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This dialogue highlights the importance of intergovernmental cooperation in addressing economic, environmental, and social challenges in the Pan-European region. It emphasizes the need for enhanced bilateral cooperation and institutional structures to facilitate cooperation within and between regions. The dialogue also emphasizes the need for a global partnership for development and measurable goals for accountability in the post-2015 agenda.
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The Dialogue of the Executive Secretaries with the Second Committee on Inter-regional Cooperation: An Enabler for the Post-2015 Development Agenda • Mr. SvenAlkalaj • United Nations Under-Secretary-General • Executive Secretary • Economic Commission for Europe • UnitedNations, New York • October 31, 2013
Strengthened inter-governmental cooperation will be essential for addressing the Pan-European regions' economic, environmental and social challenges. • Countries must increase their bilateral cooperation • Institutional structures need to be enhanced that can better facilitate cooperation within regions, between regions and globally
The recent history of the region has presented unique challenges • In eastern Europe disintegration accompanied the transition from planned economies to market economies • Much has been achieved over the last two decades • 11 former economies in transition are now members of the European Union • All of non-EU south-east European economies are in CEFTA and have Stabilization and Association Agreements with EU • Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union progressively moving towards economic union • EU is negotiating Partnership and Cooperative Agreements with many former Soviet Union economies • UN SPECA strengthening cooperation in central Asia • EU-Canada and EU-US trade and investment agreements
ECE programmes and activities address core developmental challenges faced by middle income countries, these have been shared and replicated with other regions Examples: Environment, Statistics, Transport • National Policy Dialogue on Water • ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes • Environmental Performance Reviews • ECE Statistics programme in developing statistical standards, manuals, guidelines, and recommendations • The ECE Transport Division administers a large number of legal instruments to facilitate transport activities regarding border crossing facilitation, road traffic and road safety, the design of road vehicles, and the transport of dangerous goods • Euro-Asian Transport Links
ECE programmes and activities address core developmental challenges faced by middle income countries, these have been shared and replicated with other regions Examples: Trade, PPPs, SPECA, Innovation, Housing, etc. • Guides for Trade facilitation implementation, Development and operation of single windows, Design of regulatory systems • Public-Private Partnerships: the ECE International PPP Center of Excellence • UNDA SPECA project on adopting green technologies • Innovation Performance Reviews • Global Energy Efficiency 21 programme • ECE Real Estate Market Advisory Group • Non-ECE states participate in ECE Working Parties on Agricultural Standards, Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business, and Expert Group on Resource Classification.
Inter-regional cooperation • The ECE does not work on social issues, particularly poverty and inequality and our Member States could possibly benefit from programmes developed in the other regional commissions • Any discussion of inter-regional cooperation must address the global partnership for development • This partnership under the MDGs has been inadequate in a number of areas and more attention will be needed towards creating measurable goals for the post-2015 agenda to ensure accountability
The Dialogue of the Executive Secretaries with the Second Committee on Inter-regional Cooperation: An Enabler for the Post-2015 Development Agenda • Thank you! • For more information www.unece.org Please visit: www.regionalcommissions.org to download presentation