Activities of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- See Doc. 8044, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development, rapporteur: Mr Figel. Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 26 May 1998.
- Thesaurus
1. For over fifty years, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) has fostered regional multilateral co-operation among its member states, by providing a forum for continuous and constructive dialogue among countries with different political, economic and social systems. As such, the UN-ECE has made a tangible contribution to the new Europe of today.
2. After years of determined reorganisation in order to face the new European challenges, the UN-ECE has substantially modified its organisational structure and working methods, while endeavouring to ensure that its activities remain relevant and effective in promoting economic development across Europe, in particular in the countries in transition. It does so through a wide range of activities – including macroeconomic analysis, statistics, trade, transport, environment, sustainable energy, industry, human settlement and enterprise development.
3. The Assembly, aware of the particular challenges facing the countries in transition at this critical juncture in their history, welcomes the follow-up given to its
Resolution 1052 (1995), on UN-ECE activities, in the form of closer co-operation between itself and the UN-ECE in order to promote sustainable economic and social development in the region, in the context of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
4. The Assembly invites the member states of the UN-ECE:
4.1 to provide the organisation with adequate resources to permit it to pursue its mission of bringing European countries together, through the elaboration of norms and conventions, and policy debate in its areas of expertise;
4.2 to promote close co-operation between the UN-ECE and other regional organisations in order to ensure the avoidance of any work duplication;
4.3 in particular, to strengthen the UN-ECE’s capacity to forge programmes and initiatives which are sufficiently flexible and responsive to changing needs and requirements, as well as its ability to formulate comprehensive regional strategies for economic development;
4.4 to enable the UN-ECE to expand its programmes of technical co-operation, including seminars and regional advisory services, which have become an essential means for it to fulfil its mandate;
4.5 to use more fully the UN-ECE’s initiatives in the field of environmental protection, renewable energy, the development of international infrastructure networks, and the promotion of balanced industrial growth in central and eastern Europe;
5. The Assembly calls on the governments of Council of Europe member states:
5.1 where applicable, to accede to UN-ECE conventions and agreements in the field of transport, environmental protection, the development of renewable energy and trade facilitation;
5.2 to help the UN-ECE to achieve its mandate of assisting the economies in transition whilst also encouraging open trade in the whole of Europe;
5.3 to support UN-ECE activities designed to minimise the adverse social effects of the transition process in the countries of central and eastern Europe;
5.4 to enhance co-operation between the Council of Europe’s Social Development Fund and the UN-ECE for programmes aimed at fostering the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in central and eastern Europe, in conformity with the Assembly’s
Resolution 1138 (1997) on the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises in central and eastern Europe;
5.5 to encourage the work done by sub-regional organisations in Europe and facilitate the exchange of information and experience between these sub-regional groups.
6. The Assembly, recalling its
Resolution 1122 (1997) on the progress of economic reform in central and eastern Europe, emphasises the importance of closer co-operation among all European countries in the economic and social fields, and encourages the established market economies and the international community as a whole to continue to provide adequate support to the countries of central and eastern Europe at this crucial period of their development.
