27 July 1988

39th plenary meeting

Joint Meetings of the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination and the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolutions 1982/50 of 28 July 1982, 1986/50 of 22 July 1986 and 1987/82 of 8 July 1987, as well as Chapters IX and X of the Charter of the United Nations,

Stressing the importance of periodic meetings between Member States and the executive heads of organizations of the United Nations system in promoting better understanding and co-ordination of the activities of the system in the economic and social fields and of the role of the Joint Meetings of the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination and the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination in that regard,

Reiterating the need for further improvement in the functioning of the Joint Meetings, relating in particular to the timing, participation, agenda and follow-up,

Having considered the report of the Chairmen of the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination and the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination on the twenty-third series of Joint Meetings of the two Committees, including the suggestions made concerning the functioning of the Joint Meetings, particularly those made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations,

1. Takes note of the report of the Chairmen of the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination and the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination on the twenty-third series of Joint Meetings of the two Committees, in particular the comments made on the timing, venue and conduct of the Joint Meetings;

2. Decides that, in future, the Joint Meetings should be held in New York in conjunction with the autumn session of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, in order to facilitate the participation of the members of the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination at a high level as well as the participation of the executive heads of the specialized agencies and United Nations programmes, and that the duration of the Meetings should be sufficient to allow for an adequate exchange of views among participants;

3. Decides also that the Joint Meetings should take the following measures relating to their work:

(a) Members of the two Committees should identify well in advance the specific issues for discussion under each topic and hold a concrete exchange of views, focusing on practical measures to solve the co-ordination problems identified;

(b) The background papers prepared by the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination should include appropriate action-oriented proposals, so as to assist the Joint Meetings in achieving concrete results;

(c) Steps should be taken to ensure effective follow-up at the intergovernmental and intersecretariat levels of the conclusions and recommendations of the Joint Meetings;

4. Decides that appropriate measures for effective intergovernmental and intersecretariat follow-up of the conclusions and recommendations of the Joint Meetings should be reported, through the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination, to the Economic and Social Council at its second regular session in the following year;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Council at its organizational session for 1989 on the measures taken to implement the present resolution;

6. Decides to review the implementation of the present resolution at its second regular session of 1991 in the context of the study of the United Nations intergovernmental structure and functions in the economic and social fields.