U.S. STATEMENT AT UNCTAD’S 54TH TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Delivered by Ann Low, First Secretary
U.S. Mission Geneva
October 9, 2007

Item 8 (a): Review of the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD
(Report of the Working Party on its 49th session) and item 10

The United States will take this opportunity to comment on both agenda item 8a, technical assistance, and item10c, the budget. Discussion of the later item, I understand has now been moved to Thursday, so we appreciate your keeping our remarks in mind until then.

The United States strongly supports UNCTAD’s technical assistance programs and the work of UNCTAD’s five divisions as captured in the budget document.

However, we believe UNCTAD can have a greater impact in supporting trade and development on the ground and in contributing to global policy debates. But that this enhanced impact and relevancy must be earned.

Unfortunately UNCTAD's areas of comparative advantage are not readily identifiable and appreciated. Too much of UNCTAD’s good work gets lost in the myriad of UNCTAD activities and the wealth of development research from the UN, Bretton Woods institutions, NGOs, and academia.

We would like to work with other states and the UNCTAD secretariat to refine UNCTADs structure so that its products and service become clearly identifiable and well known and so that its research agenda is better targeted. As a result, UNCTAD will maximize its resources allowing the organization to do more credible research that results in policies that can be implemented, tested, analyzed, and refined.

We fully support the guidance provided to the UNCTAD secretariat by member states through the Working Party on Technical Assistance and the Working Party on the Budget and Medium Term Plan.

The quality and relevance of UNCTAD’s technical assistance is evidenced by the willingness of developing countries to finance and co-finance several UNCTAD products and services as well as the enduring support UNCTAD technical assistance activities receive from donors.

The Working Party’s recommendation that UNCTAD’s operations be included, as appropriate, in national development plans and UN Development Assistance Frameworks is further evidence of the utility of those activities.

Now it is our responsibility as board members of the UN Development agencies and as policy makers in beneficiary countries to act upon these recommendations and ensure that we consider UNCTAD as we devise and approve development plans.

The Working Party has also endorsed important recommendations, including establishment of thematic trust funds across divisions to encourage greater cooperation and synergies within the secretariat. Other positive recommendations will enhance the impact and sustainability of all UNCTAD technical assistance through greater use of local consultants and train-the-trainer models for projects.

The Working Party has also called upon the secretariat to present UNCTAD’s technical assistance products and services to UN resident coordinators in a more user-friendly format that will allow a busy coordinator to quickly identify areas of potential cooperation and value-added for developing countries.

The call by the Working Party on the Budget for UNCTAD to devise more ambitious and objective indicators and performance measures for its work will also help improve UNCTAD's credibility. We look forward to participating in consultations with the secretariat on these new indicators and performance measures before yearend, so that they can be included in the next strategic framework.

In conclusion, we applaud the efforts of the working parties to bring greater coherence to UNCTAD's work and stand ready to collaborate with member states and the secretariat on deeper reforms to UNCTAD so that, going forward, the organization is structured for maximum impact and relevance.

In the context of preparations for UNCTAD XII and the brainstorming sessions, we encourage member states to make concrete recommendations on institutional reform of UNCTAD and we commit to contributing ideas to that process.

With its three pillars of work, namely: research, intergovernmental convening power and consensus building, and technical assistance; its history of support for developing countries; and its dedicated staff, UNCTAD has the human resources and mandate to be an extraordinarily effective and relevant organization supporting development and trade. We member states must now also give UNCTAD the structure and guidance that will allow UNCTAD to achieve its potential and in doing so accelerate development worldwide.