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describe some of the problems they have had in the past and advise on how they think matters could be better arranged in the future. The media too might be consulted by ODA press office. The press usually despatch representatives to crisis areas and they may well be better informed than government officials who rarely have first-hand experience of crises. collective memory of the Mission in Geneva and some copy recipients will also, I am sure, be of considerable value.
5.
Despite these constraints, some solutions have been proposed, including the following:
(
The
a) The Secretary-General has commissioned an examination (by Mr George Davidson) of the UN system's role in the last decade in other than natural disasters. Davidson expects to report by the end of March and has said privately that he hopes his factual study will point to one conclusion that there is no role for a 'super coordinating body'. He believes we should take advantage
of emerging ideas that resident Coordinators representing the UN system be appointed in developing countries.
He
b) Sir Robert Jackson (Coordinator, SE Asia) wants proposals ensuring maximum efficiency in the use of resources to include the establishment of a very small office directly responsible to the Secretary-General, with general overall supervision of all disaster relief operations (including directing UNDRO on his behalf). also believes it essential that there be centralised control of policy and funds, but maximum possible decentralisation of operational responsibility, and further argues that since the UN system cannot reform itself, donor governments should decide what UN machinery they want and make continuing financial support conditional on the necessary changes.
c)
A UNICEF discussion paper (considered by the ACC early in November (ACC 1980/34) is concerned with strengthening the capacity of the UN system for responding to emergencies. It asks ACC to produce a paper on mandates, leading to identification of gaps and overlaps, and suggests wider discussion on more appropriate ways to deal with emergencies, how best to profit from past experience, and how to augment the system's capacity as efficiently as possible without detriment to longer term development objectives.
d) The JIU report on UNDRO suggests that the ACC should create an inter-agency emergency committee, the Chairman to be appointed by the ACC and normally the Coordinator of UNDRO, to report through ACC to the Governing Council
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/of UNDP
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