United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Map showing United Nations Economic Commission for Europe members`
Abbreviation	ECE
Formation	1947
Type	Primary Organ - Regional Branch
Legal status	Active
Head	Executive Secretary of ECE Christian Friis Bach (2014 - present)[1]
Parent organization	ECOSOC
Website	ECE Website

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE or ECE) was established in 1947^[2][3] to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. It is one of five regional commissions under the administrative direction of United Nations headquarters. It has 56 member states, and reports to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Besides countries in Europe, it also includes Canada, the Central Asian republics, Israel and the United States of America. The UNECE secretariat headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland, and has an approximate budget of US$50 million.^[4]

Member states

The 56 member countries are listed below.

Member countries

Countries	Date of membership
Albania	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Andorra	000000001993-07-28-000028 July 1993
Armenia	000000001993-07-30-000030 July 1993
Austria	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Azerbaijan	000000001993-07-30-000030 July 1993
Belarus	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Belgium	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Bosnia and Herzegovina	000000001992-05-22-000022 May 1992
Bulgaria	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Canada	000000001973-08-09-00009 August 1973
Croatia	000000001992-05-22-000022 May 1992
Cyprus	000000001960-09-20-000020 September 1960
Czech Republic	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Denmark	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Estonia	000000001991-09-17-000017 September 1991
Finland	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Macedonia	000000001993-04-08-00008 April 1993
France	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Georgia	000000001993-07-30-000030 July 1993
Germany	000000001973-09-18-000018 September 1973
Greece	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Hungary	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Iceland	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Ireland	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Israel	000000001991-07-26-000026 July 1991
Italy	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Kazakhstan	000000001994-01-31-000031 January 1994
Kyrgyzstan	000000001993-07-30-000030 July 1993
Latvia	000000001991-09-17-000017 September 1991
Liechtenstein	000000001990-09-18-000018 September 1990
Lithuania	000000001991-09-17-000017 September 1991
Luxembourg	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Malta	000000001964-12-01-00001 December 1964
Moldova	000000001992-03-02-00002 March 1992
Monaco	000000001993-05-27-000027 May 1993
Montenegro	000000002006-06-28-000028 June 2006
Netherlands	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Norway	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Poland	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Portugal	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Romania	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Russia	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
San Marino	000000001993-07-30-000030 July 1993
Serbia	000000002000-11-01-00001 November 2000
Slovakia	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Slovenia	000000001992-05-22-000022 May 1992
Spain	000000001955-12-14-000014 December 1955
Sweden	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Switzerland	000000001972-03-24-000024 March 1972
Tajikistan	000000001994-12-12-000012 December 1994
Turkey	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Turkmenistan	000000001993-07-30-000030 July 1993
Ukraine	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
United Kingdom	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
United States	000000001947-03-28-000028 March 1947
Uzbekistan	000000001993-07-30-000030 July 1993

Note: 18 of the UNECE's 56 member countries are recipients of official development assistance.^[5]

Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration

This Committee promotes a policy, financial and regulatory environment conducive to economic growth, innovative development and higher competitiveness in the UNECE region, focusing mainly on countries with economies in transition. Its main areas of work are innovation and competitiveness policies, intellectual property, financing innovative development, entrepreneurship and enterprise development, and public-private partnerships.

Committee on Environmental Policy

UNECE’s concern with problems of the environment dates back at least to 1971, when the group of Senior Advisors to the UNECE governments on environmental issues was created which led to the establishment of the Committee on Environmental Policy, which now meets annually. The Committee provides collective policy direction in the area of environment and sustainable development, prepares ministerial meetings, develops international environmental law and supports international initiatives in the region. CEP works to support countries to enhance their environmental governance and transboundary cooperation as well as strengthen implementation of the UNECE regional environmental commitments and advance sustainable development in the region.

Its main aim is to assess countries' efforts to reduce their overall pollution burden and manage their natural resources, to integrate environmental and socioeconomic policies, to strengthen cooperation with the international community, to harmonize environmental conditions and policies throughout the region and to stimulate greater involvement of the public and environmental discussions and decision-making.

CEP is the overall governing body of UNECE environmental activities. The Committee's work is based on several strategic pillars:^[6]

• Providing the secretariat to the "Environment for Europe" process and participating in the regional promotion of Agenda 21;
• Developing and carrying-out of UNECE Environmental Performance Reviews in the UNECE countries non-members of OECD;^[7]
• Overseeing UNECE activities on environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting;
• Increasing the overall effectiveness of UNECE multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and facilitating the exchange of experience on MEAs' implementation. See UNECE Espoo Convention, Aarhus Convention, Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes and Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents.
• Participating and/or facilitating the exchange of experience in a number of cross-sectoral activities undertaken under the leadership of UNECE (e.g. education for sustainable development, transport, health and environment, green building), or in partnership with other organizations (e.g. environment and security initiative, European environment and health process).

Committee on Housing and Land Management

In 1947, UNECE set up a Panel on Housing Problems, which later evolved into the Committee on Human Settlements and after the reform in 2005/2006 into the Committee on Housing and Land Management. The Committee is an intergovernmental body of all UNECE member States. It provides a forum for the compilation, dissemination and exchange of information and experience on housing, urban development, and land administration policies; & in areas such as Birmingham, a more fiscal issue-UK.^[8]

Inland Transport Committee

The UNECE Transport Division has been providing secretariat services to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). In addition to acting as secretariat to the World Forum, the Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations section serves as the secretariat of the Administrative Committee for the coordination of work, and of the Administrative/Executives Committees of the three Agreements on vehicles administered by the World Forum.^[9]

Conference of European Statisticians

The UNECE Statistical Division provides the secretariat for the Conference and its expert groups, and implements the statistical work programme of the UNECE. The Conference brings together chief statisticians from national and international statistical organisations around the world, meaning that the word "European" in its name is no longer an accurate description of its geographical coverage. The Statistical Division helps member countries to strengthen their statistical systems, and coordinates international statistical activities in the UNECE region and beyond through the Conference and its Bureau, and the Database of International Statistical Activities. The Statistical Division develops guidelines and training materials on statistical methodology and practices, in response to demands from member countries. It works with different groups of specialists from national and international statistical organizations, and organizes meetings and on-line forums for statistical experts to exchange experiences on a wide range of topics. The UNECE Statistical Division also provides technical assistance to South-East European, East European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries.

The division also provides:

1) Free on-line data on the 56 UNECE member countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America in both English and Russian, on economic, gender, forestry and transport statistics.

2) A biennial overview of key statistics for member countries: UNECE Countries in Figures.

3) A set of wikis to support collaboration activities and disseminate information about good practices.

UNECE conducted the Fertility and Family Survey in the 1990s in 23 member states, with over 150,000 participants, with hundreds of resulting scientific publications.^[10] This activity has hence continued in the form of the Generations and Gender Programme.^[11]

Executive Secretaries

• 1947–1957 – Gunnar Myrdal
• 1957–1960 – Sakari Tuomioja
• 1960–1967 – Vladimir Velebit
• 1968–1982 – Janez Stanovnik
• 1983–1986 – Klaus Sahlgren
• 1987–1993 – Gerald Hinteregger
• 1993–2000 – Yves Berthelot
• 2000–2001 – Danuta Hübner
• 2002–2005 – Brigita Schmögnerová^[12]
• 2005–2008 – Marek Belka^[13]
• 2008–2012 – Ján Kubiš^[14]
• 2012–2014 – Sven Alkalaj^[15]
• 2014 – Michael Møller (acting)^[16]
• 2014–present – Christian Friis Bach^[17]

Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

From 1982 to 2007 the IOS Press published the Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on behalf of the UNECE.^[18][19]

See also

• Europe
• European Union
• Council of Europe
• OSCE
• OECD
• Official statistics
• United Nations System
• United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (overlaping membership)
• United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (overlaping membership)
• UN/CEFACT - Trade facilitaion via standardised business communication.
• UN/LOCODE - location codes, maintained by UNECE
• International E-road network, numbered by UNECE
• World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations
• North American Union
• Green card system - motor insurance scheme of UNECE
• IUT

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

• UNECE Statistical Database
• UNECE Weekly
• UN Economic Commission for Europe
• EU and UNECE cooperation.
• UNECE vehicle regulations