UNCTAD`s publication policy

The Trade and Development Board, taking into account the ongoing work in the secretariat to streamline UNCTAD´s publications policy, the relevant reports, and the establishment of a Publications Committee within the secretariat, agrees that:

1. The efforts undertaken by the secretariat in this respect are most welcome; the Board also takes note of the Working Party´s satisfaction with the mechanisms put in place within the secretariat to ensure the systematic oversight and improvement of UNCTAD´s publications activities;
2. Member States be encouraged to take an active part in a transparent review of UNCTAD´s publications policy through consultations between the member States and the secretariat, so as to ensure that publications meet their needs and fulfil the priorities set for UNCTAD;
3. The Secretary-General of UNCTAD be invited to hold meetings with member States regarding UNCTAD´s publications policy at an appropriate stage of the planning and review process, as follows:

1. The Working Party will, at the start of each year, meet informally with UNCTAD´s programme managers to discuss the specific list of publications planned for the year; at the same time, the Working Party will also consider a report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of UNCTAD´s publications policy and will report to the Trade and Development Board; the two meetings will not exceed two days altogether;
2. In the autumn of the first year of each biennium, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD will meet informally with the members of the Working Party to discuss a draft list of publications proposed for the next biennium;
3. The Working Party will review the draft work programme early in the following year, including the draft list of proposed publications, after which the Secretary-General of UNCTAD will finalize his programme budget submission to the Secretary-General of the United Nations; the Working Party will review the proposed programme budget at the time it is submitted to the General Assembly and will report to the Trade and Development Board which, in turn, will endorse the recommendations to be transmitted to the General Assembly´s review bodies;
4. The Working Party will also review the results of a survey of publications issued during the previous year, as well as any in-depth readership surveys of selected publications which will have been conducted; readership surveys should be conducted on an annual basis; in the light of recent experience, the secretariat should seek to improve the design, methodology and scope of readership surveys so that they fulfil their crucial role;
5. All member States are encouraged to respond as fully as possible to readership surveys.

893^rd plenary meeting
8 May 1998