European Commission-UN Administrative Cooperation: Senior Actors Meet in New York to Share Best Practices

Vice-President Siim Kallas, European Union Commissioner in charge of Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-fraud, and Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, will meet today to discuss the ongoing administrative cooperation between the UN Secretariat and the European Commission. Their annual meeting on these topics precedes an all-day seminar on March 27, 2007 between principal UN Secretariat and European Commission actors in the management field, covering a range of administrative issues.

Entitled "Reinforcing EU-UN Active Partnership Through Administrative Cooperation", the seminar will feature interactive workshops covering human and financial resources management; ethics; oversight, internal control and planning; risk management and security; as well as sessions on implementing reform in both organizations and EU-UN cooperation. The formal contact points for the development of long-term relations between the two institutions, Mr. Claude Chene, European Commission Director General for Personnel and Administration, Ms. Alicia Bárcena, UN Under Secretary-General for Management, will take part in the proceedings.

After the signing of a joint communiqué on administrative cooperation in May 2006, there have been a number of follow-up activities between the Commission and the UN Secretariat, including the formal seminar, the most extensive meeting to date. Vice President Kallas and DSG Migiro will also be representing the Commission and UN, respectively, at a celebratory concert marking the 50th anniversary of the European Union, which will be held in the General Assembly Hall on Wednesday, March 28, 2007.

Founded in the mid-20th century, both multilateral organizations now face similar challenges, such as recruiting and managing a diverse multinational staff, and of planning, controlling and auditing programs in an organizational structure with complex governance systems. This exchange process seeks to share best practice and experience gained by each organization across a broad range of activities linked to administration and accountability in the areas mentioned above. The intention is to leverage each institution's best practices to enable them to adapt to evolving challenges based on lessons learned and experiences shared.

Contact: Christopher Matthews
212-401-0134
917-459-0570 (cell)

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