Le increase in financial ai d" which the r-e sorution reques+ed t.he UNOI' to provide will be forthcoming.
Nevertheless, ;it would he somewhat vprcmat trr-e to make any definitiVe' statement at this stage, not on~~/ l.oc.ius e t:,C' new 'flve':yElar programming cycle has only just begun, but a] so in viow of two fUl'th,e;:.cons,i,de.rations:
(a) The T)T?~2nt V'finished excercise of seeking regular budget. Financing the subst anti vo activit i.cs of the 'RJLPOCs, Inc Iud.inp a Minimum core of posts,
•
• E/ECA/CM.8/14/Add.l
Page 14
is not unrelated to UNDP's ultimate decision. UNDP has made it clear that it is preparedt6tonsider the financing of operational activities only, to the exclusion
'or
any activities relating to the executive direction and management of the MlJLPOCs. For this reason, ECA has already prepared, for possiblefinancing by IJNDP, a' set of we lIvdefined operational activities, suitably time- framed, coverinr. the entire ~illLPOC work programme during the present cycle;
(b) It is hoped that the reports of the UNOP/ECA Evaluation Missions on the ~ruLPOCs, which contain pertinent reco~~endationson their financing, and which are still under consideration, will have some influence on ill'JDP's decision on the subj ect.
(viii) Contact with other donors
The Executive Secretary was requested to contact various donors, including donor countries and financing institutions, ~s possible sources of financial assistance to the l·lliLPOCs. Efforts to this end were, in fact, begun by the secretariat from the time that the I~JLPOCs were established and have now been intensified. $0 far, the response appears to have been positive, but limited.
In the view of the secretax-iat, this cautious r8sponse is probably a reflection of the current state of the debate regarding the future role of the l.lliLPOCs and their financing on an assured long-term (as opposed to an ad hoc short-term) basis. While the debate continues, and as lonp, as some uncertainty remains, various prospective donors are hound to maintain a "wait and see" att itude , It
is all the more necessary therefore, that the negotiations which are currently under way for the financing of the ~illLPOCs' direction and management from the regular budget of the United Nations, and the financing of their operational
activities from
tmnp
funds should be brought to an early and successful conclusion.Once that happens, the call for additi ona'l support from other donors is less likely to go unheeded.
During 1980-1981, bilateral support for the '~JLPOCs has come from a
number of sources for the financing 0; specific projects, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Sources and amounts of finance ~or specific projects (US dollars)
•
•
Source Purpose Amount
1. Federal Republic of Germany
2. Netherlands
3. Sweden (SIDA!SAREC) 4. United States
(USAID)
East African Mineral 0evelopment Research Centre, Oodoma, United
Republic of Tanzania (Lusaka MULPOC) 97, 000 Prefeasibility study of a rail link
between Togo, Niger, Upper Volta and
Mali (Niamey t1ULPOC) 75, 000
r,ligratory labour nrojAct for Southern
Africa (Lusaka ~PJLPOC) 93,000
~easi1'-ility stu...1y aT' tl.e ...lev~ln,"",ment
of a suhregional maize research centre
(Lusaka MULPOC) 117, 000
Total 33",11(H)
=====;================~=============================== = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
•
•F/ECA/O!.8/1.1/Add.1 Page IS (ix) Channelling of aid through the MULPOCs
The r'eso Iution r'equested that the material an. financial aV from all United Nations bodies to the multinational proJects for which ECA IS executing agency should be channelled through the MULPOCs. This is clearly in the spirit of the GeTlera] Assembly restructuring and decentralization resolutions which, inter alia, recognized the regional co~~issions as the main geneTal economic and social deve Iopm-v--: cent res within the United rJ~.tiCJn:~ sy~,":~~ and gave them team lc~rlershiv and responsiblity for co-ordination and co-operation activities in their respective regions. The request says, in effect, that the role of
"deve l oomerrt cer:.tre-cum··t~am Leade r" that ECA plays at the re3"ir~n2:;' level should be played by the ~lULPOCs at the subreg i.ona l level.
Implementation of this part of thz resolution still has a long way to go. Its success will depend partly on the demonstration by the ~jLPOCs
themselves that they have the capacity to utilize effectively ani 'lssistance that may be channellec. to them, ano partly on the agencies themselves
demonstrating a willingness to use the MULPOC channel. Both fact07s are
important and closely interrelated, yet the first is only a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for the second.
Conclusion
The fcr ego ing is a summary of the steps taken t:r'.ate to implement the Freetown resolution on the flliLPOCs. It is evident that, w':1ilc t;1e call for its implementation has not gone unneeded, there is still a Long wc.y to go before this is completed. The case for a substantial increase in rerular budget financing of the IlliLPOCs is still being argued in the General Assembly;
negotiations with UNDP an~ other denors for the financing of the o??rational activities ef the 1~)LPOCs are still in progres3; anc. the appcG: ;~r more support from member States of the Commi.s sion is being l'el)(Mted yet ".gain. At present, the i.nfo l d i.ng picture gives .Grounds '·n2.v for ?t:~-:.r0_f:rl. Jp"c:im5_sm.
Resolution 414 (XVI) - Statistical Training Programme for Af~ica:
Regiona!E'c'n-,!in;; by the European Economic ComlOunity
The second scs sion of the Joint Conference of l\;:-'i.c~n ?13.:u18TsJ Statisticians and Ds:~]of·r~phcrs~ l.e l d m Ardis At-abe i"1 r~'faTch l:J;3>J V1..., _u~.-..~".,~~;-;(~ oJ" ;_JiS
representative of the Commission of the European Corrununit i es that an interim reply to the r equest submit t ed to his agency by the ,'\,:r sec:~-:.~ta!'i:'l1.: had been transmitted to ACP in December 1981. The request had tv.o a,.pe ... '-s: f2~lG~'lships
and technical aS3istance.
With regard to fcllowships, the Commission felt that the prob l e-n should be solved within the framework of the multi-year training pl'''[;:',lr,D8 which the Comnri s si on had set up with each ACP State at the request aEC\ accorcling to the priorities est ab l ished by the countries.
On the other hand, the other technical assistance aspects (training of trainers, operating expenses, capital expenscs) eQuId be fin"ncen f::om the resources pTovided for the regional programme when the ACP req~est to the programme was finally accepted.
