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External sources (not reviewed)

Specific activities that assisted countries in relation to terrorism targeted at food products included: (a) capacity-building (training courses, projects) concerning food safety, animal and plant health, including promotion of risk analyses and developing base-level capacity to ensure national ability to monitor, diagnose, report and respond to pest and disease outbreaks; (b) the standard setting work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the International Plant Protection Convention; (c) the establishment of a Food Chain Crisis Management Framework for prevention, early warning, preparedness and response to food chain crises caused by transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases, food safety threats and emergencies, as well as nuclear and radiological threats and emergencies; and the organization of international forums to discuss biological risk management in relation to food and agriculture.

Most of the children come from families where the parents have been arrested for major crimes or are presently serving jail sentences, have been misplaced or are victims of severe abuse.

Each of the 13 Occupational Group Managers would continue the responsibilities for reviewing applications, identifying candidates for further assessment by subject matter experts, that is, expert panels, serving as Secretary for the expert panel under his or her purview and consolidating findings and interview reports from the panel for presentation to the Field Central Review Bodies, monitoring incumbency rates in the field operations for positions in his or her occupational group, managing his or her assigned roster, developing shortlists for programme managers in the field operations and determining when outreach activities should be conducted to address gaps in the roster, especially in gender and geographic representation, and determining the mobility opportunities for staff members currently serving in the field so as to rotate staff among relevant duty stations.

It also called on the Government to consider strengthening efforts to combat violence against women, including domestic violence and trafficking in persons, especially women and children by, inter alia, ensuring the full implementation of related laws and legislation, and also through the continued provision of adequate funding and the creation of a monitoring mechanism.

The meeting strongly welcomed the advances in results-based programming which should, nonetheless, be further strengthened and refined with a view to achieving a better balance between qualitative and quantitative indicators, complementarity with the expected outcomes of the Medium-Term Strategy and coherence between expected outcomes, expected results, as well as monitoring instruments and reporting standards.

A number of specific comments were made as follows: the concept of food safety is universal, thus there should be no exception, as presently in Article 4.2, allowing exporting countries to export food, which does not comply with its national legislation; the issue of implementation of the Code, especially by countries lacking a control system, should be clarified; the present text may contradict some of the principles of Codex insofar as they establish and draw upon national regulatory frameworks; the ethics of equal treatment in terms of commercial transactions and food aid and donations should be made clearer; and some of the provisions in the text may be contrary to WTO provisions.

The concrete measures recommended by the Working Group include the adoption of specific legislation on non-discrimination; the development of a national campaign to promote multiculturalism and respect for the dignity of the Afro-Ecuadorian people; the adoption of measures to reduce the educational gap that exists between Afro-Ecuadorians and the wider population; the introduction of ethno-education for people of African descent; the strengthening of Afro-Ecuadorian civil society; measures to eliminate racism and discrimination in the media; further efforts to encourage participation of persons of African descent in public administration; the establishment of a centre for Afro-Ecuadorian studies; the further development of free legal aid services; the creation within the office of the Ombudsman of a sub-unit dedicated to issues related to people of African descent and the creation of special programmes to promote the education of women of African descent.

As the Council’s meeting addresses the issue of nuclear-weapon-free zones, NAM reaffirms the need for the speedy establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East in accordance with Security Council resolution 487 (1981) and paragraph 14 of Council resolution 687 (1991) and the relevant General Assembly resolutions adopted by consensus; and, pending its establishment, NAM demands that Israel, the only country in the region that has not joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons or declared its intention to do so, renounce possession of nuclear weapons, accede to the Treaty without further delay, place promptly all its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency fullscope safeguards according to Security Council resolution 487 (1981) and conduct its nuclear-related activities in conformity with the non-proliferation regime.

Djibouti was in the process of developing its own commercial food production sector and food control system and hoped through their participation in Codex, to make use of the science-based standards being developed to strengthen its own food legislation to protect their consumers’ health and access of their products to international markets.

The Executive Committee may wish to take note of the verification and progress reports on the implementation of the national CFC phase-out plan (NPP) for Argentina, and approve the annual implementation programme for 2008-2009 with a proviso requesting the Government of Argentina and UNIDO to ensure that future verification will include the country’s monitoring of its activities under the Agreement through the monitoring institutions defined in Appendix 5-A of the Agreement.

The benchmarks adopted so far include: (a) adoption of a formal ERM policy since 2008; (b) an active enterprise risk management committee chaired by the Associate Administrator; (c) a formal implementation strategy for the adoption of ERM in UNDP; (d) dedicated training of staff on the policies and toolkits for ERM (e) clear procedures for the identification, reporting and escalation of relevant risks through the reporting lines for consideration by the ERM committee; (f) dedicated resources for monitoring of and follow up on the corporate risks log; (f) an enabling system for the reporting and review of unit-level and corporate risk; (h) progressively integrated risk-informed and results-based unit work-planning and reporting processes; (i) a planned and periodic review of ERM policies and practices; and (j) contributions to inter-agency experience exchange and learning based on the ERM experiences of UNDP.

LDCs need to set the right framework to encourage domestic savings and investment, including stable macroeconomic policies that limit capital flight, reliable government data on market conditions, sound information disclosure practices and clear and efficient regulatory frameworks for doing business that reduce informality, including getting a business licence, hiring workers, obtaining permits and paying taxes.

The resolution to be adopted by the Security Council on the cessation of aggression and war against Gaza must reiterate the need for the political process to continue under genuine and effective international supervision in order to ensure that an independent Palestinian State will be created within the 1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital; that a just and agreed solution will be found to the issue of Palestinian refugees in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948; and that all detainees and prisoners will be released.

The Committee would have to consider (i) whether a country continued to be eligible for any remaining funds once a project had achieved its targets, recalling that the funding of MYAs was performance-based; (ii) if a country could continue to receive funds, what would be the required level of monitoring and reporting; and (iii) whether the implementing agency should continue to exercise financial oversight and performance verification and, if so, what would be the consequences if an agency could not do so because of administrative or legal hurdles.

Consideration of each annual review in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council should include, inter alia, (a) follow-up, monitoring and assessment of progress in the implementation of the Programme of Action at the national, subregional, regional and global levels through reporting by Governments, as well as by the secretariats and intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations system and of other relevant subregional, regional and international organizations and institutions; (b) fostering international cooperation in support of the Programme of Action, including coordination among donors and among organizations referred to above; and (c) elaborating new policies and measures in the light of changing domestic and external circumstances facing least developed countries.

The Group reiterates its recommendation that UNOCI hire qualified customs consultants to provide a consistent monitoring capacity to its Integrated Embargo Monitoring Unit and to carry out physical inspections of cargoes based on a risk assessment strategy (see S/2010/179, para. 123), with a view to uncovering potential violations of the embargo on arms and related materiel.

It is noteworthy that programmes implemented by the Office in the area education focused on the following strategic areas of support, all directly responding to strategies and results contained in Kenya Education Sector Support Programme (KESSP), the education sector’s plan to materialize Vision 2030: strengthening the planning, monitoring and evaluation of the education system through EMIS; enhancing the education sector responses to HIV and AIDS; improving the quality of education for peace programme; and strengthening literacy development through advocacy and technical support to strategic planning.

Accountability includes achieving objectives and high-quality results in a timely and cost-effective manner, in fully implementing and delivering on all mandates to the Secretariat approved by the United Nations intergovernmental bodies and other subsidiary organs established by them in compliance with all resolutions, regulations, rules and ethical standards; truthful, objective, accurate and timely reporting on performance results; responsible stewardship of funds and resources; all aspects of performance, including a clearly defined system of rewards and sanctions; and with due recognition to the important role of the oversight bodies and in full compliance with accepted recommendations.

The activities undertaken within this function will include: (a) producing country, regional and global-level technical and programme guidance covering the substantive areas in which UN-Women works, from ending violence against women to increasing women’s contributions to peace and security; (b) devising and coordinating multi-stakeholder, holistic country programmes that involve inter-agency participation and national partners in line with national and regional policies and priorities and that are consistent with UN-Women’s Strategic Plan; (c) ongoing, on-demand technical support to national partners and UNCTs in UN-Women’s core areas of work (e.g., support to NWMs; support to women’s organizations and networks; support to the Resident Coordinator and gender thematic groups; and support to reporting on and implementing CEDAW); and (d) the management and monitoring of global programmes and trust funds.

Target groups supported within the framework of state housing policy include lessees deprived of privatisation rights during the ownership reform, children and young people without parental care, disabled people, elderly people, families with many children, persons released from prison and persons under probation supervision, homeless people, cooperative societies and communities, and specialists dealing with planning and development of residential environment.

The Pact’s four strategic areas call for activities such as (a) construction and renovation of and provision of new equipment for women’s services referral centres, shelters, specialized women’s police stations, special domestic and family violence against women courts and women’s ombudsmen’s offices; (b) training of professionals in the network of services for women in situations of violence; (c) support for initiatives aimed at preventing violence against women and strengthening respect for the human rights of women prisoners; (d) expansion and consolidation of the women’s services hotline, Llame 180; (e) promotion and implementation of campaigns for preventing and combating violence against women; (f) implementation of the National Trafficking in Persons Policy; and (g) teacher training in non-discriminatory content.

He also drew attention to the report of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC) on internal oversight: proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013 (A/66/85); the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) entitled “Review of management and administration in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime” (A/66/315) and the comments of the Secretary-General and of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) (A/66/315/Add.1 and Add.1/Corr.1); the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the JIU report entitled “Policies and procedures for the administration of trust funds in the United Nations system organizations” (A/66/348) and the comments of the Secretary-General and of CEB (A/66/348/Add.1); and the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the review of the organizational framework of the public information function of the Secretariat (A/66/180).

The Office of Internal Audit will focus its outputs on evaluating and improving governance, risk management and control processes by ensuring that (a) it has a clear mandate linked to organizational objectives and is supported by an independent, objective and well-functioning management structure with approved annual work plans; (b) it secures and retains the right quantity and quality of human resources in a timely manner to execute its annual work plans and fulfil its mandate; and (c) it is effective and efficient in applying (i) audit and investigation methodologies, including the use of supporting tools, technology and knowledge management approaches; (ii) operational management practices, including divisional and engagement management and performance monitoring; and (iii) quality assurance and continuous improvement.

Establishing of additional requirements for buildings and construction work, laying down detailed procedures for issuing of building and usage permits, and arranging effective supervision of construction helps to improve the quality of construction work and ensures the safety of buildings and a safe environment.

The consolidated report of the Secretary-General on the pattern of conferences will include information requested by the General Assembly in its resolutions 65/245 and 64/230 on the pattern of conferences and, under section 2, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management, in its resolution 64/243 on questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011, as well as information requested by oversight bodies.

The Security Council welcomes the report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/394), as requested by its resolution 1918 (2010), on possible options to further the aim of prosecuting and imprisoning persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, including, in particular, options for creating special domestic chambers possibly with international components, a regional tribunal or an international tribunal and corresponding imprisonment arrangements, taking into account the work of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), the existing practice in establishing international and mixed tribunals, and the time and resources necessary to achieve and sustain substantive results.

The Committee believes that measures are needed to guarantee respect for such principles as the right of such minors to receive treatment that promotes their reintegration into society, the use of detention and imprisonment only as a last resort, the right of minors to be heard in criminal proceedings relating to them and the right to receive appropriate legal assistance.

The State party should further develop and strengthen ongoing educational programmes to ensure that all officials, including judges and prosecutors, public inspectors of places of detention, law enforcement personnel, security officers, members of the Village Guards and prison and immigration officials, are fully aware of the provisions of the Convention, the absolute prohibition of torture and that they will be held liable for any actions in contravention of the Convention.

In section V, paragraph 4, of its resolution 63/248, the General Assembly took note of the recommendations provided by the Office of Internal Oversight Services of the Secretariat in its report on the audit of the existing special arrangements governing the recruitment of temporary assistance staff in the language services across the four main duty stations (A/63/94), and requested the Secretary-General to ensure their full implementation and to report thereon to the Assembly at its sixty-fourth session through the Committee on Conferences.