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TCDC - Basic Documents

• Foreword by Denis Benn, Director, Special Unit for TCDC
• Chapter I - Introduction to Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA)and other Major Decisions
• Chapter II - UNGA Resolution 33/134 Endorsing BAPA, December 19,1978
• Chapter III - UNGA Resolutions on New Dimensions of Technical Co-operation
  1. Resolution 3251(XXIX), December 4, 1974
  2. Resolution 3461(XXX), December 11,1975
• Chapter IV - ECOSOC Resolution on TCDC 1992/41, July 30, 1992
• Chapter V - HLC Decision 6/1 on Tenth Anniversary of BAPA, September 29, 1989
• Chapter VI - UNGA Resolutions on Tenth Anniversary of BAPA
  1. Resolution 44/222, December 22, 1989
  2. Resolution 44/223, December 22, 1989
• Chapter VII - HLC Decision 2/9 on Criteria for TCDC Projects, June 7,1981
• Chapter VIII - HLC Decisions on TCDC Focal Points
  1. Decision 1/1, June 2, 1980
• Chapter IX - HLC Decisions on TCDC Programming
  1. Decision 5/8, May 27, 1987
  2. Decision 6/5, September 29, 1989
  3. Decision 7/2, June 6, 1991
• Chapter X - HLC Decision 6/4 on Strengthening of TCDC, September 29, 1989
• Chapter XI - HLC Document on Strategy of TCDC for the 1990s, Document TCDC 8/3, April 5, 1993
• Chapter XII - HLC Decision 8/2 on Framework for TCDC, June 4, 1993
• Chapter XIII - UNGA Resolution 48/172 on Strategy for TCDC, December
• Chapter XIV - List of HLC Decisions 1980 to 1995
• Chapter XV - List of Various Evaluation Reports
  

This publication brings together for the first time under one cover in one volume all the major documents dealing with TCDC within the UN system. It includes resolutions and decisions of the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC, the High-Level Committee (HLC) on the Review of TCDC and the Executive Board of UNDP. It also contains a list of all of the decisions adopted by the HLC at its various sessions as well as a list of the various evaluations carried out over the years in respect of TCDC.

The Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA), which was adopted at the Conference on TCDC held in Buenos Aires from 30 August to 12 September 1978 and which provides the basic conceptual and operational framework for the promotion and implementation of TCDC, is mentioned in this compilation of documents. However, in view of its length and importance, the BAPA resolutions are published as a separate document.

Decisions on TCDC over the years have been many and varied and deal with an issue on which there have been more intergovernmental decisions than perhaps any other area. In the past, it has often proved difficult to keep track of these various decisions. This document is intended, therefore, to serve as a ready reference to the rich variety of decisions that have been adopted on the subject of TCDC over the years.

I have great pleasure in commending this volume to development practitioners and to the serious student of TCDC.

DENIS BENN
Director
Special Unit for TCDC
7 May 1995

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CHAPTER - I

Introduction to Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA) and other major decisions

This is a compilation of important documents on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC).

TCDC as a form of cooperation is not new, but it received added emphasis in the UN development system with the UN GA Resolutions on New Dimensions of Technical Cooperation; first, Resolution 3251(XXIX) on December 4, 1974, followed by the more definitive Resolution 3461(XXX) on December 11, 1975.

The United Nations Conference on TCDC held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from August 30 through September 12, 1978 formally defined the TCDC concept and its operational principles. One hundred and thirty-eight states adopted by consensus a Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries and gave it the name of the city that had been host to the Conference.

The UN General Assembly in its thirty-third session on December 19, 1978, resolved to endorse the Plan and urged all Governments and elements of the UN system to implement its recommendations.

The Plan of Action (BAPA) may well be the most exhaustively and carefully debated document of its kind. Fully five years of detailed, progressively expanding analysis and discussion of the need for and potential of technical co-operation among developing countries - at national and regional levels, in expert groups and intergovernmental meetings, and at the headquarters of the United Nations Development Programme and the other agencies and organizations of the United Nations development system - went into the drafting of the Plan. At the Buenos Aires Conference itself, hundreds of government specialists in development from all over the world, including 45 Cabinet Ministers, 41 Deputy Ministers, and 81 heads of departments of development planning and cooperation, studied and debated every line of the draft with special determination, often working late into the night.

The resultant Plan is a detailed blueprint for major changes in approaches to development assistance and for a dramatically heightened emphasis on national and collective self-reliance among developing countries as foundations for an equitable economic system and greater integration of the world economy.

The Plan is a seminal document which needs reading again and again to identify, in the necessarily compressed language of each Objective and Recommendation, the concrete and urgent development problems which are sought to be overcome. Every national and international institution involved in any degree in development will wish to use it, continuously as a checklist of factors necessary to consider in programme and project design, resource selection, and evaluation. This Plan has been separately published as a self-contained document and is not reproduced in this compilation.

The compilation contained herein begins with the Resolution of the UN General Assembly A/Res/33/134 of December 19, 1978, by which BAPA was endorsed. As background reference GA Resolutions 3251 (XXIX) of December 4, 1974 and 3461 (XXX) of December 11, 1975 on New Dimensions of Technical Cooperation are also included.

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in its forty-first session while reviewing TCDC noted that the modality was still marginally applied in the implementation of programmes and projects. It took a very important decision and called upon all parties in the development effort to give first consideration to the use of TCDC modality. ECOSOC Resolution 1992/41 of July 30, 1992 is reproduced in full.

BAPA, in Recommendation 37 decided to entrust to a high-level meeting of representatives of member states the responsibility of overall intergovernmental review of TCDC within the UN system. This review meeting was held in 1980 and 1981 and thereafter biennially. At the second meeting in 1981 it was named the High-level Committee (HLC) on the review of TCDC. The meeting reviews biennial performance and provides guidelines for future action. Some of the important decisions of the HLC are reproduced here.

On the tenth anniversary of BAPA, a full review of the Plan of Action and its implementation was undertaken by the HLC in its sixth meeting from 18 to 22 September 1989. Decision 6/1 of September 29, 1989 reaffirmed the validity of BAPA. UN General Assembly in its forty fourth session in 1989 endorsed the decisions of HLC in Resolution 44/222 of December 22, 1989. Additionally it adopted a separate Resolution on the tenth anniversary of BAPA, Resolution 44/223 of December 22, 1989. All these three documents have been reproduced in this compilation.

In its second meeting in 1981 the HLC, while considering the policies, rules and procedures of the UNDS, laid down the criteria to judge TCDC project proposals. HLC Decision 2/9 of June 7, 1981 also covered other issues of topical interest. These basic guidelines, to be used in assessing TCDC project proposals, still hold to the present day. This decision is fully reproduced in this compilation.

The first high-level meeting of representatives of all member states in elaborating Recommendation 3 of BAPA called for the establishment of national focal points for TCDC. The very first Decision 1/1 of June 2, 1980 was devoted to the subject of focal points. The fifth meeting of the HLC decision 5/6 of May 27, 1987 related to TCDC focal points in the UN development system. Both these decisions find a place in this compilation.

Intergovernmental TCDC programming exercises began in 1983 when China opened up training opportunities in some of its major institutions to other developing countries with a further offer to provide expert services to countries with matching needs. The subsequent Beijing TCDC Programming Exercise in November 1983, attended by eight other developing countries, resulted in bilateral agreements for 37 activities between the countries in some of which China was not a party. This gathering adopted the idea of designing activities such as training, exchange of know-how, experts and even small equipment by matching capacities with needs and thus building bridges of cooperation between developing countries. The HLC provided guidelines on this exercise in its fifth meeting in May 1987, in its sixth meeting in September 1989 and again in the seventh meeting in 1991. All the three decisions - Decision 5/8 of May 27, 1987, Decision 6/5 of September 29, 1989, and Decision 7/2 of June 6, 1991, are reproduced in this compilation.

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary, the HLC made a number of important recommendations for the strengthening of TCDC. HLC Decision 6/4 of September 29, 1989 focused on prioritisation of sectors and areas for application of TCDC; compilation, dissemination and exchange of information on needs and capacities, specially training opportunities; the work of national TCDC focal points; and the desirability of greater use of national experts, consultants and experiences. This decision is reproduced here.

UNDP prepared a strategy for TCDC in the 1990s and presented it to the HLC in its eighth meeting from May 25 to May 28, 1993. The HLC reviewed the overall framework and in Decision 8/2 dated June 4, 1993, welcomed the strategy and gave further guidance on it. UNGA in its forty-eighth session, while endorsing the HLC decisions, specifically requested implementation of the strategy in Resolution 48/172 dated December 21, 1993. The strategy document, the HLC Decision 8/2 and the UNGA Resolution 48/172 are included in this compilation.

The High-level Committee on the Review of TCDC had its first meeting in 1980 and thereafter it met on seven subsequent occasions, including the last meeting in May-June, 1993. A list of all the decisions taken by the HLC in its eight meetings is reproduced for ready reference.

A number of important studies and evaluations of TCDC in its various aspects have been made since the adoption of BAPA. A list of these reports is also compiled for useful reference.

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CHAPTER - II

UN General assembly resolution endorsing Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA)

Resolution 33/144 dated December 19, 1978

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 3201(S-VI) AND 3202 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974 containing the Declaration and Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, 3281(XXIX) of 12 December 1974 containing the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States and 3362(S-VII) of 16 September 1975 on development and international economic co-operation,

Recalling further its resolution 31/179 of 21 December 1976 and 32/183 of 19 December 1977 on the United Nations Conference on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries as well as resolution 32/182 of 19 December 1977 on technical co-operation among developing countries,

Taking note of the Economic Declaration and the Action Programme for Economic Co-operation adopted by the Fifth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries1 held at Colombo from 16 to 19 August 1976, and of the Declaration and the Action Programme for Economic Co-operation adopted by the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Belgrade from 25 to 30 July 19782,

Taking note also of resolution CMRes/560(XXIX) adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its twenty-ninth ordinary session, held at Libreville from 23 June to 3 July 19773 and endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its fourteenth ordinary session, held at Libreville from 2 to 5 July 1977, and of resolution CM/659(XXXI) adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its thirty-first ordinary session, held at Khartoum from 7 to 18 July 19784, Bearing in mind the recommendations made at the Conference on Economic Co-operation among Developing Countries, held at Mexico City from 13 to 22 September 19765 and the decisions of the First Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity and the League of Arab States, held at Cairo from 7 to 9 March 19766,

Bearing in mind also the Kuwait Declaration on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries of 5 June 19771, Recognizing the role of technical co-operation among developing countries for initiating, designing, organizing and promoting co-operation so that developing countries can create, acquire, adapt, transfer and pool knowledge and experience for their mutual benefit and for achieving national and collective self-reliance,

Declaring that the United Nations Conference on Technical Co-operation Among Developing Countries, held at Buenos Aires from 30 August to 12 September 1978, is a major step in the strengthening of co-operation among developing countries and that the implementation of its decisions would constitute a major contribution in the evolution of international co-operation for development and in the establishment of the new international economic order,

Considering that the agreements reached at the Conference call for urgent action,

1. Expresses its appreciation and thanks to the Government and the people of Argentina for the excellent facilities and generous hospitality provided for the United Nations Conference on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries;
2. Commends the Secretary-General of the Conference on the successful preparation and organization of the Conference2;
3. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of Conference;
4. Endorses the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries3 as an important instrument of the international community to intensify and strengthen co-operation among developing countries, thus making international co-operation for development more effective;
5. Endorses the resolutions adopted by the Conference on assistance to Namibia, national research and training centres of multinational scope, and technical co-operation among developing countries in the spheres of employment and human resources4;
6. Urges all Governments to take intensified and sustained action for the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries and the resolutions adopted by the Conference;
7. Requests the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations development system, including the regional commissions, to take expeditious action, within their respective fields of competence, for the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries and the resolutions adopted by the Conference;
8. Calls upon other subregional, regional and interregional intergovernmental organizations to take all necessary measures, as appropriate, for the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries and the resolutions adopted by the Conference;
9. Requests the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to give the necessary orientation to the activities, programmes and projects of the United Nations Development Programme in order to support the objectives of technical co-operation among developing countries, including the strengthening of the Special Unit for Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries so as to assist the Administrator in carrying out the functions described in recommendation 34 of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Co-operation Among Developing Countries1;
10. Commends the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations development system, including the regional commissions, for their effective contribution to the Conference and to its preparation, through the Interagency Task Force, and recommends the continuation of consultation and co-ordination on technical co-operation among developing countries by appropriate means;
11. Decides to entrust the over-all intergovernmental review of technical co-operation among developing countries within the United Nations system to a high-level meeting of representatives of all States participating in the United Nations Development Programme, to be convened by the Administrator of the Programme in accordance with the provisions of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries, requests him to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session on the organizational and substantive arrangements for the first meeting, to be held in 1980, and also decides that Arabic will be an official language at these meetings.

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CHAPTER - III

NGA Resolutions on new dimensions of Technical Co-operation

Resolution 3251(XXIX) dated December 4, 1974

Resolution 3251(XXIX), as recommended by Second Committee, A/9860, adopted without vote by Assembly on 4 December 1974, meeting 2306.

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 2974(XXVII) of 14 December 1972 and 3177(XXVIII) of 17 December 1973 on co-operation among developing countries,

Recalling further its resolution 3172(XXVIII) of 17 December 1973 on the convening of a special session of the General Assembly devoted to development and international economic co-operation,

Conscious of the role that the United Nations Development Programme should play in the establishment of a new international economic order, in accordance with the pertinent national economic order, in accordance with the pertinent provisions of the Declaration and the Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order adopted by the General Assembly at its sixth special session, and of the contribution which technical co-operation among developing countries could make to the establishment of such a new economic order,

Aware of the need to give international development co-operation a truly universal character and to enhance the over-all efficiency and extend the dimension of the activities of the United Nations development system by making a systematic and comprehensive effort to pool and utilize the capacities, experiences and resources of the developing countries,

Convinced of the need to make the fullest use of the capacity and experience of all Member States, independent of their degree of development, in united action designed to accelerate the integral development of the developing countries, especially the relatively less developed among them,

Convinced further of the importance of ensuring the optimum impact of the multiplier effect of the assistance provided to developing countries, in particular the assistance provided by the United Nations Development Programme,

1. Endorses the final report of the Working Group on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries taking into account the decision of the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme at its eighteenth session, and, accordingly, requests the Administrator of the Programme to take all appropriate measures for its implementation;
2. Endorses the establishment of a special unit within the United Nations Development Programme to promote technical co-operation among developing countries -- principally through the implementation of the recommendations of the Working Group -- which should have the functions set forth in the appendix of the report of the Working Group, and with the objective of integrating this activity of technical co-operation among developing countries fully within the Programme;
3. Invites the participating and executing agencies of the United Nations development system to carry out the measures contained in the recommendations addressed to them in the report of the Working Group and to give their full support to Member States and to the United Nations Development Programme for the implementation, as appropriate, of those recommendations of the Working Group;
4. Requests the Governing Council of the United nations Development Programme to consider at its twentieth session the scope of, and the financial and other necessary measures to convene at an early date, an intergovernmental symposium on technical co-operation among developing countries sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, under the aegis of the United Nations, to be preceded by regional intergovernmental meetings, and to report on the action taken to the General Assembly at its thirtieth session through the Economic and Social Council at its fifty-ninth session;
5. Requests the regional commissions to study and give priority attention to measures designed to implement the recommendations addressed to them in the report of the Working Group;
6. Requests the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to report, through the Governing Council of the Programme and the Economic and Social Council, to the General Assembly at its thirtieth session on the action taken regarding paragraphs 1 and 4 above and on the progress made with regard to the functioning of the special unit mentioned in paragraph 2 above;
7. Requests the participating and executing agencies of the United Nations development system and the regional commissions to report on the action taken, pursuant to the request contained in the present resolution, to the General Assembly at its thirtieth session through the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme and the Economic and Social Council, and to report periodically thereafter through the Governing Council at its January session -- commencing in 1976 -- and the Economic and Social Council;
8. Requests the Secretary-General, together with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, to bring to the attention of Member States the report of the Working Group and to give wide publicity to the report through the Office of Public Information and the Centre for Economic and Social Information of the Secretariat, and to report on the action taken to the General Assembly at its thirtieth session through the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme at its twentieth session and the Economic and Social Council;
9. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a progress report on the measures taken by the United Nations Development Programme, the executing and participating agencies and the regional commissions, pursuant to the request contained in the present resolution, and to submit it to the Preparatory Committee of the special session of the General Assembly devoted to development and international economic co-operation, to be held in 1975, for its consideration;
10. Decides to consider the question of technical co-operation among developing countries at its special session devoted to development and international economic co-operation and to include an item entitled "Technical co-operation among developing countries" in the provisional agenda of its thirtieth session.

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B. Resolution 3461(XXX) dated December 11, 1975

Resolution 3461(XXX), as recommended by Second Committee, A/10468, adopted without vote by Assembly on 11 December 1975, meeting 2436.

The General Assembly,

Bearing in mind its resolutions 3201(S-VI and 3202(S-VI) of 1 May 1974, containing the Declaration and the Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, and resolution 3362(S-VII) of 16 September 1975 on development and international economic co-operation,

Reaffirming its resolution 3251(XXIX) of 4 December 1974 on technical co-operation among developing countries,

Recalling the consensus of 1970 adopted by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme at its tenth session and the decision taken by the Governing Council at its twentieth session concerning new dimensions in technical co-operation,

Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 1963(LIX) of 30 July 1975,

Noting with satisfaction the decisions taken at the eighteenth and twentieth sessions of the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme concerning technical co-operation among developing countries,

Recognizing that technical co-operation among developing countries should be seen as an integral part of over-all co-operation for development as highlighted by the Working Group on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries in its final report,

Conscious that technical co-operation among developing countries constitutes one of the most effective channels for promoting economic co-operation among developing countries, to enable them to achieve collective self-reliance,

Noting with satisfaction the statement made on behalf of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme at the 1666th meeting of the Second Committee in the introduction of the item,

1. Requests the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, in view of the importance of technical co-operation activities among developing countries, to integrate those activities through the work of the Special Unit for Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries into the regular framework of the Programme, including the activities and projects carried out by the organizations of the United Nations development system financed by the Programme, and to give them due priority;
2. Emphasizes the need for the speedy implementation of the recommendations contained in the final report of the Working Group on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries by all Governments, by the United Nations Development Programme and by the participating and executing agencies as the prerequisite for the review of those recommendations envisaged by the Governing Council of the Programme in the light of the experience gained in the process of implementing the final report of the Working Group;
3. Requests the Secretary-General, together with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, to prepare a study on the existing rules, regulations, procedures and practices followed by the United Nations development system in recruiting experts, sub-contracting, procuring equipment and providing fellowships, which would include the consequences for the Programme of giving preferential treatment to the developing countries in the above-mentioned areas, in order to promote self-reliance in the developing countries through the support of technical co-operation among developing countries, in a manner consistent with the maximum effectiveness of the Programme, and to submit that study, together with concrete suggestions and recommendations for their improvement, to the Governing Council of the Programme at its twenty-third session;
4. Requests the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, for the purpose of achieving a practical application of technical co-operation among developing countries, to give special consideration to the recruitment of experts, consultants and subcontractors from developing countries and to purchase suitable and competitive equipment and material that can be supplied by developing countries;
5. Requests the United Nations Development Programme and the participating and executing agencies to intensify their efforts to achieve full utilization of national institutions in developing countries and the building up of new capacities in those countries, in the promotion of technical co-operation among developing countries;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the necessary funds under the regular budget of the United Nations to cover the cost of providing conference servicing facilities for the four intergovernmental regional meetings and for the conference on technical co-operation among developing countries to be organized and conducted by the United Nations Development Programme;
7. Invites the Governments of the developing countries of each region, in view of the preparatory nature of the intergovernmental regional meetings along the lines suggested by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme at the twentieth session of the Governing Council of the Programme and to include the consideration of items on arrangements for inter-regional co-operation and on the interrelationship between technical and economic co-operation among developing countries and financial arrangements for the promotion of technical co-operation among developing countries, envisaged in the final report of the Working Group; Governments of other Member States may also participate in these meetings in order to prepare themselves for the conference;
8. Invites the intergovernmental regional meetings to include in their reports conclusions and recommendations for consideration at the conference;
9. takes note with appreciation of the offer made by the Government of Argentina to act as host of the conference in 1977 and requests the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme to submit recommendations on the organization of the conference, through the Economic and Social Council, to the General Assembly at its thirty-first session;
10. Stresses the need for closer co-ordination of the activities pertaining to technical co-operation among developing countries; to this end, Governments, the specialized agencies, the regional commissions and other organizations of the United Nations system should cooperate fully with the United Nations Development Programme in the promotion of such activities;
11. requests the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to ensure that the Special Unit for Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries in the Programme establishes close collaboration with schemes of co-operation among developing countries that are taking place outside the United Nations system;
12. Decides, in conformity with paragraph 10 of its resolution 3251(XXIX), to include the item entitled "Technical co-operation among developing countries" in the provisional agenda of the regular sessions of the General Assembly.

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CHAPTER - IV

ECOSOC Resolution on TCDC Resolution 1992/41 dated July 30, 1992

Technical cooperation among developing countries

The Economic and Social Council,

Reaffirming the continued validity and importance of all the recommendations of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action90/ in promoting technical cooperation among developing countries,

Reaffirming further the recommendations that the entire United Nations development system must be permeated by the spirit of technical cooperation among developing countries and that all relevant organizations of the United Nations system should play a prominent role as promoters and catalysts of technical cooperation among developing countries91/,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 45/191 of 21 December 1990 and 46/143 of 17 December 1991 on developing human resources for development,

Recognizing that increased cooperation is taking place among developing countries and their institutions through the sharing of expertise, experience and facilities,

Recognizing also that technical cooperation among developing countries is an effective tool for implementing development programmes and projects through the use of relevant experience and expertise and could also facilitate trade among developing countries,

Reiterating that developing countries have a primary responsibility for promoting technical cooperation among themselves, and that developed countries and the United Nations system should assist and support such activities and should play a prominent role as promoters and catalysts of technical cooperation among developing countries, in accordance with the Buenos Aires Plan of Action,

Taking note with appreciation of the recent measures taken by organizations of the United Nations system to identify technical cooperation among developing countries as a priority theme, provide increased support to promotional activities and arrange for monitoring technical cooperation among developing countries through the mechanisms established for project appraisal and approval,

90/ Report of the United Nations Conference on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries, Buenos Aires, 30 August-12 September 1978 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.78.II.A.11 and corrigendum), chap. I.

91/ Ibid., part one, chap. I, para. 45.

Concerned, however, that technical cooperation among developing countries since the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action has not been widespread and is still marginally applied in the implementation of programmes and projects,

1. Calls upon all parties in the development effort to make concerted, planned and vigorous endeavours to benefit from utilization of the capacities of developing countries, by giving their full support and first consideration to the use of the modality of technical cooperation among developing countries;
2. Urges all parties to enhance the scope and application of the modality in work carried out at all stages of the project cycle;
3. Requests all parties to increase support activities aimed at enhancing awareness in government institutions, the private sector and non-governmental organizations of the modality of technical cooperation among developing countries;
4. Calls for increased use, where appropriate, by developed country partners of consultants from developing countries so as, inter alia, to improve the cost-effectiveness of projects and programmes;
5. Urges the United Nations Development Programme and other organizations of the United Nations development system to consider improvements to the working and scope of the Information Referral System (INRES), to improve and expand data and information on existing technical capabilities in developing countries through INRES and to enhance access to such information;
6. Also urges the United Nations Development Programme and other organizations of the United Nations development system to intensify, within existing resources, their efforts to build national capacity for human resources development in developing countries;
7. Invites all countries and organizations of the United Nations development system to review further their policies and practices to facilitate the use of technical cooperation among developing countries in the design, formulation, implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects supported by them;
8. Urges developing countries to encourage greater use of technical cooperation among developing countries in the implementation of national development activities and projects, including procurement practices;
9. Invites developing countries to strengthen their national focal points for technical cooperation among developing countries to enable them to promote more effectively and monitor progress in technical cooperation among developing countries;
10. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1994 on this assessment of the implementation of the present resolution.

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