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EU and UN partnership

The European Union is committed to strengthening its contribution to the work of the United Nations (UN). Commenting on today's adoption by the European Commission (EC) of a Communication on EC/UN work on development and humanitarian matters, President Prodi said: "The European Union is one of the main actors on the international scene. Our policy is based on our strong belief of the importance of development co-operation, and in particular, our commitment to eradicating global poverty. This belief makes us a natural supporter of the UN. Europe is seeking global solutions, and has always recognized the role and authority of UN institutions. Until now, the European Commission has always been present in the complexity of the UN system and we have grown in importance within the different UN institutions. Now, considering the responsibilities of the Commission and the UN, the relationship between the two must go beyond ad-hoc co-operation. We are looking for a structured, predictable and demanding partnership". Reacting to today's announcement, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: "The European Union is a major contributor to many aspects of the work of the United Nations, especially in the field of development and humanitarian aid. I am therefore really delighted that the European Commission is seeking to strengthen this co-operation even further. Together, we can do much to bring about a better and more peaceful world."

The Communication adopted today deals with EC/UN co-operation in the area of development co-operation and humanitarian affairs. Building on this Communication, the question of the overall EC/UN relationship, including co-operation in conflict prevention and crisis management, will be addressed in a future document.

"We're starting with this area", said Commissioner Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, "because there is already a strong Community presence. With annual contributions to development and humanitarian projects administered by the UN in excess of € 350 million, the United Nations is an important partner of the European Community. But so far, we have not been sufficiently active in pushing European policies in UN agencies, whose activities we are co-funding. We need a more strategic approach to develop what has the potential of becoming a very strong partnership."

The Communication, entitled "Building an effective partnership with the United Nations in the fields of Development and Humanitarian Affairs" sets out a number of fundamental principles for strengthening the working relationship:

Selectivity: The EC will be a positive, but demanding multilateral partner. The Commission will seek to focus on strengthening co-operation with those UN entities that work in the areas identified by the EU where working at the Community level provides added value.

Predictability: By clearly setting out long-term priority areas for co-operation, both the EC and UN will be able to enjoy a more predictable flow of EC financial contributions.

Active presence: The EC will further exploit the already extensive opportunities for active EC participation in the work of the governing bodies of priority UN entities.

The Communication focuses on the administrative environment necessary to reach the above objectives:

• A successful conclusion of the ongoing negotiations on a Verification Clause, giving the EC controllers satisfactory access to information about the use of EC funds.
  
  
• A re-negotiation of the 1999 EC/UN Framework Agreement to focus, in co-financing operations, on output-based budgeting and upstream programme funding.
  
  
• A speedy Council approval of the Commission's proposal on the recasting of the Financial Regulation [COM (2000) 461 of 17.12.2000].

Finally, the Communication adopted today sends an important message to its UN partners:

• The EC is proposing to intensify co-operation on EC priorities that match key capabilities of UN agencies. To ensure smooth co-operation on this, strong UN inter-agency co-ordination is required.
  
  
• The EC is suggesting amending legal and administrative provisions governing EC/UN financial co-operation. The Commission hopes and expects that this will be met with flexibility from UN negotiators in recognition of the special role and status of the European Community in the work of the UN institutions.
  
  
• The EC is proposing to provide programme funding to selected UN agencies. It is a prerequisite that UN agencies continue efforts to further UN reform and to improve their quality of delivery.

The formulation of a strategic approach to working with the UN in the area of development and humanitarian aid should be seen as a logical follow-up to the Commission's adoption of an overall EC Development Policy, adopted on 26 April 2000 and endorsed by Council on 10 November 2000.

Referring to the situation before April 2000, Commissioner Nielson commented: "The Community has succeeded in setting out a credible mission statement for its development policy on a global scale. We know what we want, and there is policy consistency whether it is in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific countries (ACP) under the Cotonou Agreement, North Africa and the Middle East, Latin America or Asia. We have gone through a reform to set up the EuropeAid Co-operation Office to improve delivery. The time has now come to spell out how we intend to better work with an important partner such as the United Nations."

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