Review of technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD and their financing

The Trade and Development Board,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the improvements in the presentation of the report on the "Review of technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD", and requests the secretariat to introduce further improvements to the information contained in annex I to the report and in particular to include assessments on the progress made in reaching objectives;

2. Underscores the importance of more effective and sustained capacity building activities, in this regard expresses its appreciation to bilateral and multilateral donors for their continued support and contributions to UNCTAD trust funds, and invites donors, and potential donors in a position to do so, to support UNCTAD´s efforts in the provision of an effective technical cooperation programme;

3. Urges the secretariat to undertake systematic coordination between the operational activities of UNCTAD, the secretariat´s research and multifaceted analytical work, and intergovernmental deliberations, to ensure a coherent and effective impact of UNCTAD technical cooperation in the interrelated areas of trade, investment, technology and sustainable development and its integrated and multidisciplinary vision of trade and development issues;

4. Requests the secretariat to intensify consultations with potential beneficiaries of UNCTAD´s assistance, at the time of the formulation of project documents, with a view to ensuring that proposed activities are demand-driven and meet the beneficiaries´ development goals and objectives;

5. Welcomes the fact that a major part of UNCTAD technical assistance is provided through interregional activities, and urges donors to continue their support for these activities;

6. Notes that one third of total 2004 resources were used for assistance to the LDCs, as their special needs require particular attention, and looks forward to continuing enhanced efforts in this regard;

7. Expresses the need to ensure an equitable distribution of resources among the developing country regions in the overall delivery of technical cooperation;

8. Requests the secretariat to report to the next session of the Working Party on technical cooperation concerning UNCTAD´s contribution to the implementation of the relevant UN General Assembly resolutions, including resolution 59/250 of 17 December 2004 on the development operations of the UN system, and in particular with reference to country-level technical assistance;

9. Notes with appreciation the efforts of UNCTAD at raising funds, and observes that UNCTAD´s fund raising could be enhanced by taking steps to improve the current ad hoc approach to make it into a system that is more coherent, coordinated and cross-divisional;

10. Requests in this context the secretariat to provide further information on options for improving the system of funding technical assistance and making it more predictable, including further exploring options of moving to a thematic, multi-year and multi-donor system;

11. Requests the Secretary-General of UNCTAD to enhance the coherence and the interdivisional nature of programmes and activities in the area of technical cooperation, including streamlining projects with a view to enhancing the overall delivery of technical cooperation activities, and to report to the next session of the Working Party on technical cooperation on progress in this regard, and in particular requests details on all projects that have been closed or where no further action has been taken by UNCTAD during the last three years;

12. Requests the secretariat to report, to the next session of the Working Party dealing with technical cooperation, on progress made in operationalizing the São Paulo Consensus, including UNCTAD´s contribution to other multilateral, regional and interregional processes, through UNCTAD technical assistance, and in that regard, identify potential operational priorities;

13. Calls for strengthened cooperation among different providers of trade-related technical assistance with a view to ensuring that enhanced services are offered to beneficiaries and to fully operationalizing existing institutional arrangements;

14. Requests the secretariat to ensure adequate follow up to the provisions of this decision, and report back by no later than the forty-seventh session of the Working Party.