United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development

A/RES/34/218No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 70United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development, published in 1980.

What other versions does this mandate have?

4 versions · 1977–1980

1980A/RES/34/218United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for DevelopmentLatestCompare with previous version
1978A/RES/32/184United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for DevelopmentCompare with previous version
1978A/RES/32/115United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for DevelopmentCompare with previous version
1977A/RES/31/184United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Coordination Within UN System Programme Evaluation Science and Technology Science and Technology Financing Women

What does this mandate say?

113 operative paragraphs

I

Expresses its appreciation and thanks to the Government and people of Austria for the excellent facilities and g€lnerous hospitality provided for the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development, held at Vienna from 20 to 31 August 1979;

Endorses the Vienna Programme of Action on Science and Technology for Development;2•0 3.

Urges all Governments to take effective action for the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action;

Requests organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations to comply with the recommendations set forth in the Vienna Programme of Action;

Invites all concerned scientific and technical organizations to be guided by the provisions of the Vienna Programme of Action;

Fully supports resolution 2, entitled "Women, science and technology", adopted by the Conference on 31 August 1979;2• 2

II.INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT

I.

Decides to establish an Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development; 2• 3 2.

Endorses the recommendation of the Conference that representation of Member States in the Committee should be at a high level;

Decides that the Committee shall be open to the participation of all States as full members, shall meet once a year and shall submit its reports and recommendations to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council, which may transmit to the Assembly such comments on the report as it may deem necessary, particularly with regard to co-ordination;

Invites all States to participate actively in the Committee and to make an effective contribution to its work;

Decides that the Committee shall assist the General Assembly, inter alia, in the following functions:

Formulating policy guidelines for the harmonization of policies of the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system in regard to scientific and technological activities, on the basis of the Vienna Programme of Action and with a view to contributing to the establishment of a new international economic order;

m A/34/587 and Add.1 and 2.

2' 2 See Report of the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development, Vienna, 20-31 August 1979 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.79.1.21 and corrigenda), chap. VI, sect. A.

Ha At the same time, the General Assembly recommends to the Economic and Social Council that its Committee on Science and Technology for Development should cease to exist.

Promoting the improvement of linkages between

tions system, with a view to ensuring the co-or~inated implementation of the Vienna Programme of Achon;

Identifying priorities for activities within the Vienna Programme of Action with a view to facilitating operational planning at the national, subregional, regional, interregional and international levels;

Preparing an operational plan for carrying out the Vienna Programme of Action;

Monitoring the activities and programmes re- (e)

lated to science and technology within the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system;

Promoting the optimum mobilization of re- (f)

sources in order to enable the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to carry out the activities of the Vienna Programme of Action;

Initiating arrangements for the early identification and assessment of new scientific and technological developments which may adversely affect the development process as well as those which may have specific and potential importance for that process and for strengthening the scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries;

Providing directives and policy-making guidance to the United Nations Financing System for Science and Technology for Development, as described in section VI below;

Decides that the Committee shall, as an exception, hold a one-week additional session early in 1980 to consider, inter alia, organizational matters and other issues of a particularly urgent nature and shall hold its regular session in the second quarter of 1980;

Requests the Committee to establish working procedures and mechanisms necessary for the effective discharge of its responsibilities and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth session through the Economic and Social Council;

Decides that the Committee shall establish procedures and mechanisms which will ensure it adequate and effective provision of scientific and technical expert advice, shall consider in this connexion modifying the terms of reference of the Advisory Committee on the Application of Science and Technology to Development so that the latter will be able to provide, upon the request of the Committee, all necessary assistance and advice, and shall report thereon to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council;

Invites the Economic and Social Council to take the necessary action, in the light of recommendations that may be made by the Committee, regarding the Advisory Committee on the Application of Science and Technology to Development;

Decides to refer those issues on which agreement was not reached at the Conference to the Committee, so that it may decide, at its earliest convenience, what further action, including procedural action, may be required, taking into account the relevant decision of the Conference;

Invites all organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, including the regional commissions, the SiJecialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, in accordance with practices established in the light of the relevant resolutions of the

244 The Committee for Programme and Co-ordination and the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination should assist the Intergovernmental Committee, at its request, in accordance with their terms of reference.

General Assembly and the relationship agree~ents, to participate actively in the work of the Co1DD11ttee a_t a high level, preferably at the level of heads of secretanat;

Invites all appropriate intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and other

concerned organizations to participate in the work of the Committee according to procedures established by the Committee;

III.CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT

Requests the Secretary-General to establish, as a new organizationally distinct entity, a Centre for Science and Technology for Development within the United Nations Secretariat;

Decides that the Centre will be located at United Nations Headquarters and will be headed by an Assistant Secretary-General, who shall be responsible to and report directly to the Director-General for Development and International Economic Co-operation as envisaged in paragraph 64 (b) of the annex to General ~ssembly resolution 32/197 and paragraph 5 (c) of section IV of Assembly resolution 33/202;

Decides also that the Centre shall assist the Director-General in fulfilling the responsibilities assigned to him in the Vienna Programme of Action, particularly in providing the necessary substantive support to the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development and in co-ordinating activities at the secretariat level related to science and technology within the United Nations system;

Decides further that in the performance of those responsibilities the Centre should maintain close cooperation with all the relevant entities of the United Nations;2' 5 5.

Decides to allocate all the necessary resources from the United Nations regular budget to the Centre, drawing to the fullest extent possible on resources already existing within the United Nations, and to abolish the Office for Science and Technology, redeploying immediately most of its posts and budgetary resources to the Centre, and decides further that the Committee should determine at the earliest possible time whether such resources should be strengthened;

Agrees to review the above arrangements, including the level of the head of the Centre, at its thirty-sixth session;

IV.CO-ORDINATION WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM

Decides that the Director-General for Development and International Economic Co-operation shall be responsible for exercising over-all co-ordination in science and technology, at the secretariat level, within the United Nations system;

Requests the organizations of the United Nations system, through, inter alia, the mechanisms of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination·, to offer their full and effective co-operation and assistance to the Director-General in discharging his responsibilities in this field;

245 These are, inter alia, the United Nations Development Programme, the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs and the Department of Technical Co-operation for Development.

- v. Resohdlom adopted o■ die npom of tlle Second Committee

Further decides to entrust to the Director-General the responsibility of co-ordinating the contributions of

tions, as well as of the specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to the work of the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development;

Calls upon all organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to co-operate with the Director-General in the accomplishment of his over-all co-ordination tasks;

Requests all organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to take the necessary steps to implement the recommendations addressed to them in paragraphs 90 to 99 and 104 to 108 of the Vienna Programme of Action;2' 0

V.STUDY OF SYSTEM-WIDE EFFICIENCY

Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a basic study of the activities, mandates and working methods of all the various organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system in the field of science and technology for development and to examine the possibilities of improving the efficiency of the system in that field; a preliminary report on this study should be submitted to the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development at its first substantive session in 1980, and a final study, including proposals, should be submitted to it at its 1981 session; the Committee should make preliminary recommendations to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth session and final proposals to the Assembly at its thirty-sixth session;

VI.GLOBAL FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

Decides to establish a United Nations Financing System for Science and Technology for Development (hereinafter referred to as the Financing System);

A.Objectives

Decides that the Financing System shall finance a broad range of activities intended to strengthen the endogenous scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries, in particular to assist in the implementation of the measures envisaged in the Vienna Programme of Action, those activities to be complementary to bilateral and multilateral programmes for science and technology and supportive of the national efforts of the developing countnes in the field of science and technology, and decides that the Financing System shall be a vehicle for the mobilization, co-ordination, channelling and disbursement of financial resources;

B.Resources of the Financing System

Agrees that, in determining the nature and level of the resources of the Financing System, the following considerations should be taken into account:

Asymmetry of the technological capacity between developed and developing countries;

Need for predictability and continuous flow of financial resources;

Need for substantial resources in addition to those which currently exist within the United Nations system;

Need for untied external resources for the scientific and technological development of the developing countries;

C.

Other financial resources 4.

Decides that the Financing System may enter into arrangements with international, regional and other public and private financial institutions with a view to the generation and channelling of additional resources to the developing countries for scientific and technological activities, including research and development, and the commercialization and acquisition of technology;

Decides also that the resources to be derived from 5. those arrangements should be supplementary to the Financing System's own resources; such resources could be provided by:

International and regional financial institutions;

(b)

Public and private banks of national, regional and international types;

Public and private corporations;

Other public and private financial institutions;

Decides that, in addition, the Financing System may use other resources, such as:

Resources that may accrue from concrete progress on all J?easu:es towards general and complete disarmament, mcludmg the urgent implementation of the already agreed disarmament measures; "' (b)

~esources that may accrue from the proposed mternahonal labour compensatory facility" related to the reverse transfer of technology;2• 0

D.

Allocation of resources for the interim and longterm arrangements of the Financing System 7.

Decides further that the resources available shall be allocated to the various activities identified in the Vienna Programme of Action, including national, subregional, regional and interregional activities; in the context of the decisions on interim arrangements adopted by the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session and th?se o_n long-t~rm arrangements to be adopted at the thu-ty-sixth session, the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development shall establish guidelines for the allocation and distribution of resources for building up the endogenous scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries; those guidelines should be within the framework of the priorities of the developing countries, at the national, subregional, regional and international levels, for implementing in particular different types of projects and programmes of direct relevance to the developing countries,

taking into account, inter alia, the need to take special measures to meet the urgent and specific problems of the least developed, land-locked, island and most seriously affected developing countries and the need to overcome poverty and to accelerate the development of the developing countries as well as other criteria to be adopted by the Committee; additional criteria for the allocation of resources should provide, inter alia, for a part of the resources to be applied to high-risk research and development projects in science and technology at the national, subregional, regional and interregional levels and to provide support for the developing countries in obtaining financial resources from other sources;

"'8.

Decides, in view of the above considerations, as fouows:

246 See E/1978/92, paras. 100-104.

Long-term arrangements of the Financing System to start in January 1982 (a)

The directing and policy-making body of the Financing System shall be the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development, which shall, taking into consideration the results of the study described in subparagraph (b) below, define the guiding principles, general economic provisions, forms of operation and general procedures for the formulation, submission, consideration and approval of programmes and projects, and shall submit to the General Assembly recommendations regarding the appropriate structure for the executive body of the Financing System;

An intergovernmental grol/-p of experts, com- (b)

posed of twenty-seven members, shall be elected, on the basis of equitable geographical distribution and the need for an appropriate range of expertise, by the Committee at its first substantive session in 1980, which will be held at United Nations Headquarters; with the support of the Director-General for Development and International Economic Co-operation, the group of experts shall undertake a prompt and thorough study of all relevant arrangements for the operation of the Financing System; the terms of reference shall be as follows:

The study will make an assessment of the requirements for additional funding for scientific and technological activities in developing countries and of potential sources of funding;

The study will include an inventory of existing multilateral and bilateral programmes for providing financial support for such activities;

iii

The _study will review alternative proposals, includmg all the proposals put to the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development by the Group of Seventyseven2•1 for generating requisite additional funds for scientific and technological development activities on a long-term basis and for the disbursement and control of those funds, as well as those for institutional arrangements, and make recommendations thereon;

(c)_ !he intergovernmental group of experts shall submit its final report to the Committee for its considerati~n so that. the latter may, through the Economic and Social Council, make appropriate recommendations to the General Assembly at its thirty-sixth session;

Interim arrangements of the Financing System (d)

Pending the establishment of the long-term arrangements for the Financing System, a United Nations Interin:i Fund for Science and_ Techi:iology for Development 1s hereby created, which will be sustained by voluntary contributions; the General Assembly agrees that the target for voluntary contributions for the twoyear period 1980-1981 should be no less than $250 million; during the interim period, to the extent that such funds are fully committed and taking fully into account the needs of the developing countries, the $250 million figure will be reviewed by the Committee with the aim of raising additional resources for the Interim Fund;

The Interim Fund, which shall have an identifiable and separate basis, shall be administered by the United Nations Development Programme under the policy ~idelines established in th_e a~nex to the present resolution and also under the gu1delmes established by the Committee when it starts its meetings; the Secretary- General is requested to convene a pledging conference

247 A/CONF.81/L.1, paras. A.22, A.38, A.SO, A.59, B.26 and C.20-C.27.

not later than March 1980; the General Assembly shall provide the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme with the necessary resources for the initial preparatory responsibility until the Interim Fund is in operation;

Decides that the establishment of interim arrangements should not prejudice the ultimate decisions with regard to long-term arrangements;

Decides also that the Interim Fund shall be administered and managed in accordance with the provisions of the annex to the present resolution, and urges that the necessary arrangements be made to ensure that it becomes operational at the earliest possible time;

Urges all Member States, in particular the developed countries, to contribute generously so that the agreed upon target of $250 million for the Interim Fund may be met.

1 I 0th plenary meeting

19 December 1979

ANNEX Initial prospectus for the United Nations Interim Fund for Science and Technology for Development

CONTENTS Section I.

Interim Fund ....................... .

1 II.

Purpose of the Interim Fund .......... .

2 III.

Ge~eral p_ri~~iples ................... .

3 IV.

Basic act1v1hes ..................... .

4 V.

Participation in the Interim Fund ..... .

5 General operational provisions ......... .

VI.

6-10 VII.

Resources of the Interim Fund ......... .

11-17 VIII.

Organization and management ......... .

18-30 IX.

Procedures ......................... .

31-56

I.

The United Nations Interim Fund for Science and Technology for Development (hereinafter referred to as the Interim Fund), established by the General Assembly under resolution 34/218 of 19 December 1979, shall operate as an identifiable and separate fund and as an organ of the Assembly in accordance with the provisions set forth below.

II.

Subject to the provisions of paragraphs 32 to 52 below, the aims and objectives of the Interim Fund and the purposes for which its resources shall be used are to provide technical and capital assistance to Governments and organizations in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 8 below, for activities intended to promote the objectives of and implement the measures recommended in the Vienna Programme of Action on Science and Technology for Development,248 as set out in section I thereof, entitled "Strengthening the scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries", and section II entitled "Restructuring the existing pattern of international scientific and technological relations", as endorsed by the General Assembly and as an integral part of the establishment of the new international economic order, inter alia:

To strengthen the endogenous scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries;

To promote the strengthening of international co-operation in the field of science and technology for development by inter alia:

' (i)

Promoting co-operative arrangements through which developed countries may more effectively support and facilitate the internal efforts of developing countries to

----- 248 See Report of the United Nations Conference on Science and. Techno.logy for. Deyelopment, Vienna, 20-31 August 1979 (United Nations pubhcat1on, Sales No. E.79.I.21 and corrigenda), chap. VII.

achieve development through the establishment and strengthening of their scientific and technological capacities;

Supporting co-operation among developing countries at the subregional, regional and interregional levels;

Pending the coming into operation of the United Nations (c) Financing System for Science and Technology for Development. to support, promote and initiate if appropriate during the interim period the activities necessary to prepare for future efforts to strengthen the scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries.

Ill.

The Interim Fund shall operate in accordance with the following principles:

The provision of assistance shall be in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and within the framework of the priorities of the recipient developing countries:

The assistance furnished by the Interim Fund shall not be a means of foreign economic and political interference in the internal affairs of the country or countries concerned and shall not be accompanied by any conditions of a political nature;

The resources available to the Interim Fund shall be (c) used to support projects and programmes of the developing countries at the national, subregional, regional and interregional levels, taking due account of the need to ensure adequate linkages between institutions at the national. subregional. regional and interregional levels and between the latter and the productive sectors of the country or region concerned, and taking into account, inter a/ia, the need to take special measures to meet the urgent and specific problems of the least developed, landlocked, island and most seriously affected developing countries and the need to overcome poverty and to accelerate the development of the developing countries as well as other criteria to be adopted by the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development;

Due account shall be taken, in the use of the resources of the Interim Fund, of the need for an appropriate balance between activities to meet the urgent needs of the developing countries for assistance in the field of science and technology and activities to lay the basis for a sustained effort, over the next decade. to build up and strengthen the scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries, including cooperative undertaking~ in the field of science and technology for development;

The assistance furnished by the Interim Fund to individual countries shall be provided in response to the requests of the Governments concerned;

For intercountry projects and programmes, the assistance furnished by the Interim Fund shall be provided in response to requirements as defined by the countries concerned, taking due account of paragraph~ 80 and 81 of the Vienna Programme of Action;

Subject to the provisions of subparagraphs (e) and (/)

(g/ above, the activities supported by the Interim Fund shall be coordinated with, and should not duplicate activities of, bilateral and multilateral programmes for science and technology, including those of the entities of the United Nations system;

Assistance from the Interim Fund shall be provided in a flexible manner, and due account shall be taken, in the management of the Interim Fund, of the need to promote innovative approaches and accelerated procedures so as to be fully responsive to the Vienna Programme of Action over the interim period;

The resources of the Interim Fund may be used to provide assistance, capital and technical, to promote international collaboration in the field of science and technology;

The Interim Fund shall actively promote effective investment and other follow-up to its activities, and shall assist the developing countries in obtaining financial resources for scientific and technological activities from other sources;

Measures shall be taken to ensure that the relevant expertise existing in the United Nations system and in the developed and developing countries should be made available in the identification, formulation, appraisal, execution and evaluation of the projects and programmes supported by the Interim Fund.

IV.

Within the limits of the resources prospectively available and of the interim period envisaged, the assistance furnished by the Interim Fund in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 8 below shall support a broad range of activities envisaged in the Vienna Programme of Action to strengthen the scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries and likely to contribute to the restructuring of the existing pattern of international scientific and technological relations, including, inter alia, the creation and/or strengthening of policy-making capacity for scientific and technological matters; the review of, and international exchange of experience and information on, issues related to science and technology for development; the establishment of appropriate legal, administrative, fiscal and institutional machinery and the services required to carry out the process of scientific and technological development; the establishment and strengthening of national capacities for the assessment, selection, acquisition and adaptation of foreign technology and expertise; the monitoring of future scientific and technological activities to assess their impact, including negative impact, on the developing countries; the preparation of action programmes to strengthen the scientific and technological capacities of developing countries both individually and on a co-operative basis; the establishment and improvement of national, subregional, regional and global information centres, networks and systems to meet, particularly, the needs of developing countries; the establishment of global and interregional projects in science and technology for development; the education and training of the human resources required at all levels to generate and implement scientific and technological development policies, plans, programmes and projects; the promotion of basic and applied research; application and pilot testing and the diffusion of innovative technology; the promotion, through the application of science and technology, of the use of natural resources for national, subregional and regional development; the facilitation of the transfer of technology from developed to developing countries; the promotion of activities related to the socio-cultural implications of science and technology for development; the undertaking of a limited number of high-risk, highpotential, research and development projects; the undertaking of international co-operation projects in research, development and application, and in training in relation to problems of particular importance to developing countries in the field of science and technology.

V.

Participation in the Interim Fund shall be open to all States.

VJ.

A.

Forms of co-operation 6.

In pursuance of its objectives, the Interim Fund may provide assistance, as appropriate, to projects or programmes in fields such as those mentioned in paragraph 4 above, at the country and intercountry level, through, inter alia, one or a combination of several of the following:

Services of experts and consultants, including operational personnel;

Provision of equipment or supplies;

Scholarships and fellowships or other arrangements under which candidates from developing countries may study or receive training within other developing countries or in developed countries;

Assistance for research, development and the testing of products and processes and for pilot production;'

Support for basic and applied research, including support for the creation, adaptation or application of technology in developing countries;

(!) Support for the strengthening of existing and the creation of new research institutes;

Support for activities conducive to the acquisition of (g) scientific potential and of operative technology and know-how;

Survey pilot projects, technical tests, experiments and research;

Support for the dissemination of the results of research (i) and development and pilot projects both within and among developing countries; General Assembly-Thirty-fourth Seaton Support to improve both the access of the developing (j) countries to scientific and technical information and their ability to use it in the process of development;

Mobilization of additional resources of all kinds to sup- (k) port or follow up the activities of developing countries in the field of science and technology for development;

Such other and further assistance as may, in the opinion of the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development, be considered consistent with the objectives of the Interim Fund, taking into account the form of assistance requested by Governments.

The assistance referred to in paragraph 6 above to be furnished by the Interim Fund from its resources shall be on a grant basis. In the light of experience of the operations of the Interim Fund, the Committee shall provide policy guidelines on whether any capital assistance extended by the Fund shall be on a loan or a refundable basis.

B.

Eligibility 8.

Assistance from the Interim Fund may be furnished:

To the Governments of all States or groups of States;

To organizations eligible for assistance from the United Nations Development Programme, in accordance with the objectives of the Vienna Programme of Action;

To other organizations which may be deemed by the Committee to be eligible for assistance in accordance with the objectives of the Vienna Programme of Action;

At the request of a Government or Governments of such States:

To an entity having public or private juridical personality within the territory of such States, including, inter alia, existing or new research institutes which are engaged in basic or applied scientific and technological research for development;

To regional or subregional governmental organizations

having juridical personalities.

C.

General responsibilities of recipients 9.

The recipient Governments, organizations and institutions referred to in paragraph 8 above should ensure that the assistance furnished by the Interim Fund is used in an effective manner and in accordance with the purposes for which it is approved.

Recipient Governments, organizations and institutions shall maintain the records required by the Interim Fund in connexion with the administration of its assistance.

VII.

The resources of the Interim Fund shall consist of voluntary contributions from Governments. The Interim Fund shall also be empowered to receive contributions from international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, and from other private sources. No limitation may be imposed by such donors on the use of donations in a specific recipient country, by a specific agency or for a specific project. Furthermore, while contributions may be accepted on an annual basis, it is desirable, in view of the two years' duration of the Interim Fund, that contributions should be pledged or indicated for two years. Contributions in kind may _be accepted by the Interim Fund where the Administrator considers it appropriate to accept them.

Contributions pledged to the Interim Fund shall be payable as early as possible; every effort should be made to pay within six months following the pledge.

Cash contributions shall be made in convertible currencies or in currency readily usable by the Interim Fund.

To ensure that the multilateral character of the Interim Fund shall be strictly respected, no contributing country shall receive special treatment with respect to its contribution nor shall negotiations for the use of its currency take place between contributing and receiving countries.

Taking into account the financial situation of the country concerned, recipient Governments shall normally be expected to finance a considerable part of the local currency cost of projects.

V.

Trust funds may be established for specific purposes consistent with the policies, aims and activities of the Interim Fund.

Assistance provided by the Interim Fund will be intended, inter alia, to broaden the financial means available to strengthen the scientific and technological capacities of the developing countries. For this purpose, the Interim Fund may enter into joint financing arrangements with multilateral, bilateral, public or private sources to support projects approved by it.

VIII.

The organization and management of the Interim Fund are designed to ensure maximum efficiency in the use of its resources.

A.

Intergovernmental arrangements 19.

The policy guidelines for the Interim Fund were established by the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session; guidelines will also be established by the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development when it starts its meetings. The Committee will review, as a separate item of its agenda, the policies and progress of the Interim Fund and will provide the necessary directives and guidance. In this connexion, the Administrator, in consultation with the Director-General for Development and International Economic Co-operation, shall, during the interim period, submit to the Committee annual reports on the implementation of those policies. He shall also report annually to the Committee on the progress of the operations of the Interim Fund.

The Administrator shall sul:,mit, during the interim period, annual reports to the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme on the operations and management of the Interim Fund.

The Committee shall, in turn, review the reports referred to above on the progress and performance of the Interim Fund and shall make its report to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council.

B.

Administrator 22.

The Interim Fund shall be administered by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, who shall exercise his functions under the policy guidance of the General Assembly and the Committee and under the operational management of the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme. The Administrator shall have over-all responsibility and be accountable for all phases and aspects of the operations of the Interim Fund. He shall establish clear lines of responsibility for the direction of the Interim Fund. The Administrator shall appoint the staff for the Interim Fund, on the delegation of authority by the Secretary- General and in accordance with the Staff Regulations of the United Nations adopted by the Assembly. The selection of the staff and consultants shall be made in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. The Administrator shall have authority on behalf of the Interim Fund to enter into contracts and agreements with Governments, organizations and persons.

C.

Staff and other administrative matters 23.

The General Assembly shall provide the Administrator with the necessary resources for the initial preparatory responsibility until the Interim Fund is in operation.

The administrative expenses of the lntt!rim Fund, once it becomes operational, will be met from its own resources.

The Interim Fund will operate with the minimum staff required to perform the functions assigned to it by the General Assembly. Its staff shall be assembled as expeditiously as possible and commensurate with its resources and volume of operations for the interim period.

In the operations of the Interim Fund, the Administrator will use, to the extent feasible, the capacities, including human resources, available within the United Nations Development Programme and in other entities of the United Nations system.

D.

Co-operation with organizations of the United Nations system The Interim Fund shall establish and maintain close and continuous working relationships with the organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the Centre for Science and Technology for Development, the specialized agencies and other United Nations entities concerned, including the regional commissions, in order to give full expression to the Vienna Programme of Action.

The Administrator shall take measures to ensure the involvement, as appropriate, of the specialized agencies and United Nations entities concerned in the identification, formulation, appraisal, execution and evaluation of projects.

E.

Use of consultants 29.

The Administrator should use the expertise available in the United Nations system, in so far as that would minimize consultancy expenses. The Administrator may also obtain the services of expert consultants and consulting organizations to advise him on the activities of the Interim Fund, the cost to be charged to the Fund. It should be ensured to the maximum extent practicable that those services would be obtained from the developing countries.

Subject to the provisions of subsection D above, the Administrator, within the limits of the resources available from the Programme Reserve described in paragraph 52 below, may finance, upon the request of Governments, the provision of expert advice and support for the examination and preparation of projects at the formulation stage. Such resources should be recouped by the Programme Reserve as part of the costs of the project or projects which may result from that preparation.

IX.

A.

Formulation of requests 31.

The Administrator shall prescribe the form, content and procedures for requests for assistance from the Interim Fund.

Requests shall include all relevant information on the intended use of and benefits expected to be derived from the assistance of the Interim Fund together with statements of the part of the costs which the Governments themselves would be ready to bear.

In the formulation and appraisal of projects, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme will provide co-ordination at the field level, until such time as the United Nations resident co-ordinator has been appointed,

taking into account the provisions of paragraph 28 above.

B.

Methodology for the formulation and implementation of projects 34.

The formulation and implementation of projects at the country level should be done with the full participation of the authorities of the country concerned and in accordance with the relevant recommendation of the Vienna Programme of Action.

The formulation and implementation of projects at the intercountry level should be guided by the principles set forth in paragraphs 80 and 81 of the Vienna Programme of Action.

C.

Appraisal and approval of requests 36.

In considering requests for assistance, pending the guidelines and/or principles to be established by the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development, the Administrator shall be guided by the general principles set out in section III above.

The Administrator shall submit for approval to the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme projects to be supported by the Interim Fund resources in the amount of $2 million or above on the basis of policy guidelines established by the Committee. Until such time as the Committee adopts additional policy guidelines, the Administrator should follow the policy guidelines set forth in General Assembly resolution 34/218 and the annex thereto.

The Administrator shall submit to the Committee at its first regular session proposals on methods for the approval of projects to be adopted by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme.

Subject to the prov1S1ons of paragraph 8 above, the Administrator shall be authorized to approve projects to be supported by the Interim Fund below the amount of $2 million and shall report in each case to the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme.

The Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme shall take final decisions on the projects and programmes recommended by the Administrator in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 37 above, in the light of the guidelines established by the General Assembly and the Committee and of the directives which will be established by the Committee, and shall authorize the Administrator to conclude the appropriate agreements.

D.

Execution of projects 41.

Projects shall be executed through the channels and arrangements already established for the execution of projects by the United Nations system. Special attention shall be paid to the need to make maximum use of government executing arrangements and national expertise.

The Administrator shall apply the existing basic agreements between the United Nations Development Programme and the participating and executing agencies, in those cases where they have been so designated, as the basis for carrying out projects and programmes, subject to whatever modifications may be mutually agreed upon in the light of the special characteristics of the Interim Fund.

Bearing in mind the provisions of paragraph 28 above and, when necessary, in order to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the assistance furnished by the Interim Fund or to increase its capacity, and with due regard to the cost factor, increased use may appropriately be made of suitable services obtained from governmental and non-governmental institutions and firms, in agreement with the recipient Government concerned and in accordance with the applicable financial rules and regulations. Maximum use should be made of national institutions and firms within the recipient countries.

With the approval of the Government or Governments

concerned in each case, non-governmental institutions and organizations within the recipient countries may execute projects supported by the Interim Fund.

Arrangements for the execution of projects shall be subject to the approval of the requesting Government or Governments and shall be specified in the project document. Such arrangements shall contain provisions regarding costs which the requesting Government will assume and those facilities and services which it will provide.

Emphasis shall be placed, in the execution of projects, on technical co-operation among developing countries.

The Administrator shall make appropriate arrangements to monitor and evaluate the progress and results of projects and programmes supported by the resources of the Interim Fund and shall report to the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme and to the Committee on their status.

E.

Relations between Governments and the Interim Fund 48.

Each Government shall designate to the Administrator an appropriate channel for its relations with the Interim Fund. The Interim Fund shall use only the official channel designated by each Government for the submission of requests.

In regard to the operations of the Interim Fund, the existing basic agreements between Governments and the United Nations Development Programme shall apply, subject to such modifications as may be called for having regard to the special characteristics of the Interim Fund and subject to the concurrence of the Governments concerned. In particular, the privileges and immunities accorded to the staff of the Interim Fund shall be identical to those accorded to the staff of the United Nations Development Programme.

F.

Financial arrangements 50.

The financial rules and regulations governing the Interim Fund shall be those of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Development Programme. Any amendments which may be necessary to take account of the special requirements of the Interim Fund's operation shall be drafted by the Administrator and submitted for consideration to the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme, which shall report accordingly to the Committee and the General Assembly.

The Administrator will take such steps as are necessary to ensure separate accounting and financial management of the operations of the Interim Fund, while using the existing services of the United Nations Development Programme to the maximum possible extent.

The Interim Fund shall be authorized to establish a Programme Reserve by earmarking 2 per cent of the total annual contributions. Such a Programme Reserve shall be used by the Administrator at his discretion for purposes consistent with the Vienna Programme of Action and with the guidelines established by the General Assembly and the Committee, to ensure the flexibility and innovative capacity of the Interim Fund and its ability to provide catalytic support. The Administrator shall ensure the utilization of such a reserve fund and shall report to the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme and to the Committee on his decisions and on the results achieved.

The Administrator shall not at any time enter into commitments which shall exceed the usable resources of the Interim Fund. Nor shall he incur any liabilities on behalf of the Interim Fund which shall result in a charge against the general resources of the United Nations Development Programme.

G.

Period of the Interim Fund 54.

In accordance with the decisions adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 34/218 and the outcome of the Pledging Conference, the Administrator shall determine the date at which the Interim Fund becomes operational and shall report accordingly to the Committee.

Time being of the essence, given the limited period of the Interim Fund, the Administrator submitted to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session for approval proposals for staffing and other administrative resources required both for the preparatory period and for the full period to the end of 1981.2<9 56.

Taking into account the interim nature of the Fund, the General Assembly shall decide at its thirty-sixth session, on the recommendation of the Committee, on the arrangements to be made for an effective transition between the operations of the Interim Fund and the long-term arrangements for the United Nations Financing System for Science and Technology for Development to be determined by the Assembly.

249 See A/34/587 I Add.2.

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