|
Conference
Implementation & Follow-Up
Between 1990 and 2002,
the UN system held a total of 28 high-level conferences or special sessions
of the General Assembly to address a range of issues on the international
development agenda. These meetings generated significant political and
public attention and mobilized countless NGOs on a broad range of issues
ranging from sustainable development to population to children and as
a result these conferences were credited with having put specific issues
on the international agenda. Of the 28 events, however, several were of
a "follow-up" or review nature, which revealed that little progress
was being made on implementing the goals and commitments agreed to at
the original meetings.
Some of the common criticisms identified through these review processes hinged on the lack of resources committed for implementation, lack of political will on the part of national governments, poor coordination amongst UN system actors, and a disconnect between the local, national and international levels of decision-making.
In 2002, the UN General Assembly established the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group on Integrated and Coordinated Implementation of and Follow-up to the Outcomes of the Major UN Conferences and Summits in the Economic and Social Fields to address the challenges common to the thematic conferences as well as ask how the system could maintain the political momentum generated by these types of events and build it into the standing processes of the UN.
The group made wide-ranging recommendations on the work of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), coordination of UN agencies, the relationship between the UN and other international actors and raised the prospect of holding a major event in 2005 for a comprehensive review of progress made in implementing the Millennium Declaration.
The recommendations of the Working Group can be found here :
Essential
Readings
Report
of the SG on Integrated Conference Follow Up
Recommendations
from Conference Follow-Up Working Group
(PDF)
Progress &
Challenges to the Achievement of Major Development Goals (PDF)
Conference
Follow-Up
Draft General Assembly resolution introduced by the Group of 77 developing
countries to hold a "summit on development" in 2005
International
Conferences
Sustainable Development
Women
Financing for Development
Habitat
Least Developed Countries
Small Island States
Social Development
The
2004 Calendar of UN events (PDF)
