Yearbook of the United Nations, 2009. Part 3, Economic and social questions. Chapter 1, Development policy and international economic cooperation

Abstract

In 2009, with the world economy mired in the worst financial and economic crisis since the Second World War, most advanced economies were already in recession, and the outlook for emerging and other developing economies was deteriorating rapidly, including those with a recent history of strong economic performance. Key issues in development policy and international economic cooperation for the United Nations included the global recession, including its relation to the food crisis; policy responses, including reform of the international monetary and financial system; and climate change mitigation and development, along with human mobility. The General Assembly reaffirmed the need for the United Nations to play a fundamental role in promoting international cooperation for development, and to continue working towards a new international economic order based on the principles of equity, sovereign equality, interdependence, common interest, cooperation and solidarity among States. Sustainable development remained a major focus of UN system work in the context of international economic relations. The Commission on Sustainable Development reviewed progress in the follow-up to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and implementation of Agenda 21, the action plan on sustainable development adopted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Jointly with Namibia, the Commission organized a high-level meeting (Windhoek, Namibia, 9–10 February) whose resultant Ministerial Declaration called for an integrated response by African countries and the international community in support of sustainable agriculture and rural development approaches, and stressed the importance of food security and strengthening the agriculture sector in Africa. The Commission's high-level segment (13–15 May) addressed the thematic cluster for its 2009–2009 implementation cycle: agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa. The Economic and Social Council, at its high-level segment (6–9 July), held a special event on Africa and the least developed countries, along with a high-level policy dialogue with the international financial and trade institutions on current developments in the world economy. The Council also reviewed implementation of its 2009 Ministerial Declaration on implementing the internationally agreed sustainable development goals and commitments. With regard to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Secretary-General provided an update to the General Assembly on actions taken by Governments, UN system organizations and major groups in advancing the implementation of sustainable development goals and targets, including through partnerships. In December, the General Assembly decided to organize, in 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and accepted the offer of Brazil to host the event. The eradication of poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remained a major focus of UN system attention. The General Assembly reviewed progress made in the implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2009–2017), and decided that the high-level plenary meeting of its sixty-fifth (2010) session would focus on accelerating progress towards the achievement of all the MDGs by 2015. At its twelfth session (Geneva, 25–29 May), the Commission on Science and Technology for Development considered regional and international progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society. In a March report to the Economic and Social Council, the Secretary-General presented responses provided by 20 international and regional organizations on trends, achievements and obstacles to implementation of those outcomes. To strengthen cyber security, the General Assembly in December endorsed a voluntary self-assessment tool for national efforts to protect critical information infrastructures. As for development policy and public administration, the Committee for Development Policy (CPD), at its eleventh session (New York, 9–13 March) addressed international cooperation on global public health, particularly the importance of tackling inequalities; the global financial turmoil and its impact on developing countries; and climate change and development. The Committee of Experts on Public Administration, at its eighth session (New York, 30 March–3 April), considered as its main theme the human factor in capacity-building for development, along with a review of the United Nations Programme in Public Administration and Finance and mainstreaming of health issues and human-capacity building in public administration. Finally, the UN system continued to address the development problems of groups of countries in special situation. CPD conducted its triennial review of the list of the least developed countries (LDCs), and found two countries—Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe— eligible for inclusion in the list of LDCs; however, both declined to join the category. The number of countries officially designated as LDCs remained at 49. The General Assembly in December decided to convene the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Turkey in the first half of 2011. The Assembly also decided on the structure of the high-level review, planned for 2010, of progress made in addressing the vulnerabilities of small island developing States. In addition, the Assembly reviewed progress in the implementation of the 1994 Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the related 2005 Mauritius Strategy, as well as of the 2003 Almaty Programme of Action for assisting landlocked developing countries.