UNIDO to Host April 2010 UN Chief Executive Board Meeting

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 UNVIE VIENNA 000054 DEPT FOR IO/T, EB/IFT/ODF AND L/PIL EMBASSIES FOR ECON/POL SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KUNR ETRD EIND EAID UNIDO UNDP UNEP AORC KGHG SUBJECT: UNIDO to Host April 2010 UN Chief Executive Board Meeting ¶1. Summary. Secretary General Ban ki Moon (UNSYG) has chosen UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to host the upcoming UN Chief Executives Board (CEB) meeting, scheduled for April 9-10, ¶2010. While the agenda is still being formulated, it is likely discussion will focus on Copenhagen Climate Change Summit outcomes, the future of the UN family with regard to climate change issues, and the UN's role in ensuring future multilateral cooperation initiatives. How the UN should best address the devastation in Haiti will also likely be discussed. UNIDO officials are understandably proud of hosting the CEB, stating that despite UNIDO's small stature, it has gained an international reputation as an innovative and well-run organization. UNVIE will continue to keep Washington updated as the CEB agenda is finalized and preparations intensify here in Vienna. End summary. -------------- CEB: UNIDO's Turn -------------- ¶2. In a meeting with Agerico Lacanlale, Director of UNIDO's Strategic Planning and Coordination Group on February 10, Lacanlale told poloff that the two-day CEB meeting (held by the UN twice a year) usually alternates between New York in the fall and Europe in the spring. For the first time, UNIDO has been chosen to host the CEB; Lancanlale emphasized that this demonstrates the UNSYG's recognition of the innovative work UNIDO is doing on economic, energy, and climate change issues, as well as the growing confidence the UNSYG has in UNIDO as a well-managed and transparent UN organization. Lacanlale noted that the UNSYG, his deputies and undersecretaries, as well as the heads of all UN programs and specialized agencies, along with the chiefs of the World Bank, IMF and WTO, will likely attend the April CEB. -------------- Agenda Proposals -------------- ¶3. UNIDO DG Yumkella has proposed an agenda that focuses largely on the outcomes of the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, held December 7-18, 2009. Lacanlale reported a feeling shared among many of his UN colleagues throughout the system and in UNIDO as well that the UN's reputation was tarnished by the manner in which the summit was managed and the outcomes it produced. As a result, Yumkella would like to focus the CEB summit on "unpacking" Copenhagen and discussing the proper role of the UN family in future climate change initiatives. More broadly, the proposed agenda would highlight global governance issues and how to improve the UN's consultative role in promoting multilateral cooperation. Lacanlale expressed the concern that the UN risks being increasingly marginalized on climate change and even other global issues, and needs to improve its image after Copenhagen. (Note. In a separate conversation Morgan Bazilian (Amcit) told poloff that Copenhagen's failure was equally a result of weak and undirected Danish leadership. End Note.) -------------- CEB and Haiti -------------- ¶4. Lacanlale also reported that the CEB will likely discuss Haiti and the UN's role in future assistance there. A comprehensive needs-assessment is currently underway, Lacanlale noted, and would soon be presented to the Government of Haiti and potential donors. For its part, UNIDO is refraining from trying to "have a seat at every UN meeting about Haiti" and instead is finding where it can most effectively fit in. Lacanlale stated that UNIDO's comparative advantage in Haiti does not lay in immediate assistance or even medium- term recovery efforts. Instead, UNIDO can help build long-term solutions to energy, poverty and trade capacity. In this regard, Lacanlale argued, UNIDO will seek to be part of the One UN solution to Haiti, but is not going to push to be involved in every stage of the process. ¶5. Comment. UNIDO is continuing its internal management reform process and will certainly highlight its own accomplishments at the April CEB. UNVIE will continue to monitor development of the CEB agenda and format. Meanwhile, UNVIE is gathering further information on UNIDO's three thematic pillars -- energy and the environment, poverty reduction, and building trade capacity -- in UNVIE VIEN 00000054 002 OF 002 order to better analyze the current state of play in the organization. END COMMENT DAVIES