[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: Meeting of ECOSOC with the BWIs and WTO 26 April, New York

[Fullsack Jean-Louis]

En francais ci-dessous

Dear Rik

It would be interesting to know the NGO which were (so confidentially)
invited to the hearing (!) held on March 22. And even more interesting would
be to know WHAT they told "the hearers" there.
If we consider the outcomes of the former annual meetings there aren't any
reasons to hope for something concrete from such events.
I do believe that CS and the NGOs committed in the WSIS process, will have
to urgently elaborate and specify their action plan for the second phase.
Because this phase will be focused on concrete actions (at least I do hope
for it for our African friends !).  Therefore I would strongly support the
idea of an open discussion upon the content and wording of a kind of  "CS
alternative Action Plan", which concentrates to three or four priorities,
among which development (i.a. bridging the digital gap) will be n°1.
Thanks for coming information.
Best regards
Jean-Louis Fullsack
CSDPTT-France

Cher Rik

Il serait interessant de connaitre les ONG qui ont ete (si
confidentiellement) invitees a l'audition du 22 mars. Et il serait encore
plus interessant de savoir ce qu'elles y ont dit a leurs "ecouteurs" (nota :
hearing en anglais signifie litteralement "ecoute"et par extension
audience).
Si nous nous en tenons aux resultats des reunions annuelles precedentes, il
n'y a guere de raisons d'esperer quelque chose de concret de tels
evenements.
Je cois fermement que la SC et ses ONG engagees dans le processus du SMSI,
devront urgemment elaborer et definir leur plan d'action pour la deuxieme
phase du Sommet. Car celle-ci sera focalisee sur les  actions concretes(du
moins faut il l'espere pour nos amis africains!). C'est pour cette raison
que je soutiens fermement l'idee d'une discussion ouverte sur le contenu et
la redaction d'une sorte de "Plan d'Action alternatif de la SC" qui se
concentre sur trois ou quatre priorites parmi lesquelles le developpement
(entre autres le comblement du fosse numerique) sera n°1.
Merci pour l'information a venir.
Bien cordialement
Jean-Louis Fullsack
CSDPTT .

----- Original Message -----
From: "CONGO (Rik Panganiban)" <rik.panganiban at ngocongo.org>
To: <undisclosed-recipients:>
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 10:12 PM
Subject: Meeting of ECOSOC with the BWIs and WTO 26 April, New York


> Dear Colleagues,
>
> Please find below information about the Special High Level Meeting of
> ECOSOC with the Bretton Woods Institutions and WTO, which will be held
> on 26 April 2004 at United Nations, New York.
>
> More information available in the ECOSOC web site:
> www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc
>
> Apologies for the late notice of this meeting.  We only received this
> information today.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Rik Panganiban
> Communications Coordinator
>
> =================================================
>
> Background on the Special High Level Meeting of  ECOSOC with the Bretton
> Woods Institutions and WTO
> 26 April 2004
>
> Introduction
>
> In a continued multilateral effort to further the attainment of
development
> goals, the Economic and Social Council will host a special high-level
> meeting with the Bretton Woods Institutions, the World Trade Organization
> and?for the first time?UNCTAD, following its resolution E/2003/47.
>
> The meeting will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York
> on 26 April 2004, the day after the spring meetings in Washington of the
> International Monetary and Financial Committee and the Development
> Committee.
>
> The General Assembly, in its resolution 58/230, requested the President of
> the Economic and Social Council, in consultation with all major
> institutional stakeholders, to focus the annual special high-level meeting
> on specific issues, within the holistic, integrated approach of the
> Monterrey Consensus.
>
> This year's meeting wil! l build  on last year's event by addressing the
> overall theme of "Coherence, coordination and cooperation in the context
of
> the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus". In addition, the meeting
> will focus on three specific themes in the roundtable discussions. It is
> intended to be a free-flowing working dialogue in which the chairpersons
of
> the Development Committee, the International Monetary and Financial
> Committee, the General Council of the World Trade Organization and the
> Trade Development Board of UNCTAD are invited to play a role. The World
> Bank, the IMF, the WTO and other institutional stakeholders as well as
> representatives of the business sector and NGOs are also invited to
> participate. The Secretary-General will also take part in the meeting.
>
> The outcome of the special high-level meeting will be in the form of a
> summary of the discussions by the President of the Economic and Social
> Council. It will be circulated among particip! ants at  the Economic and
> Social Council substantive session in July as well as at the General
> Assembly's upcoming debate on FfD follows up.
>
> Preparations
>
> Preparations have started much earlier than in the past. This enabled a
> number of more in-depth intergovernmental interactions, as envisioned in
> the Monterrey Consensus, among all relevant institutional stakeholders.
>
> In addition, NGO and business hearings were held 22 and 24 March,
> respectively.
>
> Background
>
> Special high-level meetings of the Economic and Social Council with
Bretton
> Woods Institutions are a yearly occurrence since 1998. They were mandated
> by GA Resolution 50/227: Further measures for the restructuring and
> revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related
> fields, adopted in 1996. Annex I (Para. 88) of that resolution states: "In
> order to improve communication and cooperation at the intergovernmental
> level between the Council and!  the  international financial and trade
> institutions, to facilitate an exchange of views with regard to global
> issues of high priority and relevance and to consider how the Economic and
> Social Council and the international financial and trade institutions
could
> mutually support their respective efforts in promoting and coordinating
> programme activities within their purviews relating to these issues, the
> Council should schedule periodically a high-level special meeting at a
time
> proximate to the semi-annual meetings of the Bretton Woods institutions
> with a view to benefiting, to the extent possible, from high-level
> ministerial participation and the participation of heads of financial and
> trade institutions and other relevant organizations."
>
> Early on in the preparatory process towards the International Conference
on
> Financing for Development the General Assembly, in resolution 54/196 of
> 1999, recognized WTO as a key stakeholder in both the  preparatory process
> and in the high-level intergovernmental event.
>
> Subsequently, in March 2002, the Monterrey Consensus (para. 69 B)
> encouraged "the United Nations, the World Bank and the International
> Monetary Fund, with the World Trade Organization, to address issues of
> coherence, coordination and cooperation, as a follow-up to the Conference,
> at the spring meeting between the Economic and Social Council and the
> Bretton Woods institutions."
>
> In 1998, the first meeting was held against the backdrop of the Asian
> financial crisis, and ministers discussed how to maintain the focus on
> long-term development amidst economic and financial upheavals.
>
> In 1999, the meeting address the functioning of international financial
> markets and stability in financing for development, in the broader context
> of issues related to promoting recovery, ensuring cross-sectional
coherence
> and mobilizing the cooperation of all actors in the developm! ent
process.
>
> In 2000, the focus of discussion was the strengthening international
> financial arrangements and eradicating poverty. For the first time WTO was
> formally represented at the meeting by its Deputy Director-General.
>
> In 2001, the meeting addressed two themes: (a) development financing, in
> particular poverty eradication, official development assistance, and debt,
> and (b) a development-friendly international financial system: public and
> private responsibility in the prevention of financial crises.
>
> In 2002, the topic was "Dialogue on the outcome of the International
> Conference on Financing for Development and the meetings of the
Development
> Committee and International Monetary and Financial Committee". After
> Monterrey, the meetings have helped lay down the foundation for "staying
> engaged" as called for in the Consensus.
>
> In 2003, the meeting focused on an overall assessment of progress in
> implementation of the Monter! rey  Consensus at all levels a year after.
>
> In 2004, the meeting will include for the first time representation from
> UNCTAD's Trade and Development Board.
>
>
> --
> =====================================================
> Rik Panganiban, Communications Coordinator
>
> Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship
> with the United Nations (CONGO)
> web: http://www.ngocongo.org
> email: rik.panganiban at ngocongo.org
>