UNECE is one of the five regional commissions within the United Nations. It was established in 1947 with the goal of developing economic integration between member states. To date, 56 countries are members of the European Commission. It is accountable to the Economic and Social Council, its headquarters is located in Geneva. The UNECE budget is about $ 50 million per year. The structure of the ECE - 7 committees and the Conference on Environmental Policy. All of them cooperate with many international organizations, which allows 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. UNECE includes Canada, Asian republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), Israel and the United States. Montenegro became the last member to join; it joined the organization on June 28, 2006.
Of the 56 states, 18 joined the ODA (Official Development Assistance Program for Poor Countries). ECE is an OSCE partner, the European Union adopts many of the norms that were developed in the framework of the organization we are considering as guidelines. Collaboration with OECD, UNDP, enterprises, local communities, professional associations and various non-governmental organizations is also fruitful.
Committee for Economic Cooperation and Integration
UNECE Regulations are institutionalized across several bodies. The Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration promotes financial and regulatory policies aimed at growth, innovative development and greater competition in Member States. The committee focuses on transitive economies. The main areas of his work are:
- innovation;
- competitiveness policy;
- intellectual property;
- financing of innovative development;
- intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship development;
- private companies with state participation.
Committee on Environmental Policy
From the very foundation of the organization, UNECE requirements dealt with environmental issues. In 1971, a group of senior advisers to member governments was established. Over time, it transformed into the Committee on Environmental Policy. Today 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. His mission is to implement environmental activities in Member States. The Committee seeks a comprehensive assessment of the efforts of countries to reduce the overall level of pollution and regional use of available resources and to establish dialogue and practice of joint decision-making in the international community in this area.
The division is the main ECE body in the field of statistics. His work is based on the following strategic areas:
- functioning as the secretariat for the “Environment for Europe”;
- participation in the regional promotion of the Agenda 21 program;
- the development and conduct of environmental performance reviews in UNECE countries that are not members of the OECD,
- environmental monitoring and reporting;
- enhancing the overall effectiveness of multilateral environmental agreements and facilitating the exchange of experience on their implementation;
- participation in a number of intersectoral events held under the auspices of the UN.
Housing and Land Management Committee
This body is an intergovernmental body for all ECE members. It evolved from the Commission on Housing Problems, which was established back in 1947. The Committee provides for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information. It is also a forum for sharing information and experiences on housing, urban development and land administration policies.
Inland Transport Committee
This office is developing UNECE regulations on transport. Its subdivision is the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Requirements (WP.29).
Conference of European Statisticians
This unit performs the functions of the 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 reflection of expert coverage. This unit helps Member States to implement the UNECE standard in their statistical systems and coordinates the collection of information. The conference develops special training materials that describe the research methodology. Its main task is classification. UNECE works with various statistical organizations and holds meetings and online forums with experts on various issues within its competence in order to better cover the data.
The Conference of European Statisticians provides technical assistance to countries in Southeast Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It also provides:
- Free online access to statistics. Information on economics, demography, forestry and transport of 56 members is provided in English and Russian.
- Overview of key statistics. It is issued once every two years and covers all 56 states.
- A set of wiki pages. This online archive provides collaboration support and helps disseminate best practices.
Executive Secretaries
From the beginning of the existence of the organization, the following persons have held this post:
- 1947-1957 - Gunnar Myrdal (Sweden).
- 1957-1960 - Sakari Tiomioya (Finland).
- 1960-1967 - Vladimir Velebit (Yugoslavia).
- 1968-1982 - Janesh Stanovnik (Yugoslavia).
- 1983-1986 - Klaus Sahlgren (Finland).
- 1987-1993 - Herald Hinteregger (Austria).
- 1993-2000 - Yves Berthelot (France).
- 2000-2001 - Danuta Hubner (Poland).
- 2002-2005 - Brigita Schmegnerova (Slovakia).
- 2005-2008 - Marik Belka (Poland).
- 2008-2012 - Jan Kubis (Slovakia).
- 2012-2014 - Sven Alcalay (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
- 2014 - present - Christian Friis Bach (Denmark).
