ILK COP
" TQ BF TAKEN or- UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
Distr.: GENERAL E/ECA/CM.8/14/Add.l S April 19ft? : > _L
^Original: ENGLISH "
ECONOMIC COMMISSION KQR AFRICA . - . ■
Eighth meeting of the Conference of " .
Ministers . - ■ ...-?.;
Tripoli,- Libyan ;Arab,,Jamahiriya, .: _ , ... ■ ■_ ■
27-30'April 1982p .r . " -:; - - - ■- .■■■'.;—.-•:■
FOtLOtf-UP ACTION ON COMMISSION RESOLUTIONS AND:DECISIONS '
. .-.".']..: ... '. " -ADDENDUM - ; - "'", ..;'. . .';., " ' '
Resolution 405 (XVI) on Implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action has'been implemented in accordance with the requirements of its operative paragraphs 2, 3 an&:4i < In this, connection, the ECA secretariat has expanded and improved
document E/CN.14/TEPG0W. 11/18,: E/C^, 14/801 in the.lignt; of.the comments made.by TEPCOW at its second meeting, held in.Freetown, Sierra Leone. The expandedryersion was discussed with i:he OAU secretariat, before it was presented to the second meeting of the,-Joint Conference of African..Planners,. Statisticians and Demographers, wjiere
it was examined by the.Planning Committe.e. . ./-.,. .","'■. '.■'
The OAU Assistant Secretary-General responsible for economic development and co-pp.eration and a professional .staff member from the Department of Economjlc . Development and Co-operation of OAU participated in the discussion of the revised
version. . . , .
The new version, which contains the amendments made by thetwo secretariats based on the suggestions made by the Planning Committee and accepted by the Joint Conference of African Planners, Statisticians and Demographers, is now. submitted, on the instructions of the Joint Conference, to the eighth meeting of the Conference
of Ministers. .,. . .. . ■ ., . . : ...
Since resolution 409.(XVI) on.regional and subregional institutions sponsored by the Commission was adopted by.the seventh Conference of Ministers of EGA/ Chief Executives of ECA-sponsored regional,and subregional 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 institutions, the-oayaent of contributions due ,to institutions, the, regular ex^hftnge-^f information .between . them, the establishment of. a buffer fund, ar.d the regular submission of a
"biennial- consplldatscl report on them to,the ECA .Conference of ^Ministers. : Membership of institutions, CQntriKutions by mcmher States and buffer fund.
The Chief Executives were of the view that the problems that face African institutions are 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 of both. 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 available to them to ensure their efficient and effective functioning.
In an attempt to increase the membership of the institutions, Chief Executives 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 institutions 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 Conference, 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
institutions 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 each Chief Executive should 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 of 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 bas.is, 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 Chairmai. of
each working group would co-ordinate and send to ECA not later than the end of
January 1982.SO as to enable the first biennial 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 prepared
for submission to that meeting.
E/ECA/CM.8/14/Add.l 5 Mril 19R? ■
UNITED NATIONS Original: ENGLISH
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR ^
Eighth meeting of the Conference of [ ■ ■■ ' .:■■■■■ :-
Ministers } • • U-- , ■ . ■ .
Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,. . . .
27-30 April 1982 ;. : - , , - ■
FOLLOW-UP ACTION ON COMMISSION RESOLUTIONS AND DECISIONS
ADDENDUM :;;''"■ .
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 EGA secretariat has< expanded.and improved
document E/CN.14/TEPCOW 11/18, E/CN.14/801 in the light of the comments made by TEPCOW at its second meeting, held in(Freetown, Sierra Leone. The expanded-version was discussed with the OAU secretariat: before it was presented to the second meeting
of the Joint Conference of African Planners, Statisticians and Demographers, Where
it was examined by the Planning Committee. "..■.- + The OAU Assistant Secretary-General responsible for economic development and
co-operation and a professional' staff member from the Department of Economic, . Development and Co-operation of OAUparticipated 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 Demographers, is now submitted, on the instructions of the Joint Conference, to the eighth meeting of the Conference
of Ministers. . -
Since resolution 409 (XVI) on regional and subregional institutions sponspred by the Conmissioh was adopted by the seventh Conference of Ministers of ECA, Chief Executives of ECA-sponsored regional and subregional 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 institutions, the payment of contributions due to institutions, the regular exchange of information between them, the establishment of a buffer fund, ard the regular submission of a 'biennial consolidat-d report on them to.the ECA Conference; of Ministers.
Membership of institutions, contributions by member States and buffer fund.
The Chief Executives were of the view that the problems that face African institutions are 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 of both. 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 available to them to ensure their efficient and effective functioning.
In an attempt to increase the membership of the institutions, Chief Executives 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 institutions 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 EGA Pledging Conference, 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
institutions 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 tjxat 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 each Chief Executive should 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 of 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 Chairmar. of each working group would co-ordinate and. send to ECA not later than the end of January 1982 so as to enable the first biennial 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 prepared for submission to that meeting.
Page 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 institutions 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 ECA to work out. an orderly programme of assistance to them.
It is expected that, these requests will fee received in the near future. . The Commission was called upon, by .the Conference of Ministers., under its resolution 410' (XVT),, to report on'the. follow-up'activities of the International.
Year of Disabled Persons - 1981.t These are described below and are based on the recommendations of the. IY*DP Regional'Seminar, adopted by the Conference, of Ministers at its-Seventh Meeting, held in Sierra Leone on 6-10 April 1981. In addition.,
a number of ongoing regular programmes, also include components which link, up with the follow-up activities of the IYDP.
In co-operation.with OA,U and JLO, the Commission is giving technical, ^ to the'establishment o'f an African Rehabilitation Institute. The Institute is.being established in'accordance with'a recommendation of the Seminar calling for the
intensification pi*, regional co-operationt in the field of. disabijity prevention and the rehabilitation of disabled persons with a view to finding appropriate, comport' solutions, to.similar problems faced at various levels through a regional institute or other'org'an for. this purpose (operative paragraph 9 of resolution. 11)- '„,"■
It is not intended to create a new structure for the proposed Institute, but rather that.it should be a decentralized, service-oriented facility whichwill make u?e of existing, facilities in African countries, such as universities,.tenabilitation centres, research institutes, and training centres. It is also proposed that focal points.should be established in Southern, Eastern,. Central, Northern and Western
Africa, with certain national facilities assuming specific responsibilities within
a wide range, of multidiscipiinary programmes. Emphasiswill 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 aya^lable^ in each'. country; with, a ...
view to identifying those that are most suitable -for expansion or upgrading into subregionai centres to serve the ,interests of a number of countries at that levell Five such centres are proposed. A co-ordinating, secretariat or unit, based in. ...
Addis Ababa, will co-ordinate the work of the five subregionai centres and the projects of non-governmental organizations," and will give technical support and
assistance to, both regional and national, programmes^ . ; .. . . .
.The suhregional centres will primarily be concerned with research and the. . provision of training courses for trainers of. medical, paramedical/ technical,, vocational and other related rehabilitation personnel1, 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 cpurses for mult'i-purposes rehabilitation personnel .'with the prime tasfc^ 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.
Representatives, of the organizing committee have undertaken missions to a
number of countries, and have had consultations with various United Nations agencies
anH 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 being planned. The Institute is expected
to be 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 sustaining the momentum and enthusiasm generated during the Year and to give support to, and generate fresh effort in, the expansion of national
programing in'the field of disability prevention and rehabilitation services. It is being stressed in particular, that such programmes as may be formulated should be part and parcel of over-all socio-economic development planning.
The Commission recognizes the need for, and encourages co-operation between member States in the field of disability prevention and the rehabilitation of disabled persons, to this end, the Commission is giving technical support to subregipnal co-operation in seeking comnion solutions to similar or related, problems faced at various levels, and the co-ordination of activities so that
neighbouring States can, for example, jointly run an. inter-State training programme to meet their manpower needs, or establish the joint production of mechanical
aids for disabled persons. Research programmes can also be carried out jointly for the benefit of a group of countries.
The Commission is encouraging and assisting governments of member. States to strengthen their training programmes for personnel working in the field of rehabilit ation so 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 suitable 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 Liember 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 problem of disability and its causes in the country. Such information is vital in planning comprehensive countrywide programmes, .
The Commission is assisting member States to establish 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 able to work or lead an independent life.
Page 5 The Commission is giving technical support to member States in establishing indignous working techniques for making use of local raw materials designing simplified appliances and standardizing all the parts and components of rehabilit
ation aids.
The Commission, in collaboration with FAO, 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 curriculum material 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 post-IYDP 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 programme intended to draw public attention to an increase awareness of the plight of disabled persons in Africa with a view to alerting people to the problems of disability 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 well- illustrated booklet featuring both country experiences 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-follow-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 Centres (MULPOCs) which reviewed their operational activities, described their problems and prospects, 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 MULPOCs expressed satisfaction with the role that the MULPOCs were playing in their respective subregiotis, and were unanimous in their appeal that this role should be further strengthened and
consolidated.
In the ensuing debate, representatives of member States reiterated the need to provide extra resources for the MULPOCs, not only in order to-enable them 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 418 (X7l)on the MULPOCs, which succinctly summarized its views and convictions on the matter and made recommendations for practical action.
This paper is intended to bring to the attention of the present session of the Conference of Ministers the 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 been entirely successful.
In this discussion of the main recommendations of the above resolution, and the extent to which they have, or have not, been successfully implemented, each operational paragraph will be reviewed in turn.
(i) Co-ordination and harmonization of work programmes
First and foremost, the resolution reiterated the need to co-ordinate and harmonize the MULPOC 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 of the activities of the various subregional organizations, both among themselves, and between them on the one hand and the MULPOCs on the other, has continued to be the one of the cardinal principles guiding its subregional 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 programmes of the numerous West African inter-governmental organizations At the policy level, this is achieved through ECAs 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 Ministers. 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 proviHe: ;(a) Assistance to ECOWAS in the formulation of various protocols e e'
on customs tariffs and on the free movement of persons; ■»-*■»
® ' Assistance to ECOWAS in the preparation of a legal framework for the establishment of the ECOWAS Community Enterprises Company for the promotion of
subregional trade and industries; ■ uuo"on or
. .(£) Assistance, to-ECOWAS, CEAO and the. Mano River Union in negotiations on the. harmonization of their trade liberalization arrangments. "a^™s on
The secretariat has also, through its Lusaka MULPOC and its Division of International Trade and Finance, assisted the Southern African Development
cf'aiouthe^ Srf^T ^^ "e W^tion-of a study on the" establishment
tL JZfl t £ Development Fund and participated in all SADCC meetings
the matter In the same way the Lusaka MULPOC 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 and SALC are comparatively new organizations-
E/ECA/CM.8/14/Add.l 7
the fiTSt consists of nine southern African States and was established following the Lusaka Declaration of April 1980, while the 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-ordinatioif'and harmonization of their emerging work programines with those of the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa, which was established in December 1981 as a first step towards the creationof a subregiorial economic community. In Central Africa, the Yaounde MULPOC is of crucial importance in present efforts tt> i 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 community will be defined. The activities of the Gisenyi fTJLPOC are integrated with those of CEPGL, the Great Lakes Energy Commission, and the subregional Agronomic and Zootechnical Research Institute.
(ii) Staffing of the MULPOCs
The resolution called on the Executive Secretary to integrate, as far as possible, experts from the MULPOCs 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 MULPOCs were established, ECA has constantly striven towards this goal, but has been severely constrained by the inadequacy of regular budget resources. With the adoption of the resolution under discussion, these efforts were intensified, but the limitations have remained. However, it is hoped that,
following the adoption of General Assembly resolution 36/178 on the MULPOCs, efforts will be intensified to provide part of the funding for them from the regular budget of the United Nations. A paper on the programme budgets for the MULPOCs for the period 1982-1986 is before this meeting.
While negotiations continue, however, the Conference will no doubt wish to be appraised of the extent to which the MULPOCs are currently financed from regular budget sources. This is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Financing of MULPOC posts as at 31 December 1981
Regular
budget ITNTA UNDP MULPOC
UHFPA
Total number of posts
Niamey.. '. 1 GS 9
1 GS 6 1 GS 3
■1 L.5 1 L.I
2 L.4
? L.3 GS 6 GS 5 GS 3 GS ?.
GS 1
2 L.4
19
Lusaka 1 GS 8
1 GS 6 2 GS 2
1 L.3 2 L.5 4 L.4 2 L.3 4 GS 5 1 GS 2 1 GS 1
19
Gisenyi
Yaounde 1 L.3
r-l
11
GS 1
E/iiCA/CM. 8/14/Add. 1
Page 9
Table 1 Financing of MULPOC posts as_r-tJ51J)g£eriberTqjn (Cont'd)
ource of funds
Tangier
Total number of posts
Regula budget
1 0.1 2 P.4 1 GS 6 1 GS 5 1 GS 4 1 GS 3 1 GS 2 1 GS 1
16
UNTA UNDP
1 L.I
58
UNFPA Total number of.
posts
10 81
Financing of core staff from regular budget
The resolution urged the Secretary-General to take whatever steps were needed to ensure that the operational staff of the MULPOCs, and in particular the
Director and two experts from each MHLPOC, were covered by the regular budget of the United Nations.
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 were financed from the regular budget of EGA. These were all ■
General Service posts - four in the Lusaka MULPOC and three in Niamey. In the case of the Gisenyi and Yaounde" MULPOCs, all posts, whether in the Professional
or General Service category, were financed by UNDP extrabudgetary resources except one, which was financed by the United Nations Fund for TechnicalAssistance (UNTA). It should be noted, in particular, that none of the Directors'
posts, as yet, is funded from the regular budget; of the four Directorships, three(Lusaka, Gisenyi and Yaounde) are financed by UNDP and one (Niamey) is financed
by UNTA.
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 thefull case underlying this part of the resolution. On the basis of the approved
MULPOC work programme for the biennium 198?-1983, the secretariat has prepared a detailed breakdown, MULPOC by MULPOC, and sector by sector, of the requirementsfor regular budget resources in both man-months and in dollars. In doing this,
it has drawn a careful distinction between, on the one hand, those tasks concerned with executive direction and management which, by their very nature, have anundisputed claim on regular budret resources and which therefore imply an irreducible core of regular staff posts and, on the other, those tasks which ar& purely operational
m nature and which can be expected to attract extrabudgetary fi-aicinP from such sources as UNDP, IJN7PA, the United Nations Trust Fund for African Development (UNTFAD) bilateral donors, etc. There are also, of course, tasks falling somewhere between these two categories for which a case can be made for regular budget funding even if such activities may have enjoyed extrabudgetary support in the past.
The secretariat therefore wishes to make it clear tha., 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 matter has been discussed in the Second Committee and in the General Assembly but has not been settled and is still under active review.Civ) Short-term consultants provided by Member States on their own account The secretariat has continued to appeal to neater States to provide short-
term consultants to the MULPOCs on their own account, but so far with little
success. Most member States seem willing to place the services of their nationals at the disposal of missions which they may have requested the secretariat to
organize on their behalf. For example, some of the missions connected with the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA), and also the UHEAO
E/ECA/CM.8/14/Add.l
Page 11
evaluation r.issinn, included national participants from the subregions concerned.
It is hoped that during the period 1987-1983, member States will be aMe to provide short-term experts on their ™/n accnvrt f^r tho i^nl-montatinn of s^oeific f sks.
Cv) Use of unattached funds from' UNTAFAD
The Executive Secretary was requested to take into account the needs of the MULPOCs 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:
T. $ 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) Multi-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
Total 170,150
With respect to (a), the UNTFAD resources were used not only during
negotiation on the PTA Treaty, but also for the servicing of the Summit Meeting 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 21 December 1981.
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 which 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 MULPOC, 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.
In parenthesis, it may be added that the failure, so far, of the-MULPOCs to secure regular budget financing means that the secretariat must continue
for the time being to tap UNTFAD .resources whenever this becomes necessary.
(vi) Member States' pledges for the MULPOCs
The resolution recommended that member States should take account of the needs of the MULPOCs 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 commendable practice 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 contributions to be used for MULPOC projects, among others, at. the discretion of the Executive
Secretary. Pledges for 1982-1983 specifically for the MULPOCs are shown in Table ?..
Table ?. Pledges for 1982-1983 specifically fcr the MULPOCs'
(US dollars]
Pledged by for
Lusaka MULPOC
Gisenyi MULPOC
Yaounde MULPOC
Niamey MULPOC
Total
1. Botswana
?, Burundi 3. Congo
4. Ethiopia 5. Lesotho 6. Nigeria
7. Rwanda 8. Zaire
10,000
+ 3,000 for 13,000
10,000
10,000 for
ATRCW-7
7,500 1,000 for
ATRCW-'
10,500 +35,000/for
ATRCW-'-
-
-
-
30,000 for
ATRCW-'
-
-
10,000 10,000
7,500 1,000 30,000
10,500 95,000
9. Zambia
Total, (excl.
Total (incl.
ATRCW)-/
ATRCW)-^
40,
57, 61,
000
500
500
-
55,
115, 500
500
'- " "
-
10,000
-
-
30,000
40
113
217 ,000
,000 ,000
a/ ATRCW: African Training and Research Centre for Women.
E/ECA/CM.3/14/Add.l
Page 13
In implementing.this part of the resolution, it would appear that menber States have the following options, in decreasing order «f flexibility: -
(a) They may contribute to the general UNTFAD fund without specifying
the purpose to which their contributions should :be put, Such "unattached"*contributions afford the Executive Secretary maximum flexibility in deciding how they should be utilized - i.e., whether for the MULPOCs or otherwise;
(b) They may indicate that their contribution should go to support the MULPOCs in general, without specifying a particular MULPOC. In that case* *
the Executive Secretary will have the power to utilize such funds for any'or
all MULPOCs, as he deems appropriate; .
(c) ■ They may decide that their contribution should go towards the financing of a particular MULPOC, without specifying the exact project or
activity to be financed; or .
(d) They may decide that their contribution is for the financing of a specific project or activity within a specific MULPOC. -
Depending on their particular preferences,and xirxumstances, individual member States may wish to select any or all. of the\above options, knowing that they represent varying degrees of flexibility in the use to which their- con
tributions, may be put. . ■
(vii) Support of the MULPOCs by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) '. : ! —-* B
After: expressing gratitude for the very significant.assistance which UNDP had so far extended to the MULPOCs, the resolution went on to invite UNDP to
increase its financial aid to the MULPOCs considerably during its 1982-1986
programming cycle.
As the whole question of the future financing of the MULPOCs is the subject of a separate paper, which is being tabled at this Cpnference prior to its sub mission to the Economic and Social Council in compliance with General Assembly resolution 36/178, the matter will only.be touched on lightly here.
At the time of writing, the extent of UNPP financial support for the MULPOCs during the present cycle is not yet known. As far as the'first year of the present biennium is concerned, however, the funds" earmarked by UNDP,"£ar from showing any increase, are slightly lower than the approved allocations for 1981, namely,
$US 1,700;000 for 1982 as opposed to pJS 1,733,145 for 1981. If 1982 is any indication, therefore, it does not appear that the. "considerable increase in financial aid" which the resolution requested the UNDP to provide will be forthcoming.
Nevertheless, it would be somewhat premature to make any definitive" 'statement at this stage, not only because the new ;£ive*-ye;ar programming cycle has only just begun, but also in view of two further considerations:
(*) The present unfinished excercise of seeking regular budget financing
for the substantive activities of the MULFOCs, including a minimum core of posts,
is not unrelated to UNDP's ultimate decision. UNDP has made it clear that it is prepared to;consider the financing of operational activities only, to the
exclusion of any "activities relating to the executive direction and management
of the MULPOCs. For this reason^ EGA has already prepared, for possible
financing by UNDP, a set of well-defined operational activities, suitably time- framed, covering the" entire MULPOC work programme during the present cycle;
(b) It is hoped that the reports of the UNDP/ECA Evaluation Missions on the MULPOCs, which contain pertinent recommendations on their financing, and which are still under consideration, will have some influence on UNDP's decision on the subject.
(viii) Contact with other donors
The Executive Secretary was requested to contact various donors, including donor countries and financing institutions, as possible sources of financial assistance to the MULPOCs. Efforts to this end were, in .fact, begun by the secretariat from the time that the MULPOCs were, established and have now been . intensified. So far, the response appears to have been positive, but limited.
In the view of the secretariat, this cautious response is probably a reflection
of the current state of the debate regarding the future roie of the MULPOCs
and their financing" on an assured long-term (as opposed to an ad hoc short-term) basis. While the debate continues, and as long as some uncertainty remains, various prospective donors are bound to maintain a "wait and see" attitude. It is all the more necessary therefore, that the negotiations which are currently under way for the financing of the MULPOCs1 direction and management from the regular budget of the United Nations, and the financing of their operational
activities from UNDP funds should.be brought to an early and successful conclusion.
Once that happens, the call for additional support from other donors is less
likely to go unheeded/ . . .
During 1980-1981, bilateral support for the MULPOCs has come from a
number of sources for the financing of specific projects, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Sources and amounts of finance for specifier projects
; (US dollars)
Source ■ Purpose ' Amount
Federal Republic of - East African Mineral Development ' Germany Research Centre, Dodoma, United
Republic of Tanzania (Lusaka MULPOC) 97/000 Netherlands Prefeasibility study of a rail link
between Togo, Niger, Upper Volta and
Mali (Niamey MULPOC) ?5,000
Sweden ■ Migratory labour nrojpct for Southern
(SIDA/SAREC) Africa (Lusaka MULPOC) 93,000
United States feasibility stuHy ov t^e de
(USAID) of a subregional maize research centre
(Lusaka MULPOC) ' , . 117,000
Total 33^,000
E/KCA/CM.8/WAdd.l
Page 15
(ix) Channelling of aid through the MULPOCs
The resolution requested that the material and financial aid from all United Nations bodies to the multinational projects for which EGA is executing agency should be channelled through the MULPOCs. This is clearly in the spirit of the General Assembly restructuring and decentralization resolutions which, inter alia, recognized the regional commissions as the main general economic and social development centres within the United Nations system and gave them team leadership and responsiblity for co-ordination and co-operation activities in their respective regions. The request says, in effect, that the role of
"development centre-cum-team leader" that ECA plays at the regional level should be played by the MULPOCs at the subregional level.
Implementation of this part of the resolution still has a long way to go. Its success will depend partly on the demonstration by the MULPOCs themselves that they have the capacity to utilize effectively any assistance that may be channelled to them, and partly on the agencies themselves
demonstrating a willingness to use the MULPOC channel. Both factors are
important and closely interrelated, yet the first is only a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for the second.
Conclusion
The foregoing is a summary of the steps taken tcdate to implement the Freetown resolution on the MULPOCs. It is evident that, while the call for its implementation has not gone unheeded, there is still a long way to go before this is completed. The case for a substantial increase in regular budget financing of the MULPOCs is still being argued in the General Assembly;
negotiations with UNDP and other donors for the financing of the operational activities of the MULPOCs are still in progress; and the appeal for more support from member States of the Commission is being repeated yet again. At present, the unfolding picture gives grounds <>nly for guarded optimism.
Resolution 414 (XVI] - Statistical Training Programme for Africa:
Regional funding by the European Economic Community
The second session of the Joint Conference of African Planners, Statisticians and De-ographsrs, held in Addis Ababa in March 198?, was informed by the
representative of the Commission of the European Communities that an interim reply to the request submitted to his agency by the ACP secretariat had been transmitted to ACP in December 1981. The request had two aspects: fellowships and technical assistance.
With regard to fellowships, the Commission felt that the problem should be solved within the framework of the multi-year training programme which the Commission had set up with each ACP State at the request and according to the priorities established by the countries.
On the other hand, the other technical assistance aspects (training of trainers, operating expenses, capital expenses) could be financed from the resources provided for the regional programme when the ACP request to the programme was finally accepted.
The ECA secretariat is following up these matters in order to facilitate the procedures for granting fellowships and to speed up the approval of the request relating to the other technical assistance aspects.
The question of criteria for the distribution of student fellowships is no longer relevant since the fellowships cannot be financed from the regional programme of the European Development Fund (EDF).
E/ECA/CM, 8/Ik/Add.1 17
Resolution ^l*i(XVI - Statistical Training ProgyaTmne for Africa Regional Funding by the European Economic Corgnunity
The second session of the Joint Conference of African Planners, Statisticians and Demographers, held in Addis Ababa in March 1982, was informed "by the representa tive of the Commission of the European Communities that an interim reply to the request submitted to his agency by the ACP secretariat had been transmitted to ACP in December 198l. The request had tvo aspects: fellowships and technical
assistance.
With regard to fellowships, the Commission felt that the problem should be solved within the framework of the multi-year training programme which the Commission had set up with each ACP State at the request and according to the priorities established by the countries.
On the other hand, the other technical assistance aspects (training of trainers, operating expenses, capital expenses) could be financed from the resources provided for the regional programme when the ACP request to the programme was finally accepted.
The ECA secretariat is following up these matters in order to facilitate the procedures for granting fellowships and to speed up the approval of the request relating to the other technical assistance aspects.
The question of criteria for the distribution of student fellowships is no longer relevant since the fellowships cannot be financed from the regional programme of the European Development Fund (EDF).
