The Single-year Expert Meeting on the Contribution and Effective Use of External Resources for Development, in particular for Productive Capacity-Building will take place on 22-24 February 2010 in Room XXVI of the Palais des Nations, Geneva.
The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, 22 February 2010.
Participation
The meeting will be of interest to government officials and private sector representatives involved in macroeconomic management, in particular capital flows and FDI. Government officials and donor agencies will also be particularly interested in the discussions on ODA and debt sustainability.
Each session of the meeting will feature presentations on the specific topics by UNCTAD and other international expert panellists identified by the secretariat, followed by an interactive discussion with delegates and expert participants.
In addition, UNCTAD member States are requested to nominate experts no later than 8 February 2010.
Experts, who will participate in the meeting in their personal capacities, are expected to have proven expertise in the subject and may be selected from governmental and non-governmental organizations, private entities or academia.
Specialized agencies and intergovernmental bodies wishing to participate in the meeting, as well as non-governmental organizations in the general category and those in the special category wishing to participate as observers, are requested to inform the UNCTAD secretariat of the names of their representatives by 8 February 2010.
Financial assistance
Depending on the availability of funding in the Trust Fund for Financing the Participation of Experts at the time, funds may be made available to finance the participation of a limited number of officially nominated experts from developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Governments requiring funding are therefore invited to explicitly request financing in their letters of nomination. The decision as to which experts should receive financing will be based on the principle of equitable geographical representation; on the needs of beneficiaries, in particular least developed countries; and on the expertise of the experts concerned. Changes in the names of nominees will be considered as new nominations.
Nominations with requests for financing should be received no later than 29 January 2010 and should be accompanied by the following information about the nominee:
- Curriculum vitae
- Mailing address
- Telephone and fax number
- E-mail address
- Name of a contact person in the Permanent Mission in Geneva
It should be noted in this connection that once the list of experts to be financed has been finalized, all travel arrangements will be made in accordance with United Nations rules and regulations; use of the least costly fare will be authorized.
Background documents and contributed papers
In order to facilitate the discussion, the UNCTAD secretariat has prepared an issue paper, circulated as TD/B/C.II/EM.1/2, which sets the background to the discussions and highlights fundamental questions to be addressed during the expert meeting.
In addition, experts are referred to other UNCTAD publications that are of high relevance to the meeting´s discussions, in particular: Trade and Development Report 2008 (UNCTAD/TDR/2008) and Responding to the Challenges Posed by the Global Economic Crisis to Debt and Development Finance (UNCTAD/GDS/DDF/2009/1, forthcoming).
In addition, all experts are encouraged to prepare and submit to the meeting brief papers related to one or several of the issues contained in the provisional agenda, particularly with reference to their country experiences.
These papers will be made available to the meeting in the form and language in which they are received.
Logistics
The meeting will take place at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in the six official languages of the United Nations. Upon arrival, participants are requested, before entering the Palais des Nations, to collect their badges at the United Nations Security Service, Pregny Gate entrance, 14 Avenue de la Paix. The Security Service is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Because of the security measures in force, participants are strongly advised to arrive before 9 a.m. in order to complete entry procedures in good time and proceed to the meeting in the E Building (Bâtiment E) of the Palais. Participants are requested to carry a passport or similar national identity card with them. Taxis are not allowed to enter the grounds of the Palais des Nations, and visitors will therefore be dropped off at the entrance gates. Furthermore, luggage may not be brought into the buildings unless the United Nations Security Service gives special clearance.
Further information and contact details
Nominations and related communications concerning representation at the meeting should be sent to the UNCTAD secretariat, Intergovernmental Support Service, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10; fax: 41 22 917 0214; e-mail: meetings@unctad.org.
All other enquiries should be addressed to the coordinators in the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, tel.: 41 22 917 4646; e-mail: raja.khalidi@unctad.org and sahar.rad@unctad.org.
(signed)
Supachai Panitchpakdi
Secretary-General of UNCTAD
12 January 2010