48th plenary meeting

27 July 1982

Public administration and finance for development

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 35/56 of 5 December 1980, containing the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade, 36/194 of 17 December 1981 of the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, particularly paragraph 3 thereof, 34/137 of 14 December 1979 on the role of the public sector in promoting the economic development of developing countries and 35/80 of 5 December 1980 on the role of qualified national personnel in the social and economic development of developing countries,

Recalling also Council resolutions 1978/6 of 4 May 1978, 1978/75 of 8 November 1978 and 1980/12 of 28 April 1980, concerning public administration and finance for development in the 1980s, and 1981/45 of 20 July 1981 on the role of the public sector in promoting the economic development of developing countries,

Reiterating the importance of developing and strengthening public administration and finance capabilities of developing countries, including training and institution-building, and in the formulation and carrying out of policies for the economic and social development of developing countries,

1. Takes note of the report of the Sixth Meeting of Experts on the United Nations Programme in Public Administration and Finance, held at Geneva from 10 to 19 March 1982, and the report of the Secretary-General thereon;

2. Takes note also of the major recommendations made by the Sixth Meeting of Experts and requests the Secretary-General to transmit them to the States Members of the United Nations for their review and appropriate action at the national level;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to provide, within existing resources and at the request of Governments of developing countries, the technical assistance they may need for promoting public administration and finance for development;

4. Invites the United Nations Development Programme, in formulating its regional and interregional programmes, to bear in mind the need for improving the administrative and managerial capabilities of developing countries, in particular the least developed ones, in the field of public administration and finance;

5. Notes the recommendation of the Sixth Meeting of Experts that its next meeting should be convened in 1984, and requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary preparations for that meeting which, in reviewing, in accordance with its mandate, the United Nations programme in public administration and finance, should also deal in particular with:

(a) Challenges and constraints in public administration and finance in the developing countries in the 1980s;

(b) The specific needs of developing countries, in particular the least developed ones, especially in the field of training and institution-building;

(c) Support and assistance by the United Nations system for technical co-operation among developing countries in the development of public administration and finance.