Executive Committee on Peace and Security (Ec|»S)B I .Pjlm3i£Si
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05/07/2002 22:15 FAX 1 212 963 5065 JS 001/013 v/ Note to the Deputy Secretary-General EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY (EC|»S)B I _.PJLM3I£SI With apologies for the delay in submission, I attach a pjipjar jon the.functioningjof theJBxecjifeYS^^IEffiiffJ6. oS.PeacejandSecurity, as requested on 1 April 2002. The paper is the result of a full consultation with members of the committee and represents a broad consensus on areas where improvement is needed. Discussions on follow-up are already under way. 2. The committee has already improved substantially in effectiveness and efficiency over the past couple of years. In seeking inputs, we disseminated a membership satisfaction survey originally conducted in 1999. In all areas; significant improvements were registered by the members. 3 . Additionally, a standing support secretariat for the ECPS is due to be established by the autumn of 2002. To date, the committee has functioned without any full- time support. The establishment of a secretariat should allow for the implementation of many of the recommendations made in this paper. Kieran Prendergast 6 May 2002 cc: Members of the ECPS Kenzo Oshima, ECHA Mark Malloch Brown, UNDG 05/07/2002 22:16 FAX 1 212 963 5065 DPA OUSG RIZA H002/013 The Executive Committee on Peace and Security Review of its Effectiveness and Recommendations for Reform 6 May 2002 I, Origins of the Executive Committee and the responsibilities of the convenor have also grown, with new focal point tasks in areas In January 1997, four Executive Committees such as peace-building. were established in the main sectoral areas of the UN's work - peace and security, Efforts are underway to improve the capacity humanitarian affairs, development and and performance of the committee so that it economic and social affairs - with human rights can adapt to this growing number of as a cross-cutting theme in all committees. This responsibilities. In 1999 a satisfaction survey step was an important part of the UN reform was conducted and changes introduced in process initiated by this Secretary-General and, response to the feedback received. One five years later, it is clear that the committees example is the provision of videoconferencing have contributed to a new culture of cross- to allow for direct participation of members not sectoral communication and cooperation within headquartered in New York. The functioning the UN, of the committee has improved greatly since 1999. In establishing the committees, the Secretary- General noted "the aim ... was to sharpen the Most significantly, following a lengthy process contribution that each unit makes to the overall related to the Brahimi report, in December objectives of the Organization by reducing 2001 the General Assembly approved the duplication of efforts and facilitating greater establishment of a small support secretariat for complementarity and coherence. The Executive the ECPS. Since the ECPS was, to this point, Committees were designed, therefore, as the only of the four Executive Committees -with instruments of policy development, decision- no full-time support, this was a long overdue making, and management. The heads of United development. The secretariat is expected to be Nations entities consult with one another on in place by the autumn. work programmes as well as other substantive and administrative matters of collective This review is most timely, since it the concern, to identify and exploit ways of pooling establishment of the secretariat will present an resources and services so as to maximize opportunity for the ECPS to function more program impact and minimize administrative effectively. The process of consulting ECPS costs, and more generally to facilitate joint members on the effectiveness of the committee strategic planning and decision making"1. does not end with the production of this paper, therefore, but instead will feed into the work The Executive Committee on Peace and plan and objectives of the new secretariat. For Security (ECPS) was intended as "the highest diis paper, written feedback was solicited from poJlicy development and management all ECPS members. The committee twice instrument witiiin the UN Secretariat on discussed the subject at meetings. Unless it critical, cross-cutting issues of peace and states otherwise, the quotes interspersed security". Since its establishment, the ECPS has throughout the narrative come from this expanded substantially in terms of membership consultation process. Frequent, comparative reference is also made to the findings of the 1 "Renewing ibc United Ninons: A Programme for Reform" 1999 satisfaction survey. (A/51/950 of July 1997), para 29. 05/07/2002 22:16 FAX 1 212 963 5065 DPA OUSG •* RIZA S1003/013 II. How the ECPS works the ECPS by teleconference on the situation there3. With the establishment of the ECPS Overall, the feedback from members is that support secretariat, more such initiatives should ECPS is "well prepared, well organized and well be possible. attended" and that "in terms of the rationale that underpinned [its] establishment... [it] has, compared to other bodies, demonstrated irs ECPS Membership, April 2002 usefulness". However, "its potential as the Full Members principal advisory body on peace and security Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs matters remains under under-utilised1*. (Convenor); Members agree that the committee needs to Assistant-Secrecary-General for Political Affairs "refocus its attention and product" and that its (Asia, Americas, Europe); Assistant-Secretary-General for Political Affairs primary purpose should be the "submission to (Africa); the Secretary-General of policy papers" on Special Advisor on Africa; matters that merit collaborative Under-Secretajy-General for Peacekeeping recommendations. Operations; Assistant-Secretary-Genejffll for Peacekeeping Operations; i) Committee Composition Under-Secretaty-General for Disarmament Affairs; Under-Secrecary-General for Legal Affairs; ECPS has evolved significantly since its Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs; establishment. Firstly, it has more than doubled Special Representative of die Secretary-General for Children & Armed Conflict; in she. Upon, establishment it had an official Administrator of United Nations Development membership drawn from seven UN Programme; 2 departments . It now has a membership of Assistant Administrator of United Nations seventeen, with two regular observers and four Development Programme; participants whose applications for membership High Commissioner for Human Rights; High Commissioner for Refugees; are pending (see table). This expansion reflects Executive Director of United Nations Children's the growing awareness of the linkages between Fund; peace and security and other sectoral areas. Of Vice-President for External Affairs of the World course, it has also placed a greater Bank; administrative burden on DPA as the convenor United Nations Security Coordinator. of ECPS. Observers Executive Director of Office for Drug Control and In the 1999 satisfaction survey, ECPS members Crime Prevention*, overwhelmingly thought that the then- Executive Director of World Food Programme*, composition of the committee was appropriate Assistant-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Special Adviser on Gender but felt that occasional participation by heads Issues and the Advancement of Women*, of field duty stations might be helpful. Some Interim Head of Department of Public also felt that a representative of the Executive Information1*; Office of the Secretary-General should attend. Office of the Deputy-Secretary-General; Since that rime, efforts have been made to Office of the Spokesman of the Secretary-General. invite senior representatives from the field, * Membership applications pending. In the meantime, either in person (when they are in New York) full participation in the committee. or by video or audio link. Most recently, the UNRWA West Bank Office Director briefed * DPA, DPKO, OLA, DHA, UNHCR, OHCHR and UNRWA (Internal Memorandum from Secretary-General, 29 January 1997). 3 ECPS Meaning, 15 April 2002 05/07/2002 22:16 FAX 1 212 963 5065 DPA OUSG RIZA 0004/013 The question of composition raised more distributed ahead of rime... [and] the USGs concerns this time. Many ECPS members felt would have had the chance to seek the views of that the committee had become too large, their staff*. It would also require a continuation noting "the size of ECPS seems to have of the new practice, whereby meetings notes increased gradually over time and is in danger are produced and disseminated on the same day of becoming too large to be effective" and as the meeting. On an exceptional basis, certainly "too large for highly sensitive matters "heads of agency/department... could bring a to be tabled and thrashed out in a candid colleague if they believe that his/her manner'* participation in the discussion would be indispensable". Some proposed a reversion to the original membership, while others suggested a structure The special situation of liaison offices - for UN akin to UNDG, with an executive committee entities based outside New York - would core and a larger group, convening on alternate obviously be taken into account under any new fortnights. Some felt that die larger group arrangements on level of representation. might usefully convene in various permutations depending on the issues at hand. ii) Meeting Schedule Another concern, both in 1999 and this time, The frequency and duration of ECPS meetings was the