Reconvened Sixty-fifth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Vienna, Austria, 8-9 December 2022
CCPCJ Chair: Good Morning. (Opening Statement)
>>> CND dates 2023 March 13 – 17
CND Chair: Opening Statement (Agenda adopted)
Agenda Item 4. Strategic management, budgetary and administrative questions, including the following sub-items:
(a) Work of the standing open-ended intergovernmental working group on improving the governance and financial situation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(b) Directives on policy and budgetary issues for the drug programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(c) Working methods of the Commission
(d) Staff composition of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other related matters
Considering: Consolidated Budget and Draft proposed programme plan and Gender Balance and FINGOV
CND Chair: I see no comments.
UNODC Director for Management: statement about gender balance, introducing the report by the Executive Director (ED)
UNODC Division of Policy Analysis and Public Affairs: (…) At this stage of the process, we would like to receive your comments in writing by December 21st of this year. The timeline of the program planned has been shared with you ahead of our session today.
The advisory committee on budgetary actions (and ….) will provide their recommendations that advise our work until the end of 2023 – so in Vienna, we still have time to comment.
CND Chair: I would like to inform you since January 2022, the FinGiv working group has held 4 regular meetings on draft budget resolutions and is in dialogue with the ED of UNODC. The work of the working group has been reported on in the document E/CN.7/2022/3/ADD.1
The African group has nominated Ghana as 1st vice-chair following the departure of Kenya. Can the commission endorse this nomination? It is so decided.
CCPCJ Chair: Can our commission also endorse? It is so decided. Congratulations! I see no comments from the floor. Now I direct your attention to the report on the deliberations of the working group.
Costa Rica, on behalf of FinGov: The work of our working group is included in the document mentioned before. During the period covered by the report, we had 3 regular meetings as well as an interactive dialogue with UNODC that covered a range of issues as reported. We discussed operational issues including the implementation of the UN management system and drafted a program plan, discussed human resources management and monitoring measures. We also discussed, with the involvement of representatives from Europe, Asia and Asia Pacific, crimes that affect the environment, gender mainstreaming and (…). We thank the participants and the Secretary for their support. We have received useful feedback from member states that will feed into our preparation for the next meetings, so we can efficiently design activities with regard to the Mechanism for the Review of the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants; firearms trafficking; and money-laundering and cybercrime.
CND Chair: We thank the co-chairs for their work. At the joint nomination of both extended bureaus, CND is expected to endorse the nominations of the FinGov bureaus at tomorrow morning’s meeting. I open the floor now for interventions regarding the entirety of agenda four. Speakers are limited to 3 minutes, regional groups to 5 minutes.
European Union, its Member States, and a number of other delegations: Mr Chair, Excellencies, dear colleagues, I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The following countries align themselves with this statement: North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine*, the Republic of Moldova*, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Georgia, Iceland+, Norway+ and San Marino. At the outset, I would like to express our gratitude to the Chairs of the Commissions on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) for having led our substantive discussions in the course of the year. My gratitude also goes to the Executive Director for her strong leadership and the Secretariat for its reports on the consolidated budget, gender balance and geographic representation. Once more, UNODC has demonstrated its value and its competence in what has been another challenging year. Unfortunately, our multilateral work continues to be overshadowed by the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which grossly violates international law, notably the UN Charter, and is causing massive suffering to civilians. We urge the Russian Federation to stop its war of aggression, unconditionally withdraw all its armed forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. The EU calls upon all UN Member States to defend the rules-based international order which is the bedrock for international cooperation. We recognize the essential mission of UNODC and its role in upholding the rule of law, which is the basis on which the United Nations was founded. In this context, as one of UNODC´s biggest supporters and major donors, the EU has made it clear that its contributions cannot be used for projects that benefit Russia or its accomplice Belarus and we would encourage other donors to take the same stance. Turning to UNODC’s governance, the EU commends UNODC’s continous efforts, innovative strategies and decisions to improve its structure and management in line with the UN reform process. We welcome a stronger focus on results-based management, risk management, monitoring and evaluation, to achieve effective and sustainable outcomes. We support UNODC’s noticeable efforts to mainstream a gender perspective in all its activities, create diversity strategies and the actions carried out in favour of youth empowerment. This dimension resonates a lot at the EU level: 2022 is the European Year of Youth. It has built a momentum to empower young people and raise awareness on the role they can play in society. However, some areas could be further improved to increase accountability, performance and respond to evidence-based research. In this regard, we welcome that the programme budget for 2024 includes a reference to strenghtening the Independent Evaluation Section (IES), including the level of its leadership. This should contribute to building a culture of evaluation which will be beneficial for the overall performance of the Office and to increase accountability. We trust the UNODC to follow up on this. We would also like to propose exploring expanding the IES’ mandate to also cover the work of the UN Office at Vienna (UNOV). The first independent strategic evaluation of “the work of UNOV/UNODC on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women” has illustrated the close interrelationship between the work of UNODC and UNOV. We all benefit from an efficient and well-functioning Secretariat that can adjust its functions in the rapidly changing world, support activities under UNODC’s mandate and foster greater communication and cooperation between member States. There is a unique role and expertise in this Office. We recognise that in order to accomplish its mandate, UNODC needs to have a sufficient, predictable and flexible budget, capable to respond to Member States’ demands. We remain concerned by the low levels of general-purpose and softly earmarked funding. This makes it essential that the regular budget is consistent with the responsibilities that we have assigned to the Office. We consider that the Secretariat should continue to identify and discuss ways to address the persistent unpredictable and constrained financial situation of UNODC, as well as the need to ensure UNODC’s delivery capacity and the sustainability of its programmes. We would like to thank the new Bureau of the working group on improving the governance and financial situation of UNODC (FinGov) for its efforts, which has strengthened accountability and dialogue. Decision making on budgetary and management issues should always remain transparent to keep a high level of confidence in the institution. More than ever, in the current economic crisis which affects the whole world, we need to reinforce accountability and predictability on the money spent. Finally, on partnerships, we would like to reiterate the importance of active participation of the civil society in the UN-led multilateral work. Addressing organised crime and drugs is not only the concern of States. It affects people, communities and leaves behind victims. We must, therefore, hear from communities, victim groups, academia, the private sector and the media and learn from their ideas and experiences. This is not only a matter of principle, it is a necessity; we cannot tackle organised crime without this actors. This year, we have again witnessed attempts to exclude some of the most relevant NGOs in the field. Such objections can hopefully be avoided in the future. The EU and its Member States continue to take a principled position in order to promote the participation of relevant stakeholders in all fora at UNODC. Thank you, Mr Chair
Morocco, on behalf of G77 and China: Appreciations to the chairs and FinGov. We underscore the importance of dialgue between member states and UNODC Secretariat. We call upon all MS to take advantage of FinGov and making it even more dynamic. We welcome the top management engagement with Ms. Waly and we suggest to have these meetings at least once every year. Our group reiterates the importance of addressing the financial challenges of full implementation. Projects funded by voluntary contirbution shall address the main challenges in the field of drugs and crime in an accessible and transparent way. The group expresses its concern that earmarked budgets hinder strategic undertakings of the UNODC. We reiterate the importance of adequate and plannable finances to enhance technical assistance and needed equipment as per requests and priorities. There is a need to sustainably plan this and keep MS regularly updated and informed. Regarding the UN management system reform – we would like the ED to report on this issue at the upcoming session. More systematic, concrete and, frankly, readable information is needed on specifically how this reform has affected work on the field. UNODC´s research should be based on clear mandate and policy guidance. We emphasize the need for transparency and dialgue and close consultations at all stages. We welcome efforts to update validity and efficacy in data collection. Data provided by MS should be considered as essential data in preparing reports. We request to ensure equitable and due geological representation and redouble efforts to mainstream gender equality and the empowering of women. We also request the ED to regularly report on the progress in this matter. We recall that unilateralism is a base value and we emphasize the paramount importance of the equality of the official languages of the UN and we urge appropriate measures to be taken, to ensure accessibility of all meetings.
Honduras: (…) technical assistance and equipment and support actions of MS to meet their international obligations in combatting crime. Regarding the standing open-ended intergovernmental working group, FinGov, we would like to express our appreciation, especially regarding the dialogue. We think the role of such dialogues will improve our efficiency and enhance connections between Vienna and field offices. In light of the system reform process, (…) UNODC offices in Honduras shall be aligned. We attach high importance to the issue of gender mainstreaming, and we welcome the ED’s report. We encourage the efforts of UNODC in this regard to continue. We also call upon the UNODC to continue and bolster ts efforts to comply with the policy of multilingualism.
United States: As one of UNODC`s biggest supporters and donors, we (…) despite great progress. We face unprecedented challenges. USA is struggling with an overdose epidemic, synthetic drugs have ravaged communities. In this regard, we welcome UNODC`s commitment to making the world safer from drugs, crime and terrorism. We support the budget as represented. We are committed to the mainstreaming of gender, equity, human rights, youth empowerment. The historical exclusion of marginalized communities impedes equity. As we are convening, Russia’s ongoing illegal war continues to have devastating and destabilizing consequences. This creates an environment for international crime to flourish and undermine the work of this commission. We support the role of civil society organization in the work of the UNODC, their contributions are essential to our success. We thank the UK for their efforts in further developing FinGov. We welcome UNODC`s strategies to improve representation.
United Kingdom: Appreciations to the chairs. At FinGov, we have seen an unprecedented open and constructive ongoing discussion and involvement of all staff. We are greatly appreciative of that. When it comes to the budget, I have a few points: we support it as it is set out in the note, but we think the focus really needs to shift to the field. This is a trend supported by MS and UNODC management, but it is only slowly reflected in the budget. Budgets around the World are shrinking, so it is ever more important to find new and innovative ways to conduct – that is essential here. The conversations in FinGov have taken stock of where money is going and how its effects are seen on the ground. These issues can only be solved in forums that are transnational in nature while respecting our constituencies. We echo the sentiment by Honduras regarding the need for coordinators on the field. The war in Ukraine brings about terrible suffering. We all feel the cold, but citizens of Ukraine feel it even harder. We call on the Russian Federation to cease their operations in Ukraine
Bangladesh: Aligned with G77 and China. We emphasize the significant contribution of FinGov to the work of the UNODC. We hope that in this new form, in an inclusive and transparent manner, we would like to see this continue. We cannot overemphasize the importance of predictable, sustainable funding. We underscore the need for efficient use of resources. We request UNODC to continue and enhance their country programmes and address the financial challenges of effective implementation – we think it is important to engage closer with MS as countries should be the primary partner of UNODC. We welcome efforts and urge further focus on equitable geographic and gender representation.
Kenya: We appreciate the Commissions´ endeavors. We are beneficiaries of technical support provided by UNODC and have immensely benefitted from it – harm reduction and treatment have been implemented as alternatives to incarceration. We applaud the progress made and, in accordance with the three drug conventions, we prioritize the wellbeing of all humans. Happy holidays everyone!
Iran: At the outset, we align with G77 and China. Sustained challenges are very much contingent (…) UNODC plays an important role, so a coherent strategy is needed that cannot be impeded by international sanctions. Our UNODC country program has been gravely affected (UCN) particularly regarding equipment. Many planned activities have been recently cancelled. The office should redouble its efforts so that adequate financial resources are available to country offices. We are facing serious threats such as increase in production and smuggling. It has only been accelerated recently. It has compromised our global (…) UNODC to be more vigilant regarding voluntary contributions. UNODC research activities should represent board consensus and should build on data provided by member states. On senior levels, efforts should be maximized for equability. To start a new country partnership program (…) opium cultivation has increased by 32%, in addition cannabis and amphetamine production has been going on without interruption. In the framework of Afghan instability (…). We are on the view that UNODC should review of its policies and enhance its operations in Afghanistan. Neighboring countries should not be alone in addressing these problems. UNODC should allocate funding to support neighboring countries that have been impacted by the overflow of crime and influx of refugees.
Japan: Appreciation to the chairs. Japan cannot condone any attempts to change unilateral agreements with force and condemns the actions of Russia in Ukraine – we echo previous speakers in this sense. UNODC is positioned to promote the rule of law, one of the bases on which the UN was funded. Last year in Kyoto, we reinforced our commitment to the rule of law and collaboration closely with UNODC. We recognize the important role of the UNODC in attaining the 2030 Agenda. Normative and technical assistance are highly appreciated, as well as the strong expertise in the wide-ranging network of this office. We donated several million dollars to the office to enhance action on the ground. Efficiency, transparency and accountability also regarding the sharing of reports and financial statement in a timely manner, are necessary for MS trust in the office. We recognize the UNODC`s financial challenges that have been ongoing for years. It is all the more necessary for UNODC to review the effectiveness of program support costs. Promoting equitable geographical representation is welcome by my delegation, and we highlight the importance of diversity, and we look forward to seeing further efforts. We will continue to support UNODC.
Sweden: We fully align with the statement by the EU and its MS. In my national capacity, I only have a few points. UNODC is going through a difficult time financially. We are particularly concerned with the decrease of general purpose funding. Transparency of financial contributions and independent evaluation is essential. The Russian aggression in Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law. We call on Russia to fully respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and its internationally recognized borders. We welcome the implementation of UNODC strategy 2023-2025, and we thank the Secretariat for sharing these documents in a timely manner. We welcome the program plan for 2024, and we trust the UNODC to deliver on this. We encourage donors to consider less tightly earmarked support. If we continue to cherry-pick projects, we risk undermining the core functions that are necessary for the continuation of the underlying functions. We welcome efforts to mainstream gender equity and gender-parity, but more needs to be done. We continue to be a close and reliable partner – UNODC´s board mandate is more important as ever to achieve peace and health.
Italy: We fully align with the statement by the EU and its MS, but I wish to add some brief remarks, starting with gratitude to the chairs and the ED. The Russian Federation is violating international law and the UN Charter itself. We strongly support efforts to mainstream gender perspective. We recognize the challenges posed by the funding models, and we think it is all the more important to ensure transparency and accountability. We recognize UNODC as an essential partner in fighting international organized crime, therefore, you can rest assured of our continued commitment and participation.
Jamaica: We align with the statement by G77 and China. We welcome UNODC field programs and highlight the importance of ongoing data analysis and leveraging technical solutions, including non-resident missions. We appreciate the work of UNODC to raise awareness around criminal justice and crime prevention. We note that new and emerging challenges have resulted in funding constraints, so we call on UNODC to diversify its donor base.
Egypt: Gratitude to UNODC. (…) adopt policies that strengthen gender and geographical representation. We hope this will continue in the future. We thank the Secretary for their conduct during the pandemic. Our country will continue to tackle the legal threats of narcotic drugs and uphold our commitments to the treaties.
Burkina Faso: We echo the statement delivered by Morocco. We take note of the report on gender balance and geographical representation, as well as the consolidated budget. We welcome the activities conducted by FinGov, and we congratulate the UK and Ghana on their leadership. The group has proved its relevance. The UNODC has worked hard to implement actions in the field, and we welcome the strategic vision for Africa. Regarding staffing issues, we welcome the measures, however the advances stand in contract with geographical representation. We call for enhanced policies for greater geographical diversity among staff to promote a more diverse institutional culture. We also call attention to the importance of multilingualism in all meetings. We welcome the work on capacity building and technical assistance, particularly in developing countries.
Paraguay: We endorse the G77 and China statement. We stress the need to scale up efforts on prevention and access to justice via transparent justice systems. For this, we underscore the importance of our relationship with the office. We also recognize the important work done in the Andes region. We reiterate our interest in further work in our territories. We take note on the report about the composition of staff, greater participation of women and equitable geographical representation. We also reiterate the importance of facilitating multilateralism.
Ecuador: We align with the statement by G77 and China and underscore the importance of working in ways that are equitable and maintains the principle of multilingualism. We are living in difficult times regarding security – the two commission’s work is as important as ever. We have policies that are preventive rather than reactive. This will be achieved through dialogue and full respect tohuman rights, as well as focusing on the systematic roots of problems. We assign priority to broaden national projects and geographic representation, therefore we need to adopt a streamlined approach to budgeting.
Pakistan: Belgium and Japan – thank you for your excellent co-chairing. We appreciate the work and achievements of both commissions and the office, as well as the work of FinGov. I am honored to report that our fight against illicit drugs has been bearing fruit but I request your attention to the fact that illicit drugs and relevant crimes are the most prevalent and a quickly worsening issue. The World Drug Report says Afghanistan produces the overwhelming majority of opium and cannabis resin in the world. There is also an alarming rise of meth production in one of our neighboring countries. CND revealed that their program portfolio in Asia is almost 7% of the total UNODC budget for special purposes. We feel that this reorientation on other transnational organized crimes should not affect the entirety of the drug problem and the affected regions – with focus on the production. We reignite the need for equitable geographical representation in UNODC and INCB. We call for more investment to promote youth and gender based initiatives. We applaud the office for its work so far.
Colombia: We align with the statement by G77 and China, and we thank the ED for the reports presented to us. We are aware the UNODC is facing many challenges (…) making sure no one is left behind. We are happy to see an increase in programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, and we appreciate the work carried out in Colombia. As Ms. Waly noted during her country visit earlier this year, addressing drugs issues are of paramount importance in reaching the SDGs. The Colombian UNODC office has been renamed, and it supports the entire Andes region now. We support this new office and its fostering of greater inter-regional connection. We also support FinGov and the agenda for the empowerment of women and enhancing geographical representation. We recall the UN Charter that stresses the need for broad diversity in staff. In conclusion, we reiterate our commitment to working with UNODC and other MS.
Peru: (…)
China: We will continue to support and participate in UNODC´s activities. We have noted the budget has increased for Asia and South East Asia and the Pacific. The drug situation in our region remains grave, with a rampant increase in the number of drug users. Every year, my government contributes 1 million dollars to the UNODC general working budget and earmarked budget to contain the spread of drugs in the Golden Triangle. The drug problem in our region compromises regional security. We have noted UNODC´s efforts to enhance gender equality and geographical representation. We welcome the successes achieved in the mainstreaming of female hires, we think there is still big room to improve regarding geographic diversity.
Afghanistan: We thank the co-chairs and the Secretariat for their excellent work. Since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan is in urgent need of international support. The 2022 UNODC report showed a dramatic increase in illegal cultivation in our region. In addition, negative impacts of terrorist and extremist groups are connected to drug trafficking all over the world. We deeply rely on UNODC regional and country programs, so we welcome UNODC strategically tackling its ongoing financial challenges. We note the consolidated budget for technical assistance, capacity building and equipment, particularly in developing countries, and the efforts to ensuring greater geographical and gender balance. We ask the ED to renew efforts towards women empowerment, specifically including Afghan women who are experiencing gender apartheid at home. In conclusion, we thank the UNODC and all those actively participating.
Venezuela: Thanks to the chairs. We endorse the remarks made by Morocco. In our national capacity, we take note of the report on the consolidated budget and are concerned with the increase on specifically earmarked contributions. We urge MS to maintain sustainably flexible budgetary support. Regional programs must be consistent with the mandates of UNODC to avoid political bias. We require a clear roadmap for inclusivity. We underline the need for the management of human resources to follow the principles of gender balance and transparency. We require accurate and timely update on recruitment decisions, particularly on managerial levels, so we ensure adequate regional representation. Shared responsibility is a cornerstone of our work, we have made a common commitment to address threats, but we think the way to achieve success is via ongoing multilateral cooperation.
CND Chair: I have a request from an NGO to make a statement.
VNGOC & NGO Alliance joint statement: Thank you, co-Chairs. I would like to make a short statement on behalf of both Vienna-based umbrella organizations supporting CCPCJ and CND, the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, which jointly include about 400 members. Effective implementation of international standards, norms and treaties requires close cooperation of all relevant stakeholders, to promote inclusive, non-discriminatory and gender-responsive approaches. This requires full participation and contribution of civil society in all relevant fora and processes, including meetings of these Commissions. After two years of pandemic, we are glad to see a full room again and observe that online participation has remained as an additional option. We hope that this expanded modality of engagement will remain, together with other improvements that are still possible. Last year we recommended some simple measures to reduce the digital divide and provide greater access to documentation, and we were pleased to note that some have been adopted (for example, online access to updated drafts of resolutions). Finally, we would like to sincerely thank the Commission Chairs for their support, as well as the Secretariat of CCPCJ and CND, the Civil Society Unit and other UNODC colleagues for excellent cooperation. We look forward to working with the incoming Chairs and Bureaus of both the CCPCJ and CND to make sure that next year’s Sessions are equally as successful. Thank you for your attention.
Russia: Despite its old age, the activity of these commissions are very much current and needed. We fully support the activities of CND and UNODC. We are a key donor to the office, specifically providing technical assistance in Central Asia and Afghanistan and Iran. We have a youth initiative we finance to prevent drug use among young people. Our view is that the activities of UNODC benefits all members and should be closely following its mandate. Recipient countries (…) we should decrease UNODC´s reliance on extra-budgetary funds. We should also avoid politicization, equal access should be enjoyed by all to UNODC programs. We firmly believe multilingualism should be observed in all meetings of the UN. We also believe hybrid meetings are counterproductive, and that hiring decisions should be based in professional consideration above all. Research must rely on impartiality, transparency and accuracy, conducted with the partnership of countries and so the World Drug Report should enjoy consensus. We believe it is important to conduct analyses on the drug situations for certain time periods. We should adhere to a balanced approach in regard to the SDGs. Our work must be based on our commitments to the conventions, the 2030 Agenda is a political goal and should not override our execution of the conventions. (to achieve a) drug free society. With great regret, we note the latest attempts to bring confrontational issues to the table here that are not in alignment with the Vienna spirit. CND is a functional commission and supposed to play the role of a depoliticized forum. The objective of CND is to employ the anti-drug conventions as per the relevant EcoSoc resolutions. Discussion of the special military operation in Ukraine do not belong here. Other armed conflicts, such as in Syria, have never impacted conversations here. We underscore that this fertile ground for organized crime has been created by western countries that have been providing weapons for Ukraine that have fallen into the hands of terrorists… these issues seem to be swept under the carpet. The deliberate efforts to (…) We hope our debate today going forward will focus on relevant issues.
Ukraine: I would like to exercise the right of reply. We condemn the statement made by Russia that included unfounded accusations of Ukraine and other countries. This campaign of disinformation is attempting to whitewash their full-scale war that is in violation of the UN Charter and fundamental international agreements. Ukraine has been attempting to achieve a peaceful resolution to the disputed territories. On 24th February 2022, Russia launched an unprovoked aggression on sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. This is violation of norms and principles of international law.
Uzbekistan: I would like to express gratitude for the invitation to participate in this meeting. We currently enjoy the observer status and plan to expand our participation. We are concerned with the menace to humanity by drugs, drug trafficking, etc. To develop collaboration with UNODC, we have initiated a number of measures in the counter-narcotics field. We firmly believe that our participation in the commission would strengthen international activities. We request a full membership of CND, and we have also submitted a resolution for a drug free Asia. We look forward to active cooperation.
CND Chair: I see no further requests from the floor.
Agenda Item 9.
CND Chair: Item 9 “Contributions by the Commission to the work of the Economic and Social Council, in line with General Assembly resolution 72/305, including follow-up to and review and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” is now open to make the best use of our time but will remain open during our separate sessions tomorrow.
Secretariat: Since the resolutions were adapted, both chairs have been receiving requests to contribute to the EcoSoc´s overall work. One main element is written contributions to the high level political forum (HLPF). The commissions were focusing on the SDGs that were under special review: 4, 5, 14, 15 and 17. If we look into the resolutions that our commissions adopted, provisions are contributing to these goals, so that is what is underlined on this written contribution to the HLPF. So, the chairs, in cooperation with the bureaus, worked closely to make sure the language from Vienna is included in the ministerial declaration. There is a lot of time and effort invested in Vienna to contribute to the work in New York – see slide for wording. CCPCJ and CND held a side event at the HLPF on Leveraging international action to address the impact of COVID19 on drugs and crime – a multidisciplinary response. There are four main areas the EcoSoc Vice-President recommendations concern: aligning the work of functional commissions & expert bodies, enhancing coordination among functional commissions, improving working methods, best usage of the outcome of the work of the functional bodies. There have been followup to the recommendations as meetings between bureaus and commissions have been organized, themes are specifically guided by EcoSoc, joint events and exchange among functional commissions have accelerated, there is broadened stakeholder participation (specifically youth), and the strengthening of reporting on pacific issues (long-term trends, climate change, poverty) has been noted.
CCPCJ Chair: As mentioned before, this agenda item will remain open tomorrow, but we adjourn for now. See you tomorrow.
CND Chair: Thank you.