Report of the 79th session of the UNCTAD Working Party on the Strategic Framework and Programme Budget
69th Executive Session of the Trade and Development Board
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Sixty-ninth executive session
Geneva, 20 – 22 January 2020
Report of the 79th session of the UNCTAD Working Party on
the Strategic Framework and Programme Budget
by
E. Mr. Javad Amin-Mansour (Iran)
President of the Working Party
During the 69th Executive Session of the Trade and Development Board
Thursday, 6 February 2020 - Geneva
Mr. President,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to report to the Trade and Development Board on the work of the seventy-ninth session of the Working Party, which was held last week from 20 to 22 January 2020.
Under item 3, the Working Party reviewed the draft UNCTAD programme plan and performance information for the year 2021 (part II of the proposed programme budget).
For its consideration of the item, the Working Party had before it the proposed draft UNCTAD programme plan and performance information for the year 2021 provided by the secretariat. In order to assist the Working Party, the secretariat made presentations on each of the subprogrammes and also responded to many queries from the member States. It was also understood that the programme budget for 2021 would need to be revisited to consider and take into account the outcome of the upcoming quadrennial conference, UNCTAD 15, which will take place in Barbados in October of this year.
In its agreed conclusions, the Working Party urged the UNCTAD Secretary-General to issue instructions to Divisions in order to ensure coherence and a broader representation of the programme plan and performance, as well as make available to member States the instructions received from the entities in New York for the preparation of the programme plan.
The Working Party also requested the secretariat to seek guidance from the United Nations Secretariat in New York on measuring the impact of the activities under “research and analysis pillar” and to communicate potential improvements to the programme plan and performance information template. It stressed the importance that UNCTAD have adequate resources to fully implement the mandate entrusted to it, following UNTAD 15.
The Working Party requested the Secretary-General of UNCTAD to ensure that the future programme plan and performance information would include a clear indication of the lessons learned with the resulting considerations for the programme plan;
The Working Party also expressed concern about the delays in formally adopting the agreed terms of reference for its future sessions, and called upon the Secretary-General of UNCTAD to actively support bridging the requests of the member States with the procedural requirements of the United Nations budgetary process.
The Working Party invited the Secretary-General of UNCTAD to make available to the member States the documentation on the submissions; he has made to the UN entities dealing with programmatic and budgetary issues, on the draft UNCTAD programme plan and performance information for the year 2021.
At its closing plenary, the Working Party adopted the agreed conclusions in which it also took note of the revised draft programme plan, contained in document TD/B/WP(79)/Inf.1. It requested the secretariat to take full account of the comments and inputs provided by member States during the session.
It also requested the Secretary-General to ensure that the views expressed by the member States be transmitted in a timely manner to the relevant United Nations entities, and invited him to make available to the member States of UNCTAD documentation on the submissions on the draft UNCTAD programme plan, he has made to the United Nations entities dealing with programmatic and budgetary issues.
The Working Party also approved the agenda of its 80th session, scheduled to take place from 30 to 31 March 2020.
Mr. President,
I have the honour to submit the report of the Working Party, contained in document TD/B/WP/302, for the consideration of the Board along with the “Agreed Conclusions” for its endorsement.
Finally, I wish to extend my gratitude to all member States, including the regional Coordinators, who took part actively in the Working Party’s deliberations and contributed to the consensus reached. My thanks also go to my Vice-Chair-cum Rapporteur, Ms. Una Kepite of Latvia and the UNCTAD secretariat staffs for their valuable contributions and support.
This concludes my report on the work of the seventy-ninth session of the Working Party on the Strategic Framework and the Programme Budget.
I thank you, Mr. President.