Review of the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD

The Trade and Development Board,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the technical cooperation activities carried out by the UNCTAD secretariat and of the reports prepared for the Working Party, and requests the secretariat to introduce further improvements in the reports, including inter alia in the statistical annex;
   
   
2. Welcomes the increase in total 2005 contributions, noting in particular the increase in developing country resources for the financing of UNCTAD operations in their countries, and expresses gratitude for the continuous support provided by bilateral and multilateral donors;
   
   
3. Invites all development partners to work together with a view to maximizing the development impact of UNCTAD´s technical assistance, and further invites donors and potential donors in a position to do so to provide adequate funding for the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD;
   
   
4. Takes note with satisfaction of the efforts undertaken by the secretariat to improve effective linkages between its research and analytical work, intergovernmental deliberations and technical cooperation activities, and calls for further initiatives in this regard;
   
   
5. Reiterates the importance of ensuring an equitable distribution of resources among the developing country regions and countries with economies in transition in the overall delivery of technical cooperation;
   
   
6. Welcomes the fact that a significant part of UNCTAD technical assistance is provided through interregional activities based on the thematic knowledge of the secretariat, and urges donors to continue their support for these activities;
   
   
7. Reiterates the importance of UNCTAD technical assistance responding to the specific and special needs of least developed countries, small, structurally weak, vulnerable economies, small island developing States, and landlocked and transit developing countries, in accordance with paragraph 33 of the São Paulo Consensus;
   
   
8. Notes with satisfaction the increase in total resources allocated to assistance to the least developed countries, as their special needs require particular attention, and urges donors and the UNCTAD secretariat to further enhance their assistance to these countries;
   
   
9. Requests the secretariat to ensure that the technical assistance provided is demand-driven and meets the beneficiaries´ development goals and objectives;
   
   
10. Calls for implementation of recommendations on technical cooperation emanating from the Mid-term Review process, and requests the secretariat to report on progress made in this regard to the next session of the Working Party dealing with technical cooperation;
    
    
11. Looks forward to commencing intergovernmental consultations, which may include the report of the Panel of Eminent Persons established by the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, on possible ways of enhancing the development impact of UNCTAD´s technical assistance;
    
    
12. Takes note in this regard of the efforts envisaged by the UNCTAD secretariat with a view to enhancing the coherence and interdivisional nature of technical cooperation programmes and activities, including streamlining projects into thematic clusters and programmes and closing inactive operations; also takes note of the efforts of the UNCTAD secretariat to achieve sustainable fundraising;
    
    
13. Calls for strengthened cooperation among different providers of trade-related technical assistance;
    
    
14. Calls on member States to ensure that UNCTAD is in a position to play an important role in the Aid for Trade initiative, in accordance with UNCTAD´s mandates, expertise and development approach;
    
    
15. Recognizes the importance of paragraph 166 of the Bangkok Plan of Action, and calls for the implementation of the recommendations made in 2005 on the training courses on key issues on the international economic agenda.