Further Measures for the Restructuring and Revitalization of the United Nations in the Economic, Social and Related Fields

A/RES/50/227View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 23 Restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields, published in 1995.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 1994–1996

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
1996	A/RES/50/227	Further measures for the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields	6,866	18%Compare
1994	A/RES/48/162	Further measures for the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields	5,061	–

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 7	Economic and social affairs	291

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 7	Economic and social affairs	291	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

16 subjects

Agenda Coordination Within UN System Development Assistance Development Finance Documents Financing Functional Commissions Groups of Experts Inter-Agency Cooperation Intergovernmental Bodies Operational Activities Organizational Change Organizational Structure Regional Commissions Work Organization Work Programme

What’s in this document?

6 operative paragraphs

Adopts the texts contained in the annexes to the present resolution;

Calls upon the relevant intergovernmental bodies to fully implement the measures for the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields;

Requests the Secretary-General to implement the further measures for restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields falling within his responsibility, as set out in annex I to the present resolution;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session, through the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1997, on the implementation of the present resolution;

Invites the specialized agencies, organizations and other bodies of the United Nations system to implement the measures for restructuring within their respective areas of competence, as appropriate;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first session the item entitled "Restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields".

Further measures for the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields

I. FUNDING OF OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM

There is a need for a substantial increase in resources for operational activities for development, on a predictable, continuous and assured basis, commensurate with the increasing needs of developing countries, in accordance with resolutions 48/162 of 20 December 1993 and 50/120 of 20 December 1995.

Efforts to mobilize the political will should be intensified in order to achieve the objectives outlined in the present section regarding funding of operational activities for development.

There is an urgent need to strive for the fulfilment of the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for official development assistance as soon as possible.

The fundamental characteristics of the operational activities of the United Nations system should be, inter alia, their universal, voluntary and grant nature, their neutrality and their multilateralism, as well as their ability to respond to the needs of developing countries in a flexible manner. The operational activities of the United Nations system should be carried out for the benefit of the developing countries, at the request of those countries and in accordance with their own policies and priorities for development.

There is a need for priority allocation of scarce grant resources to programmes and projects in low-income countries, in particular the least developed countries.

The United Nations development system should take into account the specific needs and requirements of the countries with economies in transition.

Developing countries are responsible for their development processes and operational activities for development are a joint responsibility of all countries. Partnership between developed and developing countries should be based on agreed mandates, principles and priorities of the United Nations system in the development field. All countries should demonstrate their commitment to the funds and programmes, and in this regard, the importance of equitable burden sharing among developed countries is recognized.

Many donor and recipient countries have made sustained contributions to the operational activities for development in the spirit of partnership.

Within the context of the efforts to provide the operational activities of the United Nations system with resources, in particular core resources, on a predictable, continuous and assured basis, and taking into account that voluntary contributions from official sources should remain the main source for funding of those activities, all aspects of funding of United Nations operational activities, and options presented in the reports of the Secretary-General² and other reports subsequently presented, which include the three funding mechanisms (voluntary, negotiated and assessed), as well as their expected impact, should be examined by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in accordance with their respective mandates.

²A/48/940 and A/49/834.

Overall policy issues regarding modalities of funding of operational activities for development should be considered by the General Assembly as the highest intergovernmental mechanism for the formulation and appraisal of policy matters relating to the economic, social and related fields, under the item on operational activities for development, in particular in the context of the triennial policy review, including the relationship between funding and programmes.

In order to fulfil its coordination role, and in accordance with the policies formulated by the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council should consider, on an annual basis in the operational activities segment, the overall financial picture of the funds and programmes, including the availability of resources, the priorities and programmes agreed upon in the funds and programmes, the adopted targets and further guidance on priorities, and make recommendations thereon to the General Assembly and the funds and programmes.

The governing bodies of each programme and fund coordinated by the Economic and Social Council (United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Population Fund and World Food Programme) shall adopt, in the context of their programme arrangements and financial plans, a specific and realistic target for core resources, based on the needs arising from their agreed programmes and priorities, as well as the specific mandates of each programme and fund. On this basis, and in accordance with relevant decisions taken by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, the governing bodies of each programme and fund shall take decisions on their own funding arrangements. The importance of non-core resources as a mechanism to enhance the capacity of the United Nations development system and to supplement the means available for operational activities for development is also recognized.

The importance of continuing to improve ways in which Member States are kept informed of the impact of operational activities for development and of the financial picture of the programmes and funds coordinated by the Economic and Social Council should be stressed, as well as the relationship between programming requirements and available funding.

The recommendations and priorities set out in General Assembly resolution 50/120, regarding measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the operational activities for development of the United Nations system should be fully implemented, including, inter alia, programmes focused on meeting the specific needs of developing countries, giving priority allocation to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and Africa, appropriate cooperation among United Nations programmes, and keeping administrative costs to a level that allows effective programme delivery.

All organizations of the United Nations development system should focus their efforts at the field level on priority areas in accordance with the priorities identified by recipient countries and the mandates, mission statements and relevant decisions of their governing bodies in order to avoid duplication and enhance the complementarity and impact of their work.

By its fifty-second session, the General Assembly should review the above-mentioned funding modalities. A decision regarding the future of the United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities will be postponed pending the results of this review. In the event that this review is not completed by the end of the fifty-second session of the General Assembly, a decision on whether to effect changes in the scheduling of the Pledging Conference for the fifty-second session will then be made.

The Secretary-General is requested to prepare a report on new and innovative ideas for generating funds, to be considered by the General Assembly, on a priority basis, not later than at its fifty-first session, taking into account the discussions at the substantive session of 1996 of the Economic and Social Council, analysing various proposals that have been advanced on innovative funding sources and modalities for operational activities, including national, international and private sources, and setting forth his views on the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. Innovative funding sources could be an additional element for the provision of resources for operational activities for development.

II. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The General Assembly should exert greater policy leadership on development issues inasmuch as the Charter of the United Nations provides the Assembly with broad mandates concerning these issues. The General Assembly is the highest intergovernmental mechanism for the formulation and appraisal of policy on matters relating to the economic, social and related fields, in accordance with chapter IX of the Charter. It is the main forum where Governments pursue the development dialogue, which includes all these issues, in its political context. The purpose of the dialogue is to take an integrated view of matters relating to the economic, social and related fields in order to build and deepen the political understanding required for enhanced international development cooperation, to generate impulses for action and to launch initiatives.

The High-level Open-ended Working Group on the Strengthening of the United Nations System should be encouraged to consider, in the context of the debate on all the Main Committees of the General Assembly, promoting the use of innovative mechanisms, in accordance with the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, such as panel discussions with delegations and interactive debates, with the active participation of Secretariat and agency representatives, as well as outside experts.

The Secretary-General is requested to provide information on the total cost associated with the reports submitted annually to the General Assembly under current mandates, so that the General Assembly may review and take appropriate action on them.

A. Coherence of the work of the Second and Third Committees

There is a need to promote greater coherence and complementarity between the work of the Second and Third Committees. For this purpose the General Committee of the General Assembly should ensure better coordination of the agendas of the Second and Third Committees; the two bureaux should review their respective programmes of work in order to exchange information on the issues discussed in each, identify potential areas of overlap or duplication and examine means of considering in a more coordinated manner issues related to the follow-up of the major United Nations conferences and make recommendations thereon to their respective Committees.

There is a need to consider possible measures to allow for the coordinated consideration of the report of the Economic and Social Council during the General Assembly session.

To the extent feasible, the discussions in the Second and Third Committees should not commence until after the end of the general debate in the plenary meetings of the General Assembly.

For issues of a procedural nature, decisions, instead of resolutions, should be used to the maximum extent possible. Resolutions should be shorter, in particular as regards preambular parts. The bureaux, in reviewing the respective agendas, could identify and recommend those individual items or clusters of related items that could be effectively considered in omnibus resolutions.

B. Programme of work of the Second and Third Committees

The arrangements in the General Assembly and in the Economic and Social Council for considering the coordination of humanitarian assistance and special economic assistance to individual countries and regions should be reviewed during the fifty-first session of the General Assembly.

In order to ensure, whenever possible, a common approach and clear system-wide mandate for issues dealing with special economic assistance to individual countries, each resolution could contain, to the extent possible and, as appropriate, a common preambular section, while specificity (individual needs) would be maintained within a number of operative paragraphs.

To facilitate discussions based on an integrated approach to development issues, the possibility of choosing a principal theme or themes should be explored to focus substantive debate under each "cluster" in the agenda without prejudice to the right of delegations to raise any other specific issue in the debates.

Consultations should be held at an early stage, in an organizational session of the Committee, before the start of its general debate, based on proposals from the bureau for decision, on clustering of the agenda, and, where possible, themes and focus for these clusters, taking into account the content of reports presented, as well as on items to be included for discussion or items for decisions and resolutions without formal debate.

The agenda of the Second Committee is set out in annex II. This is without prejudice to the current arrangements on the biennialization and triennialization of items, as decided by the General Assembly in resolution 48/162.

The agenda of the Third Committee is structured in accordance with General Assembly decision 50/465 of 22 December 1995 (see annex III).

III. DOCUMENTATION AND RELATED MATTERS

The Secretariat and representatives of the specialized agencies are requested to provide executive briefings, as appropriate, on the matters to be covered under the items on the agenda, at least a week prior to the opening of the General Assembly. The Second Committee should, in accordance with resolution 48/162, look early in the session into all aspects related to the improvement of the working methods of the Committee.

There should be greater use of relevant background documents in the Second Committee such as the World Economic and Social Survey, the Trade and Development Report, the World Development Report and the World Economic Outlook; in the preparation of the first two reports, cooperation and coordination between the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis and the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development should be enhanced to ensure more complementarity between the reports.

There should be continued improvement of other reports to make them more concise and action-oriented, by highlighting the critical areas requiring action by the General Assembly and, as appropriate, by making specific recommendations. All documentation should be provided within the specified timetables and page limits and in all official United Nations languages. Efforts should also continue to be made to have all documentation available in electronic form, in particular for distribution on the Internet, in a timely manner and within existing resources.

In order to rationalize and simplify reporting procedures, the Second and Third Committees shall, at the end of their sessions, while reviewing their draft programmes of work for the next sessions, consider procedural decisions regarding requests for reports, including where possible integrated reports on closely related items, as well as items to be inscribed on the agendas for the next sessions. This exercise shall be based on the lists of reports mandated from decisions taken by the present and previous sessions of the General Assembly, which are included in the draft programmes of work, as well as suggestions from the Secretary-General on reporting arrangements.

It is noted that the Economic and Social Council requested the Secretary-General to prepare proposals, for consideration by the Council in 1996 and by the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, on the simplification of existing reporting requirements, taking into account the reports that will be required for the follow-up to United Nations conferences.

IV. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the Economic and Social Council must continue to strengthen its role as the central mechanism for coordination of the activities of the United Nations system and its specialized agencies and supervision of subsidiary bodies, in particular its functional commissions, in the economic, social and related fields. It should provide overall guidance and coordination to the United Nations development system. It must also promote a coordinated follow-up to the outcomes of major international conferences in the economic, social and related fields.

The Council should fully implement its authority to take final decisions on the activities of its subsidiary bodies and on other matters relating to its system-wide coordination and overall guidance functions in the economic, social and related fields, as appropriate.

The Council should continue to consider reports of intergovernmental and inter-agency bodies and mechanisms for coordination and recommend ways to enhance their interaction and complementarity of efforts.

In the follow-up to United Nations conferences, the Council shall ensure the harmonization and coordination of the agendas and work programmes of the functional commissions by promoting a clearer division of labour among them and providing clear policy guidance to them. To this end, better preparation of the meetings of the Council should be ensured. The Council could periodically organize meetings on specific issues to allow for more dialogue with the chairpersons and the secretariats, as appropriate, of the functional commissions, other subsidiary and related bodies and the relevant executive boards. If an effective and coordinated follow-up process suggests the need, then the consolidation of activities of subsidiary bodies may be considered, as appropriate. The aim of sustaining and strengthening the quality and impact of the output of these bodies must be assured.

The Council shall hold a shorter, focused substantive session for four weeks in July. Efforts shall be made, therefore, to improve preparedness of the session through the effective use of the organizational session of the Council and, as appropriate, open-ended informal consultations in order to conduct preliminary consultations among delegations on matters to be dealt with at the substantive session. This may involve, as appropriate, dialogues with the chairpersons and the secretariats, as appropriate, of the functional commissions, other subsidiary and related bodies and executive boards relevant to these issues, among others, in order to identify problems, avoid overlaps and fill gaps.

In accordance with the provision of the Charter and its rules of procedure, the Council may convene special sessions to address urgent developments in the economic, social and related fields that may require guidance and coordination by the Council.

In scheduling the above-mentioned sessions and consultations, the Council should take into consideration meetings of other bodies dealing with economic and social issues to avoid unnecessary overlapping and overburdening.

The Secretary-General is requested to prepare a study with a comprehensive assessment of the present arrangements for the Council's sessions.

The outcome of each segment of the Council should be strengthened and made more action-oriented. Resolutions, decisions and agreed conclusions should be implemented and followed up fully by all relevant parts of the United Nations system. This process should be monitored by the Council and the General Assembly on a regular basis, as appropriate.

Panel discussions and interactive debates, with the participation of outside experts, non-governmental organizations and the business and academic communities, where appropriate, and in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Council, should be encouraged in parallel to the formal meetings of the Council, taking into account any relevant outcome of the Open-ended Working Group on the Review of Arrangements for Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations that the Council adopts.

A. Preparation of the sessions of the Economic and Social Council

The organizational session of the Council should continue to be the appropriate framework for transparent discussion and approval of the agenda items of the substantive session, as well as of its annual basic programme of work, taking into account the rules of procedure of the Council and relevant General Assembly resolutions, in particular resolutions 45/264 of 13 May 1991 and 48/162.

The Bureau of the Council should convene open-ended informal consultations of the Council to improve organizational and procedural as well as substantive aspects of the Council's sessions, with a view to highlighting the issues and recommendations that require consideration and action by the Council. In order to have more focused and well-prepared substantive sessions of the Council, the Bureau should be encouraged to continue to exercise its role as facilitator.

The Bureau of the Council should meet on a regular basis and may consider issues such as recommendations on agenda items and subjects, the structure of meetings and lists of guest participants for panel discussions, and should be kept informed, where appropriate, and in the context of its organizational efforts, of the deliberations of relevant intergovernmental mechanisms outside the United Nations system. The Bureau shall brief the Council on its deliberations and shall not have the authority to make decisions on any substantive matters.

The Bureau should also assist the Council in identifying economic, social and related issues for discussion at its sessions, maintain contacts with the bureaux of the functional commissions and other subsidiary bodies, as well as with those of the specialized agencies and the executive boards of the funds and programmes, and thus allow for a better interaction between the Council and those bodies and contribute by assisting the Council to better fulfil its role.

The Bureau shall monitor the state of preparedness of documentation for the Council and take necessary measures to facilitate its timely issuance in all official languages.

Based on proposals by member States, recommendations in the reports of the Secretary-General as well as in the reports of the Council's subsidiary bodies and the executive boards of the United Nations funds and programmes, the Bureau shall identify areas for possible action by the Council, with a view to improving the proceedings of the Council.

Members of the Bureau should be entrusted with safeguarding and passing on to the next session of the Council the working methods that have proved successful and the overall experience acquired in implementing resolution 48/162 and the present resolution, taking into account the rules of procedure of the Council.

B. High-level segment

The theme for the general debate of the high-level segment shall be determined by the Economic and Social Council. In this connection, the President of the Council, following consultations with Member States and, through the Secretary-General, with members of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, should present a proposal for a topical theme for the following year at the annual substantive session of the Council. At such session, the Council shall undertake consultations on the theme for the high-level segment with a view to reaching a decision, if possible, during the substantive session, but not later than at a resumed session in the autumn following the annual session. In the event a matter of high urgency and priority subsequently emerges that would qualify as a theme for the high-level segment, the Council, at its organizational session, may, as appropriate, consider that theme as an additional topic for discussion at the high-level segment.

The Secretary General is requested to include in his report for this segment all relevant issues that could be discussed during the session, on the basis of the theme or themes chosen, making use of inputs from the various pertinent bodies of the United Nations system, including concrete recommendations on the matters under discussion.

In order to better focus the policy dialogue, the possibility of having joint reports, prepared by the secretariats of the United Nations, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization, should be explored.

The outcome of the high-level segment should normally be in the form of agreed conclusions and should be followed up by all relevant bodies and organizations of the United Nations system.

C. Coordination segment

The agreed conclusions of the Council concerning the selection of cross-cutting themes common to major international conferences and/or the contribution to an overall review of the implementation of the programme of action of a United Nations conference should be implemented. At the organizational session of the Council, consideration should be given to choosing a second theme dealing with concrete sectoral issues. The Council should develop a focused dialogue on the chosen theme or themes with the funds and programmes, the regional commissions and the relevant specialized agencies, including the Bretton Woods institutions, as well as the World Trade Organization, as appropriate.

The functions of the present joint meetings of the Administrative Committee on Coordination and the Committee for Programme and Coordination, which are hereby discontinued, should be assigned to this segment.

The implementation of the agreed conclusions of this segment should be followed up in the general segment of the following year.

D. Operational activities for development segment

The role of the Council in providing overall coordination and guidance for operational development programmes and funds on a system-wide basis should be reinforced, including objectives, priorities and strategies in the implementation of the policies formulated by the General Assembly, as well as concentrating on cross-cutting and coordination issues related to operational activities, including through a high-level meeting, in order to provide an opportunity for policy makers to engage in discussion on the broader issues for development cooperation.

Efforts should focus on improving the overall impact of operational activities of the United Nations system in development cooperation by, inter alia, implementing the set of measures agreed upon in this framework and ensuring a more coordinated implementation at the field level.

With a view to avoiding repetition of discussions, the governing boards should be requested to highlight in their respective reports to the Council the issues requiring examination and identify action to be taken.

National officials directly involved in the implementation of national development strategies in recipient countries, as well as field-level representatives of the United Nations system, should be encouraged to participate in this segment.

The debates with the heads of agencies should focus on concrete topics of common concern and, with the consent of the countries concerned, use should be made of national and regional case-studies. The annual discussion of policy for operational development programmes should be broadened, focusing on support for country-driven processes, so as to include the status of collaboration with other multilateral and bilateral donors, especially the Bretton Woods institutions.

Contributions to the preparations for the triennial policy review of operational activities conducted by the General Assembly should be continued.

E. General segment

The primary function of this segment as that of an action-oriented review of the activities, reports and recommendations of the Council's subsidiary bodies should be consolidated, avoiding a repetition of the debates held in those bodies and focusing attention on major policy issues that require a prioritized and coordinated response from the United Nations system as a whole.

The Council should regularly review the agenda of its general segment with a view to discontinuing consideration of items that are not relevant to the work of its subsidiary machinery or are duplicative of items on the agenda of the General Assembly, and distinguish more clearly between items on the agenda requiring decisions and those for information only.

The subsidiary bodies should be requested to include in their reports an executive summary, and the reports should be concise, identifying clearly their conclusions and recommendations and the issues that may require attention and/or action by the Council. The Secretariat should consolidate these issues in a single document for consideration and action.

Provision should be made for the integration and coordination of humanitarian and emergency assistance activities with medium- and long-term rehabilitation and development efforts and programmes.

V. FUNCTIONAL AND REGIONAL COMMISSIONS AND EXPERT GROUPS

A. Functional commissions and expert groups

The Council shall undertake, taking into account recent decisions regarding the mandates, functions and composition of the Commissions on Population and Development, Social Development and the Status of Women, as well as the discussions during the special session of the General Assembly in 1997 on the future role of the Commission on Sustainable Development, including its relationship with the United Nations Environment Programme, a review of the mandates, composition, functions and working methods of its functional commissions and expert groups and bodies, ensuring more effective and coordinated discussions and outcomes of their work. In the case of functional commissions with the primary responsibility for the follow-up and review of the implementation of a major conference, The Council shall ensure the coordination of their multi-year programmes, in accordance with the agreed conclusions adopted by the Council at its substantive session of 1995 on the coordinated follow-up of the results of major international conferences. Such a review should be completed by the fifty-second session of the General Assembly.

The review should, as a matter of priority, consider the role, working methods and relationship with other bodies of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the Committee for Development Planning, the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development and the Committee on Natural Resources.

The functions of the World Food Council shall be absorbed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme, and consequently the World Food Council is discontinued.

The role and the working methods of the Committee for Programme and Coordination should be considered by the High-level Open-ended Working Group on the Strengthening of the United Nations System within the context of General Assembly decision 47/454 of 23 December 1992, with a view to finding ways of improving programme coordination functions throughout the United Nations system. In this context, consideration should be given, inter alia, to the roles and responsibilities of the Economic and Social Council and the Committee for Programme and Coordination with respect to coordination.

B. Regional commissions

The Council shall provide for the review of the regional commissions, with a view to strengthening and enhancing their effectiveness as action- and policy-oriented bodies in the economic and development fields with better response to the conditions and environments unique to the specific regions; improving their coordination with the entire United Nations system, including the specialized agencies, the Bretton Woods institutions and the regional development banks; strengthening their active participation relating to the implementation at the regional level of the results of major United Nations conferences; and shall encourage them also to undertake their own management and functional assessments towards these ends.

One of the major purposes of the above reviews should be to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these bodies by eliminating unnecessary duplication or overlapping of work and by ensuring a better structural relationship among these bodies and with the Economic and Social Council.

VI. GOVERNING BODIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES AND FUNDS

Efforts should continue to be made to reduce the proliferation and overlapping of formal and informal meetings of the same bodies throughout the year, to improve the setting of agendas and to delineate the subjects for allocation for consideration at their annual and regular sessions; where possible, the overlapping of such meetings with other meetings should be eliminated. In this context, the executive boards should, on a continuous basis, consider adjustments to their agendas, reporting procedures and format, as well as reviewing the number and scheduling of meetings and sessions, with a view to continuing the rationalization of the working methods of the boards.

While recognizing that governing bodies in the context of their specific mandates deal with policy issues that pertain to their own institutions, they should also describe in their reports how the overall policy guidance and coordination provided by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council have been implemented, as well as their specific recommendations for further action.

The effective participation of observer member States and observer States in the sessions of the executive boards should be facilitated. To this end, the executive boards should review their arrangements and working methods and, where applicable, their rules of procedure. Documentation of the executive boards should be made accessible to all member States of the funds and programmes.

VII. INTER-AGENCY COORDINATION

In the context of the discussions on an agenda for development, a close review shall be made of the relationship of the Economic and Social Council with the specialized agencies. The Council, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, shall provide overall guidance and coordination, identify points of duplication with funds and programmes, and make recommendations, as appropriate and necessary.

The Administrative Committee on Coordination should have an enhanced function for inter-agency coordination purposes for the United Nations system, and continue to meet for this purpose on a regular basis under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General, at the head-of-agency level, to review and advise on coordination matters; it should continue to report to the Council, and continue to make use of small task forces at the operational levels to develop joint inter-agency programmes, as appropriate.

The Administrative Committee on Coordination should present the thematic aspects of its report to the Council at its coordination segment and the remaining parts at the general segment; the members of the Administrative Committee on Coordination should engage in an active dialogue with the Council on ways to improve inter-agency coordination.

The periodic meetings of all concerned senior secretariat officials in the economic and social sectors, under the authority of the Secretary-General, should continue to be used to improve coordination and performance; the outcomes of these meetings should be presented on a regular basis to the Economic and Social Council.

While recognizing the importance and the necessity of adapting the United Nations to new realities and challenges, it is also important that sufficient time be accorded to the implementation of reforms undertaken in order to provide necessary stability in the functioning of United Nations organs and bodies, hence allowing for the building of experiences for any future reforms.

VIII. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL FINANCE AND TRADE INSTITUTIONS

The issues relating to the strengthening of the relationship between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions, and possibly also the World Trade Organization, shall be particularly considered in the context of the deliberations on an agenda for development, as foreseen in resolution 47/181 of 22 December 1992.

In general, there should be greater interaction and cooperation between the Bretton Woods institutions and other parts of the United Nations system and between their secretariats; a first practical step could be to request the Bretton Woods institutions to furnish special reports and studies to the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly on issues falling within their competence, in accordance with article V of the Agreement between the United Nations and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

There is a need for an early exploratory review to be prepared jointly by the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions to assess mechanisms, programmes and relationships at the field, headquarters and intergovernmental levels, with a view to identifying areas in which communication, cooperation and coordination could be improved. The review should produce a report and recommendations on how the respective institutions can improve their own efforts and effectively complement one another's efforts, particularly in the context of the priorities established by their respective member States, in relation to the implementation of the results of United Nations conferences, the collection and dissemination of data analyses and reports, the use of existing resources in the transition from emergency relief to rehabilitation and development, the provision of technical assistance operations in the field, intergovernmental and secretariat consultations, and policy dialogues.

The General Assembly and the respective governing bodies of the Bretton Woods institutions, based on the conclusions of the above review, should consider concrete areas and forms of collaboration in the field of development-related activities.

In order to improve communication and cooperation at the intergovernmental level between the Council and the international financial and trade institutions, to facilitate an exchange of views with regard to global issues of high priority and relevance and to consider how the Economic and Social Council and the international financial and trade institutions could mutually support their respective efforts in promoting and coordinating programme activities within their purviews relating to these issues, the Council should schedule periodically a high-level special meeting at a time proximate to the semi-annual meetings of the Bretton Woods institutions with a view to benefiting, to the extent possible, from high-level ministerial participation and the participation of heads of financial and trade institutions and other relevant organizations. A theme and agenda for this Council meeting should be prepared collaboratively, sufficiently in advance to permit preparation and consultations, and the financial and trade institutions should be invited, as and when appropriate, to prepare reports and studies to enhance the discussions. In order to secure an effective outcome of such meetings, the Secretary-General is requested to consult the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in order to explore possibilities and practical modalities for such meetings and to inform the Council thereon.

IX. SECRETARIAT

The present structure and functioning of the Secretariat, including the economic and social departments and the question of establishing a post of Deputy Secretary-General for International Cooperation and Development, shall be considered in the High-level Open-ended Working Group on the Strengthening of the United Nations System and in the Open-ended Working Group on an Agenda for Development.

In the context of the High-level Open-ended Working Group on the Strengthening of the United Nations System, uniform and maximum terms of service for heads of programmes and funds and other Economic and Social Council and General Assembly bodies should be considered. In connection with the recruitment and appointment of staff, there is a need to implement the provisions of Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations and relevant General Assembly resolutions.

Agenda for the Second Committee

Report of the Economic and Social Council.

Macroeconomic policy questions:

Trends in social and economic development;

External debt crisis and development;

Financing of development, including net transfer of resources between developing and developed countries;³

³This item will be considered on an annual basis. The question of the International Conference on the Financing of Development will be considered under this item at the fifty-second session of the General Assembly.

Trade and development;

Commodities;

Science and technology for development.

Sectoral policy questions:

Industrial development cooperation;

Development of the energy resources of developing countries;

Food and sustainable agricultural development;

Business and development.

Sustainable development and international economic cooperation:

Implementation and follow-up to major consensus agreements on development:

Implementation of the commitments and policies agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of the Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries;

Implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade;

Agenda for development:

Renewal of the dialogue on strengthening international cooperation for development through partnership;

Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least

Developed Countries for the 1990s;

Integration of the economies in transition into the world economy;

Population and development;

International migration and development, including the convening of a United Nations conference on international migration and development;

Human settlements;

Eradication of poverty;

Women in development;

Human resources development.

Environment and sustainable development:

Implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development;

Desertification and drought, including implementation of the International Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa;

Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity;

Implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States;

Protection of the global climate for present and future generations of mankind;

International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

Operational activities for development:

Triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system;

Economic and technical cooperation among developing countries.

Training and research:

United Nations Institute for Training and Research;

United Nations University.

Agenda for the Third Committee

The items allocated to the Third Committee for consideration during the fifty-first session of the General Assembly should be taken up in the following order:

Item 2. Social development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.

Item 3. Crime prevention and criminal justice.

Item 4. International drug control.

Item 5. Advancement of women.

Item 6. Implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Item 7. Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions.

Item 8. Promotion and protection of the rights of children.

Item 9. Programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.

Item 10. Elimination of racism and racial discrimination.

Item 11. Right of peoples to self-determination.

Item 12. Human rights questions:

Implementation of human rights instruments;

Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives;

Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action;

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Item 1. Report of the Economic and Social Council.

This arrangement may be reviewed at the organizational meeting of the Third Committee, in particular in the light of the status of documentation at that time.

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