UNECE Agenda item 2 : Matters arising since the fifteenth session Presented by the UNECE secretariat for information

UNECE Sixty-fourth session of UNECE March 2011  Five Year Review will take place in (following UNECE reform in 2005)  UN/CEFACT Review will be within the frame of the review by the Committee on Trade of its three Subsidiary Bodies (UN/CEFACT, WP.6 Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization and WP.7 Agricultural Standards)  Focus will be on transparency, delivery, coherence and programme of work based on member States priorities and needs,

UNECE Committee on Trade session June 2011  Report by FMG Chair on developments since last CT session (February 2009), implementation of EXCOM recommendations, planned activities  Secretariat report on capacity-building

UNECE Committee on Trade session June 2011 …  Relevant CT decisions: endorsed 2009 and 2010 UN/CEFACT Plenary reports, work programme noted EXCOM’s extension of Permanent Groups’ mandates and its Recommendations concerning UN/CEFACT, reports to EXCOM on the implementation of Recommendations

UNECE Committee on Trade session June 2011 …  Relevant CT decisions: took note of revision of UN/CEFACT's structure, mandate, terms of reference and procedures (document ECE/TRADE/C/2009/15/Rev.2), agreed to consider it intersessionally after receiving the assessment of advantages and disadvantages of proposed restructuring referred to in para. 29 of 2010 Plenary Report (ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2010/25) requested secretariat to respond directly to enquiries from member States to the greatest extent possible

UNECE EXCOM Meeting December 2010  It noted with satisfaction the progress made to date (in implementing the EXCOM Recommendations regarding UN/CEFACT) and looked forward to further work being undertaken to complete the tasks.  It recognized the positive work in capacity building and encouraging the participation of transition economies in the work of UN/CEFACT and requested that this be continued and strengthened.

UNECE EXCOM Meeting December 2010  It also acknowledged the greater cooperation between UN/CEFACT and the secretariat.  One delegation underlined the need to ensure that the work of UN/CEFACT corresponds to priorities of member States  and another delegation stressed the importance of ensuring that the ongoing restructuring of UN/CEFACT be in line with the aims and tasks as set out by the recommendations of EXCOM for UN/CEFACT.

UNECE EXCOM Meeting December 2010  The EXCOM requested UN/CEFACT and the secretariat to report back on the outcome of the UN/CEFACT Plenary to take place in July 2011 with respect to the restructuring of UN/CEFACT and on further actions to implement the EXCOM recommendations.  Next EXCOM meeting: September 2011

UNECE Capacity-building/enhancing involvement of countries in transition  This will be delivered under Item 7 – Other Business