UNECE (Economic Commission for Europe): composition, functions, rules

UNECE is one of five regional commissions within the United Nations. It was established in 1947 with the aim of promoting economic integration among member states. To date, the European Commission includes 56 countries. It is accountable to the Economic and Social Council, with its headquarters in Geneva. The UNECE budget is about 50 million US dollars per year. In the ECE structure there are 7 committees and the Conference on Environmental Policy. All of them cooperate with a number of international organizations, which allows them to more fully cover the scope of their activities.

Member States and cooperation

The UNECE consists of 56 countries. Not all of them are located in Europe. The UNECE includes Canada, the Asian Republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), Israel and the United States. The last joined member was Montenegro, it joined the organization on June 28, 2006.

Of the 56 states, 18 have joined ODA (the official development assistance program for poor countries). ECE is an OSCE partner, the European Union adopts many norms that have been developed within the framework of the organization we consider as guidelines. Cooperation with OECD, UNDP, enterprises, local communities, professional associations and various non-governmental organizations is also fruitful .

Committee for Economic Cooperation and Integration

The UNECE Regulations are institutionalized within several bodies. The Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration promotes financial and regulatory policies aimed at growth, innovative development and greater competition in member countries. The committee concentrates on transitive economies. The main areas of his work are:

• Innovation;
• A policy of competitiveness;
• intellectual property;
• Financing innovative development;
• Intrapreneurship and enterprise development;
• Private companies with the participation of the state.

Committee on Environmental Policy

From the very beginning of the organization, UNECE requirements dealt with environmental issues. In 1971, a group of senior advisers to member governments was created. Over time, it was transformed into a Committee on Environmental Policy. To date, he holds his meetings annually. The Committee ensures coordination of environmental protection and sustainable development policies, prepares ministerial meetings, participates in the development of international environmental law and supports national initiatives in its field of competence. Its mission is to implement environmental protection measures in the Member States. The Committee seeks to fully assess the efforts of countries to reduce the overall level of pollution and regional use of available resources and to establish a dialogue and joint decision-making practice in the international community in this field.

The unit is the main ECE body in the field of statistics. His work is based on the following strategic directions:

• Functioning as a secretariat for the "Environment for Europe";
• Participation in the regional promotion of Agenda 21;
• The development and conduct of environmental performance reviews in UNECE countries that are not members of the OECD,
• Monitoring of environmental protection and reporting;
• Enhancing the overall effectiveness of multilateral environmental agreements and facilitating the exchange of experiences on their implementation;
• Participation in a number of cross-sectoral events that are held under the auspices of the United Nations.

Committee on Housing and Land Management

This body is intergovernmental for all members of the ECE. He evolved from the Commission on Housing Problems, which was established back in 1947. The Committee collects, analyzes and disseminates information. It is also a forum for sharing information and experiences on housing, urban development and land administration policies.

Inland Transport Committee

This office develops UNECE transport regulations. Its structural unit is the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Requirements (WP.29).

Conference of European Statisticians

This unit acts as a secretariat, it implements a program for the collection and analysis of information within the ECE. The conference brings together professionals from national and international statistical agencies. The word "European" is no longer a real representation of the coverage of experts. This unit helps Member States implement the UNECE standard in their statistical systems and coordinates the collection of information. The conference develops special educational materials, which describe the methodology of research. Its main task is to classify. The UNECE works with various statistical organizations and holds meetings and online forums with experts on various issues that are within its competence to better cover the data. The Conference of European Statisticians provides technical assistance to countries in South-Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It also provides:

1. Free online access to statistics. Information on economics, demography, forestry and transport of 56 members is provided in English and Russian.
2. Review of key statistics. It is issued once in two years and covers all 56 states.
3. A set of wiki pages. This online archive provides support for teamwork and helps in disseminating information on best practices.

Executive Secretaries

Since the beginning of the organization's existence this post has been occupied by the following persons:

1. 1947-1957 - Gunnar Myrdal (Sweden).
2. 1957-1960 - Sakari Tiomioja (Finland).
3. 1960-1967 - Vladimir Velebit (Yugoslavia).
4. 1968-1982 - Yanez Stanovnik (Yugoslavia).
5. 1983-1986 - Klaus Sachlgren (Finland).
6. 1987-1993 - Gerald Hinteregger (Austria).
7. 1993-2000 - Yves Berthelot (France).
8. 2000-2001 - Danuta Hübner (Poland).
9. 2002-2005 - Brigita Schmögnerová (Slovakia).
10. 2005-2008 - Marik Belka (Poland).
11. 2008-2012 - Jan Kubis (Slovakia).
12. 2012-2014 - Sven Alkalay (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
13. 2014 - present time - Christian Friis Bach (Denmark).

Generalizations and success

Thus, the Economic Commission for Europe (abbreviated UNECE) is an important unit within the United Nations. Its main goal is to promote the integration and cooperation of countries in the field of economy, statistics, transport, housing, land use and ecology. It includes 56 countries, some of them are members of the OECD. The Commission provides assistance to developing countries. Some of the rules and requirements developed within the ECE are directives for EU countries. To date, the work of the Commission has gone far beyond Europe, since its active members are already states in North America and Asia. Any country that joins the United Nations can join it. Therefore, it is quite possible that in the near future, it will include countries from the remotest corners of our planet.