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2002 the CEB continued to address the follow-up to
the Millennium Summit – with the themes for 2002 being,
"treatment and prevention of diseases, including
HIV/AIDS and Malaria" and "preventing armed
conflicts". CEB further addressed system-wide
follow up and monitoring of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), and the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD). CEB also continued
to focus on the strengthening of system-wide support
for the sustainable development of Africa, particularly
the "New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD)". CEB further reviewed the work and functioning
of HLCP and HLCM, as well as issues of security and
staff safety.
First
substantive session for 2002
At
its first substantive session for 2002, held at FAO
Headquarters in Rome (10-11 April), CEB addressed
the follow-up to the Millennium Summit, focusing on
“treatment and prevention of disease, including HIV/AIDS
and malaria”, on the basis of an executive paper which
the Secretary-General had asked the World Health Organization
(WHO) to prepare. In endorsing the WHO paper as a
basis for the future work of the UN system and as
a contribution to meeting the MDGs, CEB re-emphasized
the multi-sectoral challenge of achieving the health
goals of the Millennium Declaration and called for
mutually reinforcing actions in education, water,
sanitation, population, nutrition, agriculture, environment,
rural development, sustainable human settlements,
empowerment of women and investment in children. Attention
was also drawn to the close linkages that exist between
human health and the environment as shown by the effects
of climate change and increasing exposure to harmful
chemicals and on the incidence and prevalence of diseases.
With
regard to NEPAD, CEB reiterated that it deserves the
full and continuing support of the international community
and provides an appropriate framework for the UN system
to maximize the effectiveness and impact of its contribution
to the sustainable development of Africa. It urged
organizations of the system to maintain their current
engagement in Africa, while responding to specific
requests for support in advancing NEPAD’s implementation.
One of the identified six thematic areas for priority
within NEPAD is ‘agriculture and environment’.
CEB
noted that HLCP and HLCM are making good progress
in their work and have moved beyond the organizational
phase towards addressing substantive issues – both
within the scope of their own responsibilities and
in support of CEB. CEB requested HLCP to continue
its efforts to enhance its functioning, including
an effective distribution of responsibilities with
other coordinating bodies. CEB noted the new, flexible
and pragmatic arrangements for inter-agency coordination
in the programme areas covered by the former Administrative
Committee on Coordination (ACC) subsidiary bodies.
It welcomed HLCP’s decision to monitor and give as
required, policy guidance to inter-agency thematic
networks, and called on the CEB Secretariat to provide
systematic and objective information and support to
the Committee in this regard. In this context, CEB
concurred with the need to give special attention
to ensuring that effective arrangements are in place
to continue to secure organized inter-agency coordination
in areas of system-wide concern, particularly freshwater,
which are crucial for development and for which several
agencies share responsibility.
Details
of CEB’s discussions can be found in the summary of
conclusions of the meeting
(CEB/2002/1).
Second
substantive session for 2002
At
its second substantive session for 2002, held at UN
Headquarters in New York (8-9 November), CEB addressed
the follow-up to the Millennium Summit, focusing on
the theme "Preventing armed conflict", on
the basis of an executive note prepared by the UN
Department of Political Affairs and finalized in the
light of observations and conclusions of HLCP (which
met at UNIDO Headquarters in Vienna from 23 to 24
September to undertake substantive preparations for
CEB). One of HLCP's conclusions was that particular
attention should be given to environmental degradation
and natural resource depletion as potential sources
of conflict. CEB agreed that the central component
of the UN system's strategy on conflict prevention
should be the promotion of development and the eradication
of poverty. The conflict prevention and the development
agendas should be mutually reinforcing. CEB further
agreed that an effective system-wide strategy on preventing
armed conflict requires a sound analytical base and
a common understanding of the conditions that lead
to armed conflict, and of the most effective ways
by which the collective strengths of the system can
be brought to bear on conflict prevention.
CEB
also considered the work of HLCP, particularly with
regard to system-wide follow up and monitoring of
the MDGs, and the follow-up to WSSD. With regard to
WSSD, CEB members welcomed the establishment of an
open-ended group of HLCP to give focused attention
to the issue and assist HLCP in preparing CEB's further
discussions on the matter at its next session. They
shared the group's assessment that WSSD has given
renewed political impetus to the implementation of
commitments and agreements reached in Rio in 1992,
including by introducing important new goals and targets,
and that it is now incumbent on the system to build
on and sustain this momentum. CEB agreed that it is
necessary both to focus inter-agency cooperation for
sustainable development on advancing the implementation
of the outcomes of WSSD, and to work towards effectively
integrating relevant conference follow up processes
so that they become mutually reinforcing and serve,
together, to maximize their impact on the attainment
of the MDGs. The need, highlighted in the group's
discussions, for the system to take into account on-going
inter-governmental discussions on approaches to the
integrated follow-up to conferences, was reiterated.
CEB
members also shared the view that strategic and programmatic
frameworks to advance implementation of these outcomes
and related actions in the WEHAB areas (water and
sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity)
should be flexible and action-oriented. They should
contribute to enhancing coherence and impact by all
concerned institutions, rather than adding to them.
The need for bold approaches that give more visibility
to implementation processes, particularly with respect
to water and energy, was particularly stressed. These
approaches should serve not only to reinforce system-wide
coherence but also fully exploit the opportunities
presented by partnerships with the private sector,
local authorities and civil society. The same considerations
applied to follow-up actions concerning changing patterns
of productions and consumption. In recognizing the
importance of this objective, WSSD had highlighted
the need to work also at sectoral and enterprise levels
and involving business and workers in these processes.
There
was general support for the view that the main focus
of inter-agency action should be at the country level,
avoiding the creation of new coordination mechanisms,
while building on and reinforcing existing ones. CEB
encouraged HLCP and its open-ended group to pursue
their work on identifying the actions required to
maximize the system's support to a sustained follow-up
to WSSD, taking into account the above considerations.
With
regard to HLCP's intention to initiate a study on
the system's collaboration with civil society, CEB
members welcomed the initiative, noting that it would
also serve to complement, from a system-wide perspective,
the Secretary-General's decision referred to in his
report on UN reform ( A/57/387
- Strengthening of the United Nations: an agenda
for further change) to establish a panel of eminent
personalities to review the relationship between the
United Nations and civil society.
Details
of CEB’s discussions can be found in the summary of
conclusions of the meeting
(CEB/2002/2)
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