The seventh meeting of the United Nations Regional Coordination Group will be convened by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on May 29-30, 2003 at the United Nations House, Riad Solh Square, Beirut.
ESCWA Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy will open the Meeting on Thursday May 29, launching a discussion on a range of important agenda items such as Peace Building, Recovery and Human Development; Mainstreaming Human Rights in Development Programs of the Various UN Agencies; an Integrated Approach to Poverty Reduction and Community Development; the Implementation of the Arab Initiative on Sustainable Development, as well as the UN System Regional Presence and Coordination.
ESCWA will give a presentation on the Regional Coordination Group Web site, which is meant to be a mechanism for coordinating and reporting on UN Agencies activities, disseminating information on the UN accomplishments, and providing a common calendar for coordinating meetings and activities.
It is expected that participants will prepare for the next meeting, which will be convened in Beirut in October 2003. Participants in the Meeting are representatives of the regional offices of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the World Food Program (WFP), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM);
the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations System (JIU), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), as well as the representatives of the United Nations Missions accredited to Lebanon.
It is worth noting that on the initiative of ESCWA, pursuant to calls by the United Nations Secretary-General and Member States for closer coordination of United Nations activities, the Regional Interagency Coordination Group (RICG), comprised of United Nations regional offices, was established in 1995 to facilitate coordination among United Nations regional organizations.
During its first meeting, chaired by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette, in March 1999 at the United Nations House in Beirut, the members of the RICG agreed on re-designating the Group as the United Nations Regional Coordination Group (RCG). The Group’s six other meetings were also held in Beirut during the period 1999-2002. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
