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Beirut, 14 November 2003
(United Nations Information Service)--The
United Nations Economic and Social Commission fro Western Asia
(ESCWA) will be hosting the Eighth United Nations Regional
Coordination Group Meeting from 19 to 20 November 2003 at the
United Nations, Riad Solh Square, Beirut.
The Meeting, which will be opened by ESCWA Executive Secretary
Mervat Tallawy at 10:00 am on Wednesday 19 November, is intended
to coordinate the work of the United Nations agencies in the
region in order to avoid duplication and repetition of their
activities.
The Meeting will focus on the implementation of the Millennium
Development Goals and their position as a strategic entry point
for cooperation at the regional level; the role of the United
Nations in peace building and recovery, as well as on
strengthening the mechanisms of coordination and support among the
members of the group based on the recommendations of the United
Nations Secretary-General.
Invited to the Meeting are representatives of the regional and
field offices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP),
the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO), the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations
Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP), the World
Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the World
Food Program (WFP), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA),
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
the Office of the Personal Representative of the Secretary General
for Southern Lebanon (OPRSG), the World Bank (WB), the United
Nations Office for Drug Control (ODC), and the United Nations
Information Center (UNIC).
It is worth noting that upon the initiative of ESCWA, pursuant to
calls by the United Nations Secretary-General and Member States
for closer coordination of United Nations activities, the Regional
Interagency Coordination Group (RICG), comprised of United Nations
regional offices, was established in 1995 to facilitate
coordination among United Nations regional organizations.
During its first meeting, chaired by United Nations Deputy
Secretary-General Louise Frechette, in March 1999 at the United
Nations House in Beirut, the members of the RICG agreed on
re-designating the Group as the United Nations Regional
Coordination Group (RCG). The Group's six other meetings were also
held in Beirut during the period 1999-2002.
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