24 July 1990

34th Plenary Meeting

1990/52. Role of the United Nations in the early identification, analysis and forecasting of world economic developments

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolutions 1988/75 of 29 July 1988 and 1989/85 of 26 July 1989,

Acknowledging that comprehensive analysis, modelling and forecasting of a wide range of global, regional, national and sectoral developments in the world economy is an important element in strengthening the capability of international organizations and national authorities for adequately addressing emerging problems,

Aware of the need for improvement, as appropriate, on a co-ordinated basis at both the international and national levels of the means and mechanisms for the systematic compilation, analysis and regular exchange of information relevant to the identification of emerging major economic trends which could have an impact on the short-term and longer-term prospects of world socio-economic development,

1. Commends the Secretary-General for the survey of activities to improve the work of the United Nations on the early identification, analysis and forecasting of world economic developments;

2. Agrees that, in order to improve analytical and forecasting activities on a co-ordinated basis, United Nations bodies and organizations, within available resources, should:

(a) Interact more closely by sharing common analytical data bases and on-line access to one another's modelling environments through the use of advanced communication facilities, appropriately designed user interfaces, improved documentation and, if appropriate, special training in the use of those analytical tools;

(b) Adjust their existing modelling frameworks to incorporate the impact of future change, thus enabling the international community to explore possible long-term trends and options for world socio-economic developments;

(c) Utilize to the fullest extent possible the capacities of the United Nations University and its World Institute for Development Economics Research and the United Nations research institutes engaged in the study of emerging economic and social developments;

3. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, to designate the Task Force on Long-term Development Objectives of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination as the focal point for the mutual exchange among agencies of assessments of prospective developments in the economic and social fields in order to improve existing mechanisms for disseminating socio-economic forecasts and projects in a comprehensive and readily accessible form;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to submit periodically to the Economic and Social Council brief information on emerging trends and problems in the world economy as a part of his note on the state of the world economy, and to continue to analyse emerging economic and social issues and problems of global significance in periodic reports, including the world economic surveys and the regional surveys and on the overall socio-economic perspective to the year 2000.