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First substantive session for 2004
At its first regular session of 2004, held at the Vienna International Centre on 2-3 April 2004, at the invitation of the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), CEB main agenda item was 'curbing transnational crime'. The rise of criminal networks in the wake of globalization, and the link between transnational crime and terrorism, underscore the urgent need for a concerted and coordinated response by the UN system. Significant shifts have taken place in recent years, with organized crime increasingly taking on global proportions. These shifts are increasingly evident in the illicit trafficking of human beings, drugs, arms, cultural artifacts, flora and fauna, human organs, toxic chemicals and hazardous wastes, in which organized criminal networks play a major role. As a result, measures to curb these activities need to be global as well as cross-sectoral.
CEB reviewed the impact of transnational crime in the three critical areas covered by the Millennium Declaration - peace and security; development; and human rights, democracy and governance - and identified a number of actions that would form part of a strategic system- wide response to organized crime. The system-wide strategy builds on the work and expertise of the relevant agencies and on recent progress in achieving a global consensus on curbing organized crime and corruption.
CEB agreed on a series of measures for immediate implementation as well as a number of broader interventions to be taken in the short and medium-term by the concerned UN organizations, in accordance with their respective mandates, to build an effective inter-agency response to curbing transnational crime. Measures for immediate implementation include the launch of multi-agency assessments to determine the extent of involvement of organized criminal activity in the trafficking of illicit commodities, including endangered species, ozone depleting substances and other commodities outlawed under Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
While the second CEB issue for 2004, "Bridging the digital divide", will be discussed in depth at the Fall session, at the Spring session, CEB made an initial assessment of the outcome of the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and its implications for the system, based on input from HLCP and a contribution from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
CEB also considered other issues that were dealt with by HLCP, including follow-up to WSSD, and noted with satisfaction the arrangements that had been made or were being finalized on oceans and coastal areas (UN-Oceans), water (UN-Water) and energy (UN-Energy). CEB also welcomed the attention HLCP was giving to the support the system was providing for African development, particularly with regard to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
CEB also expressed appreciation for the work done by HLCP to prepare the Board's discussion on multilateralism at its retreat, and map out the outcomes of the various high-level panels and commissions set up to address different aspects of multilateralism, as they conclude their work, and to analyze the implications for the UN system.
At its Fall Session, HLCP had also considered: conflict prevention; the 2005 Review of the Millennium Declaration; the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development; follow-up to the CEB decisions on HIV/AIDS and its linkages with food security and governance; and a CEB communication strategy. CEB expressed appreciation to HLCP's Chairman for the excellent work being done by the Committee under his leadership. It noted with satisfaction the evolution of the work of the Committee and welcomed its efforts to enhance synergies among the coordination mechanisms within the UN system.
CEB also addressed a number of management issues, including UN policy on domestic partnerships, and the establishment of the Senior Management Service (SMS).
Details of CEB's discussions can be found in the summary of conclusions of the meeting(CEB/2004/1).
Second Substantive session for 2004
CEB's Fall Session will be held 29 October and Saturday, 30 October in New York, with 'Bridging the Digital Divide' as its main agenda item
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