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In 2003 the CEB continued to address
the follow-up to the Millennium Summit - themes for
2003 include "strategies for sustainable development"
and "financing for development". CEB also
continued to address the strengthening of system-wide
support for the sustainable development of Africa,
particularly focusing on the "New Partnership
for Africa's Development (NEPAD)". CEB also reviewed
the work and functioning of HLCP and HLCM, as well
as issues of security and staff safety.
An overview of CEB's work in 2003 can be found in its Annual Overview Report (E/2004/55).
First substantive session for 2003
At its first substantive session for 2003, held at UNESCO Headquarters
in Paris (25-26 April), CEB addressed the follow-up to the Millennium Summit,
focusing on “Strategies for sustainable development”
– one of the themes to be given special attention
in the next report of the Secretary-General to the
General Assembly on the implementation of the Millennium
Declaration. A report on the UN system’s follow-up
to WSSD, which was prepared by a working group of
HLCP and to which the UNEP NYO contributed extensively,
provided the basis for the discussions.
Members of CEB generally
concurred with the overall approach to the follow-up
to WSSD developed by HLCP. CEB asked HLCP to further
elaborate upon its specific recommendations in the
light of the discussions and specific observations
in CEB (as contained in the report
of the CEB session). HLCP was asked to focus on
the substance of the follow-up to WSSD, in order to
ground modalities for inter-agency and other collaborative
arrangements, as well as the policy guidance to be
provided for technical work and operational activities
and further strategic discussions on the matter, in
substantive objectives and tasks.
CEB also considered the report
of the fifth session of HLCP, including the Committee’s
new work programme, which had been developed within
a longer-term perspective of its work and contribution,
and focuses on five priority areas: Follow-up to the
Millennium Declaration – preparations for the 2005
comprehensive review; conflict prevention – nexus
between political, humanitarian and sustainable development;
HIV/AIDS: linkages with food security and governance;
energy in the follow-up to Johannesburg; and international
trade and the Doha development round. CEB endorsed
the work programme proposed by the Committee. CEB
especially emphasized the importance of the Committee’s
role in contributing to shape the structure and content
of the 2005 Comprehensive Review of the implementation
of the Millennium Declaration. CEB also requested
HLCP to pursue further work on the issue of HIV/AIDS
and its linkages with food security and institutional
capacity, and to report on the matter to the Fall
2003 session of the Board.
With regard to UN system-wide
support for Africa’s development and NEPAD, CEB endorsed
the approach recommended by HLCP that the thematic
clusters established in the context of the regional
consultations on NEPAD should serve as the main instrument
for consolidating UN system support for African development.
CEB also decided to issue a statement in support of
the Doha Development Agenda
Details of CEB’s discussions can be found in the
summary of conclusions of the meeting (CEB/2003/1).
Second substantive session for 2003
CEB held its second substantive session for 2003 at UN Headquarters in New York (31 October - 1 November 2003). The main item on CEB's agenda, under the follow-up to the Millennium Summit, was "financing for development" (FfD). Following the ECOSOC High-Level Meeting with the Bretton Woods Institutions and the World Trade Organization in April 2003 and the High-Level Dialogue at the UN General Assembly on the follow up to Monterrey in October 2003, CEB resumed its consideration of the response of the system to the FfD Conference, and of ways to maximize its contribution to progress in the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus in all the inter-related areas covered by it. CEB members recognized the important role of the FfD process in advancing policy coherence within the system and reiterated their commitment to take individual and collective actions to further such coherence in support of the Conference goals.
In assessing the overall state of implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, CEB reiterated that developed countries need to do much more to deliver on their commitments, while developing countries should continue to make progress in creating an enabling environment for their own development. It considered that CEB's contribution to the effective follow up to FfD would continue to focus on advocacy and on strengthening collective approaches to policy advice and programme delivery at all levels, but especially at the country level. CEB will actively pursue the follow up to Monterrey in the overall context of the integrated follow up to UN conferences and summits, particularly the Millennium Summit.
In support of this effort, HLCP will maintain an overview of trends and developments in the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, including by developing a data-based, state-of-play analysis of resource flows. In the same context, HLCP initiated a study of special funds within and outside the UN system and their implications for coherence in this area and on resource flows for development.
CEB also addressed HIV/AIDS and its linkages with food security and governance, the follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, other matters dealt with in the report of HLCP, as well as management issues, such as staff security and safety and a dialogue with the Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission and staff representatives.
CEB welcomed the work accomplished by HLCP in regard to the inter-agency collaborative arrangements for the integrated follow-up to WSSD outcomes, focusing on the areas of freshwater, water and sanitation, energy, oceans and coastal areas and patterns of consumption and production. Executive Heads asked the Committee to take account of the multi-year programme of work of the Commission on Sustainable Development in framing its future work programme on follow-up to the Summit. In the area of energy, the importance of renewable sources of energy was highlighted. It was further suggested that the issue of energy be taken up by CEB at a future session.
CEB endorsed the Committee's conclusions on inter-agency collaborative arrangements for the follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development relating to the areas mentioned above. These included the confirmation of UN Water as the inter-agency mechanism for follow-up to the water-related decisions of the Summit and the Millennium Development Goals concerning freshwater, along with a request for UN Water to finalize its terms of reference and modalities of work for submission to HLCP before the end of the year; the request to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction for information on progress achieved in developing programmes for mitigating the effects of extreme water-related events; the request to UN Water to prepare a detailed plan for addressing water and sanitation issues; the establishment of an Oceans and Coastal Areas Network and the request for it to urgently set up a task group to draw up its terms of reference and work programme for submission to HLCP before the end of the current year; the endorsement of the 10-year framework on changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production in the context of the Marrakesh Process, as well as the approach adopted by the Committee towards developing a system-wide coordination framework on energy. CEB requested HLCP to continue to monitor the implementation of inter-agency arrangements for follow-up to the World Summit, in order to ensure policy and programme coherence.
Details of CEB's discussions can be found in the summary of conclusions of the meeting (CEB/2003/2).
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