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UNITED NATIONS
U.N.
OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL COORDINATOR IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
(American Taxpayer Dollars
at work)
UNSCO is the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories, established in June 1994 by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The mandate of the Special Coordinator is to provide guidance and facilitate coordination among UN
programmes; represent the United Nations at donor coordination meetings, and assist the Palestinian Authority and donors in coordinating international assistance; maintain contact with non-governmental organizations operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and support the implementation of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles. The current Special Coordinator is Terje Rod Larsen, who is also the personal representative of the UN Secretary-General to the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.
UNSCO AT A GLANCE
United Nations & Palestinan (I.e.
Judea, Samaria & Galilee)
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What is UNSCO?
UNSCO is the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories. It was established in June 1994. The current Special Coordinator is Mr. Terje Larsen.
What is UNSCO's mandate?
The mandate of the Special Coordinator is to:
o Provide overall guidance to and facilitate coordination among United Nations programmes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
o Represent the United Nations at donor coordination meetings and assist the Palestinian Authority and donors in coordinating international donor assistance.
o Maintain contact with the many NGOs operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
o Support the implementation of the Declaration of Principles at the request of the parties.
How is UNSCO structured?
The substantive work of UNSCO is carried out by the following units:
o The United Nations Coordination Unit
o The Donor Coordination Unit
o The Economic and Social Monitoring Unit
o The Legal Unit
o The Media and NGO Liaison Unit
o The Police Unit
INTRODUCTION
On 13 September 1993, the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements
at the White House in Washington, DC. The Declaration of Principles, widely known as the Oslo Accords after the Norwegian capital where the main negotiations had taken place, established a five-year timetable during which Israeli-Palestinian negotiations were to be completed. The Declaration of Principles also provided the framework for these negotiations, identifying the principles on which future negotiations would be based and detailing the issues to be discussed between the two sides during the five-year transitional period.
Recognizing that social and economic advancement for the Palestinian people would be a necessary condition for the continued success of the peace process, the Secretary-General formed a High Level Task Force on the Socio-Economic Development of the Gaza Strip and Jericho which identified how the United Nations could expand its programmes of assistance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Task Force, which completed its work on 23 September 1993, highlighted the need to
implement projects (spend
money) that would quickly make a visible improvement in the daily lives of Palestinians and stressed the importance of continuing to support on-going programmes which contribute to Palestinian socio-economic well-being. At the time, United Nations activities, particularly through the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), accounted for approximately one-half of public sector spending in the Gaza Strip and one-third in the West Bank.
On 1 October 1993, over 40 donor countries and institutions, including the United Nations, gathered
at the Washington, DC, Conference to Support Middle East Peace. The Conference, hosted by the United States, affirmed the urgent need for improving living conditions and making rapid progress towards sustainable socio-economic development in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Donors pledged approximately $2.4 billion, which would be disbursed over the five years of the transitional period.
It was decided in 1993 to enhance the presence and involvement of the United Nations system during the transition process and to strengthen United Nations intra-agency cooperation. As a means to give greater momentum to this enhancement, UNSCO was established in 1994 to serve as the focal point for all United Nations economic, social and other assistance to the Palestinian people.
THE SPECIAL COORDINATOR'S MANDATE
The Special Coordinator serves as the focal point for all United Nations economic, social and other assistance in the Occupied Territories as well as for relations with international donors and the World Bank. He represents the United Nations in the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee and related bodies, established to follow up the Conference to Support Middle East Peace held in Washington on 1 October 1993.
In addition to these coordinating functions, the Special Coordinator supports the implementation of the Declaration of Principles, as requested by the parties. Any responsibilities in the Occupied Territories which may be entrusted to the United Nations and which fall outside the sectoral briefs of the United Nations agencies and programmes are the direct responsibility of the Special Coordinator. The Special Coordinator is also mandated to lead the United Nations delegations to the multilateral working groups of the Middle East peace process.
UNITED NATIONS COORDINATION
The Special Coordinator provides overall guidance to United Nations programmes and agencies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, both those with representation in the field and those based abroad. The Special Coordinator facilitates coordination within the United Nations family to ensure that the Organization's overall approach to socio-economic development is integrated and unified, and is consistent with the priorities identified by the Palestinian Authority.
Prior to the signing of the Declaration of Principles, there were three United Nations organizations present in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: UNICEF, UNDP and UNRWA. A number of additional agencies and programmes assisted Palestinians through collaborative efforts with these three organizations.
Since 1993, the number of United Nations organizations providing assistance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has increased to 29; 13 of these have offices in the area. The United Nations is involved in a wide variety of activities which are intended to benefit the Palestinian people. These include constructing health centers and training health personnel; supporting primary and preparatory schools and vocational and teacher training centres; implementing emergency job creation schemes; assisting women's cooperatives; rehabilitating drinking wells; building roads, water and sewerage systems; providing loans to small businesses; training public sector officials and policemen; and strengthening human rights and the rule of law. For the Palestinian Development Plan 1999-2001, the United Nations is associated with projects valued at more than a quarter of a billion US dollars.
The Special Coordinator has established a system-wide mechanism for the coordination of United Nations assistance to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In December 1994, the Special Coordinator convened the first inter-agency meeting to take place in the Gaza Strip which was attended by representatives of some 24 United Nations agencies and programmes. Inter-agency meetings are held annually to ensure that all UN agencies active in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are able to contribute their ideas and strategies while at the same time enhancing complementarity and avoiding overlap. The fifth inter-agency meeting was held in October 1998, at which the discussion focussed on the United Nations and the Palestinian Development Plan.
The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator facilitates inter-agency coordination locally as well as system-wide. United Nations agencies and programmes with offices on the ground meet approximately once a month. These local UN coordination meetings provide an opportunity for United Nations agencies and programmes to exchange information on experiences in the field and coordinate their activities so as to maximize their impact.
DONOR COORDINATION
The Special Coordinator represents the United Nations at the main donor-coordination body, the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), formed after the October 1993 Conference to Support Middle East Peace. The AHLC, which meets several times per year, is the principal mechanism for coordination at the level of donor and regional capitals, the Palestinian Authority, the Government of Israel and the United Nations and the World Bank, and discusses policy-related matters. Norway is Chair and the World Bank is Secretariat to the AHLC.
At the suggestion of the United Nations Special Coordinator in November 1994, the AHLC decided to set up a coordination structure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well. This step was taken in recognition of the urgency of expediting programmes of assistance on the ground in response to deteriorating living conditions among the Palestinian people. The Local Aid Coordination Committee (LACC) first met in December 1994. By mid-1996, some 30 donor countries with representation in the area were attending the monthly meetings of the LACC. The United Nations Special Coordinator is one of three co-chairs, along with representatives of Norway
and the World Bank. The meetings mainly focus on current political and socio-economic developments affecting the donor-funded programmes of assistance.
Also upon the recommendation of the Special Coordinator, the LACC established technical sub-committees, called Sector Working Groups, covering agriculture, education, employment generation, environment, health, infrastructure, institution building, police, private sector, and public finance. In February 1999, the Sector Working Groups were clustered into the four main sectors of the Palestinian Development Plan: infrastructure, institution building, productive sector and social sector.
The role of the Sector Working Groups is to contribute to the process of setting Palestinian-identified
priorities. These priorities, in turn, are used by donors in their funding decisions and by the principal implementing agencies, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, in the development of their proposed activities. Each Sector Working Group is composed of a lead donor (called the 'Shepherd'), a Palestinian Authority representative (as Gavel Holder), and a secretariat. The United Nations functions as secretariat (alone or jointly with the World Bank) for most of the sector working groups. All donors interested in a particular sector are members of the Sector Working Group. NGOs and others are invited to participate on an ad hoc basis. UNSCO has also recruited specialists to assist in coordination of support to the police and to the justice sector.
As part of their joint-secretariat function for the Local Aid Coordination Committee and the Sector Working Groups, UNSCO and the World Bank compiled reports in 1995 and 1996 detailing, on a project by project basis, donor assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Entitled Partners in Peace, the reports provide an overview of donor coordination mechanisms and a status report on donor funding. Since 1996, this task has been taken over by the Palestinian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
On an annual basis, the Palestinian Authority, the World Bank and the United Nations submit specific projects to donors for funding. These requests for funding are presented at World Bank-led meetings of the 'Consultative Group for the West Bank and Gaza Strip'. These meetings are attended by all donor governments and institutions providing assistance to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people. The Special Coordinator represents the United Nations at Consultative Group meetings.
Since the 1 October 1993 Conference to Support Middle East Peace, additional pledges have been made to support socio-economic development for the Palestinian people. The total amount of assistance committed, as of September 1998, was about US$ 3.6 billion, of which approximately US$ 2.5 billion has been disbursed.
NGO UNIT
The United Nations Special Coordinator also remains in close contact with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In 1997, UNSCO published two separate NGO directories. The first directory gives basic information in Arabic and English on Palestinian and international NGOs operating in the Gaza Strip. The second directory, also in both languages, provides information on 170 NGOs based in donor countries which support development activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 1998, UNSCO published an updated and revised version of the Directory of Non-Governmental Organizations in the Gaza Strip. For 1999, UNSCO's NGO Unit will be publishing a directory providing information on Palestinian and international NGOs in the West Bank.
The Special Coordinator has also begun to develop other areas of cooperation with NGOs. In 1996, UNSCO began to facilitate NGO workshops and conferences and participate in network meetings. UNSCO will continue to provide information on NGOs to UN agencies, donors and others and will help to create more transparency regarding NGO development efforts.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL MONITORING UNIT
Established in mid-1996, the Economic and Social Monitoring Unit provides information and analysis on socio-economic conditions and trends in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Working in close cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and Palestinian research organizations, the Unit produces semi-annual reports focussing on developments in the Palestinian macro economy, labour market, household living levels, as well as other social indicators. The Unit also produced special reports on the Palestinian private sector and on the Israeli closure policy and its effects on the Palestinian economy.
LEGAL UNIT
UNSCO's work in the legal sector is based upon a growing realization on the part of the partners in the development process that strengthening of the rule of law is essential for enhanced donor confidence, secure private investment, and the promotion and protection of human rights, all vital objectives to which the Palestinian Authority has stated its firm commitment. To these ends, UNSCO's Legal Unit enables the Office to devote increased attention to this crucial area of the development effort. UNSCO's Legal Adviser, a rule of law and legal development specialist, works with the Palestinian Authority, UN agencies, donor governments, NGOs and other partners to facilitate, within the rule of law domain, coordinated project formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, to the benefit of a more efficient, complementary, and effective overall programme for rule of law development.
POLICE UNIT
Since 1995, UNSCO has been assisting the Palestinian Police Force and the donors in the establishment of a professional police academy. The UNSCO Police Adviser also assists in coordinating training and equipment.
SUPPORTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
At the request of the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel, the Special Coordinator assists the parties in the implementation of the 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent agreements.
For example, in September 1993, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat asked the Secretary-General for United Nations assistance in the establishment and training of the Palestinian Police Force. Since then, the United Nations has undertaken to coordinate international assistance in training the police force. Between September 1994 and July 1996, UNSCO and UNRWA worked together to provide a financial bridging mechanism for donor funds contributed towards the salary and other running costs of the Palestinian Police Force.
Finally, the Special Coordinator offers his good offices whenever the parties consider that his assistance might be useful in helping advance the peace process. This occurred, for example, at various points during the 1995 negotiations on the Interim Agreement; in the period following the suicide bombings in Israel in early 1996 and the subsequent imposition of closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and in helping establish the framework that led to the 4 September 1996 meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and PLO Chairman and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.
UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES ACTIVE IN THE WEST BANK & GAZA STRIP
CICP Centre for International Crime Prevention
DESA Department for Economic and Social Affairs
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
ILO International Labour Organization
IMO International Maritime Organization
ITC International Trade Centre
ITU International Telecommunications Union
OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNCHS United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDCP United Nations Drug Control Programme
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women
UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research
UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNSCO United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories
UNV United Nations Volunteers
UPU Universal Postal Union
WFP World Food Programme
WHO World Health Organization
February 1999
Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories
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