12. ROLE OF ESCAP: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
This article on Retrospect will
necessarily be limited to the eight years from 1973 – 1981during such time I
had the privilege of heading this great Organization.
As the fourth
Executive Secretary, I had to build on the achievements of my distinguished
predecessors, the late P.S. Lokanathan,
C.V. Narashiman, and the late U Nyun whose accomplishments were described by
the author of ESCAP publication entitled ”ESCAP, 1947 – 1967: Regional
co-operation for Development. The author among others summed up the work of my
predecessors as follows “Thus under the
first three Executive Secretaries, ESCAP evolved from a think-tank to an
increasing action-oriented organization, providing countries with economic
development projects and programs aimed at regional and sub-regional
co-operation”.
During my terms of office I took those
developments much further to cover a wider range of global and regional
activities and thereby trying to establish ESCAP’ as the first and foremost United
Nations Regional Centre in a number of fields where in particular its
multi-disciplinary character was a clear advantage.
I assumed office when the world was
still dominated by super-power rivalry. The global security environment- underpinned
by the bio-polarity of East-West confrontation- influenced the global
landscape. International economic activities possessed challenges of immense
scale adversely affecting the growth of the developing countries. The Group of
77 developing countries asserted its voice in the international arena for a
just and equitable international order focusing world attention on the need for
North-South dialogue.
Against this backdrop, I had
to steer the organization away from potentially debilitating tension and
turmoil of superpower rivalry and rich-poor debates by inducing co-operation in
non- controversial issues and formulating regional and sub-regional projects.
A key management challenge was to
cultivate a climate of confidence in regional co-operation.
One of my first efforts was to
encourage a regional co-operation framework that more accurately focussed on
integrated approaches to development that reflected the new power equation and
gave proportional attention to the social dimension of development.
My effort to change the name into ESCAP
was borne out of my conviction that development should be people-oriented. It
brought the Pacific Islands countries and countries bordering the Pacific into
the mainstream of ESCAP’s activities.
It took me several visits to China to
encourage it to play a more active role. Likewise with Vietnam, I made great
efforts to re-activate the Mekong river basin project. Apart from the
establishment of the ESCAP Liaison Office in Nauru, South Pacific I established
a number of regional institutions in ASEAN
and encouraged their participation in several projects to make ESCAP
more relevant to their needs.
In my very first statement as Executive
Secretary I called for an “Asian Development strategy” which would provide a
conceptual framework for an all-embracing program in strategic areas. Such a
framework would contribute to the establishment of a new international economic
order as called for by the General Assembly of the United Nations. In this
context the Commission adopted the Colombo (1974) and New Dehli (1975)
Declarations that clearly defined ESCAP’s priorities and guidelines for action.
The years of my tenure had seen a much
deeper awareness of the social dimension of development with the overriding
emphasis on the human element as the primary beneficiary of development.
Nurturing an organization shift towards
this orientation was important to maintain ESCAP’s role as a forward looking
and dynamic regional centre of excellence I believe that the new orientation
pervaded throughout ESCAP’s entire program and structures.
The promotion of inter-agency
co-operation was continuously encouraged and the establishment of an
Inter-agency Committee for integrated rural development with the Executive
Secretary as chairman became a model of team leadership in co-ordinating varies
UN agencies, the committee also greatly facilitated the provision of technical
and other forms assistance to countries in the region for development of their
rural areas. The initiation and implementation of the integrated rural
development became the cornerstone of inter-agency co-operation.
Global issues resulting from
recommendations and decisions of international conferences were also reflected
in ESCAP’s work programmes. Some special units such as the ESCAP.CBTC joint
unit on Trans-national Corporation and the special unit of ESCAP/UNEO
co-operation on environment were established in the Secretariat. Other
international issues were also incorporated in the work programme of the
respective divisions such as on population, women, social development and human
settlement.
The creation of the Advisory committee
of Permanent Representatives that comprises ambassadors and senior diplomats
accredited to ESCAP met on regular basis to advise me on important activities
of EACAP I also held regular consultations on issues such as streamlining
ESCAP’s conference structure and setting criteria for its work program. The
Committee’s value and usefulness contributed a spirit of goodwill and made an
impact on the overall effectiveness of the commission and its relevance to the
region.
Intensive consultations with member
countries and various UN agencies and bodies resulted in a climate of
confidence, goodwill and co-operation. Moreover transparency and
accountability also contributed to a high increase of extra budgetary
resources.
ESCAP’s accomplishments were no doubt
the result of close and harmonious working relations with my staff and general
service who were imbued with a spirit of loyalty to the United Nations.
The political, security and economic
situation prevailing in the region is radically different than during the time
I resumed office more than a quarter century ago.
After the cold war, the world has
undergone sweeping changes and transition that have brought about new
opportunities and challenges. The tension and turmoil of East-West
confrontation no longer dominate the global landscape and a drastically
transformed post cold- war era in inter-state relations has dawned. The
changing relations among the major powers have led towards a new global
security environment which are no more anchored in the bipolarity of East- West
contention and hence are more complex in its international dynamics and less
predictable in its evolution. A new equilibrium in international relations is
involving relation in the Asia-Pacific region with more complex dynamics,
revolving around the US, China. Japan, Russia and in the longer term a more
tightly integrated ASEAN and the prominence of India. The revolutions in
transportation, information and communication have also helped to spur the new
equilibrium.
National
development problems are increasingly having global implications and dimensions
and the globalisation of national economies has in turn stimulated
globalisations of politics.
Regional integration
Paradoxically, however, the process of
globalisation has been accompanied by a growing tendency towards increased
regional integration both in industrialized countries as well as developing
countries. More than a dozen of free trade agreements and economic schemes have
been formed all over the world.
The biggest of them in terms of the
total GNP is the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA. The second big
free trade area is the European Common market or ECM.
Other economic co-operation schemes are
in Asia and Latin America. Much of this integration process takes the form of
common markets, custom unions and free trade area.
Although these trends may pave the way
for more effective multilaterism, in the absence of appropriate policies, such
regional groupings tend to spur the formation of powerful and closed economic
blocks Protectionism is bound to rise between members and non-members of free
trade agreements.
Another reason for
regional co-operation is that it could offer a forum to reduce frictions that
may arise in the intensive economic relations that exist among the countries in
the region. Through this forum, countries could consult on, and when possible,
co-ordinate their economic policies.
ASEAN, SAARC,
ECO, PACIFIC FORUM and APEC are the main fora that are being relied upon to
promote sub-regional and regional co-operation in the Asia Pacific region.
The Organization’s principal role and
functions can be grouped into four categories; an inter-governmental forum, a
leading research facility, a source of development information and provider of
technical assistance.
With more than half a century of
experience, ESCAP is well placed to initiate region-wide consultations,
inter-alia, with sub-regional, regional economic groupings and the business
community on a regional order incorporating the objectives, principles and
guidelines governing relations between countries based on genuine
inter-dependence, mutuality of interest and of benefits and shared
responsibility. Some ingredients for such an order could already be found in
agreements such as the Declaration of ASEAN Concord which established a code of
conduct where non-intervention, consultation, pacific settlement of dispute and
voluntary self denial are the key underlying principles.
The principles agreed upon by APEC in
the promotion of economic and technical co-operation such as
non-discrimination, transparency and flexibility is another example.
ESCAP as a research facility
As a research facility ESCAP has
undertaken valuable studies to enhance co-operation in the Asia Pacific
region. The example is the important
ESCAP study on the strengthening of regional co-operation in human resources
development.
There is however other areas that ESCAP
is well positioned to undertake. A study on strengthening North Asia and South
East Asia co-operation would add immense understanding of the challenges and
opportunities for greater co-operation.
Study analyse, among others, on
economic growth and energy demand are also needed since at present oil imports
for Japan, Southern China, North and South Korea come through the Southeast
Asia straits.
The region’s energy needs and security
concerns are inseparable issues.
ESCAP as a development information
source
The linkages established through the
promotion of human resource development should be further expanded to cover
other disciplines of economic and social development. In addition ESCAP should
encourage the process of upgrading and improving its information management
resources and requirements, exploring the potentials of Internet to gather
worthwhile data on development sources. The storage and dissemination of these
data is another problem that also deserves serious consideration.
ESCAP as a provider of technical
assistance
ESCAP is
poise to make a very significant contribution in technical assistance in the
region. The Organization’s vast experience in providing technical assistance
could be of immense benefit but a significant increase in its financial and
manpower base is a prerequisite.
Beside the traditional channel of
potential donors contribution, I believe that ESCAP should explore innovative
ways to enhance the financing of technical assistance.
One area that needs
specific efforts is the area of South-South co-operation sometime referred to
as Technical co-operation among developing countries (TCDS) within the UN
system. I believe that ESCAP should be
more involved in South-South co-operation acting as a catalyst to promote such
co-operation. The objective of South-South co-operation should be, among others
to reduce undue dependence on the developed countries, and to a policy that
encourages the attainment of a new and equitable international economic order.
The excellent ties established by ESCAP with their centres of excellence in
Asia and Pacific in the promotion of human resources in the region would
provide valuable sources of expertise and manpower. In this connection it is
suggested that ESCAP should establish a roster of experts in various
disciplines available in regional and sub-regional institutions that could be
used for mutually beneficial programmes and projects.
Co-operation with NGO’s, the private
sector and international organizations should also be further explored.
As we begin the new millennium, a
regional economic order could very well be an effective instrument and
programme framework on which to base future activities and to achieve security
in the region.
Posted April 28, 2002 -
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