informal-1.doc - Economic Commission for Europe 6 June 2001...

Economic Commission for Europe
6 June 2001
English only
COMMITTEE FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY AND ENTERPRISE
DEVELOPMENT
Fifth session (13-15 June 2001)
Agenda item 11
DIALOGUE AND PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT
THE UN/ECE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ALLIANCE
Note by the secretariat
The following is an INFORMAL paper presenting proposals and recommendations for the implementation of
the UN/ECE Public-Private Partnership Alliance. The proposal to establish the Alliance was made by the
UN/ECE Forum on Public-Private Partnership for Infrastructure Development: The Next Steps” (4-5
December 2000). These proposals were subsequently approved by the Working Party on International Legal
and Commercial Practice (WP. 5). A meeting of the UN/ECE BOT Group met in London in 21 February
2001 to discuss the establishment of the PPP Alliance where further suggestions and comments were made.
These further suggestions are included in the document below.
I. Introduction
A key component of the United Nations’ programme for sustainable development is public-private
partnerships. In January 1999, UN Secretary General, Mr. Koffi Annan announced at Davos the
establishment of the Global Compact . The goal of the Compact is to enlist the support of enterprises in
creating a more humanitarian and ethical basis for globalisation. The following year the United Nations
Millennium Summit issued a declaration calling for the development of partnerships between the private and
the public sector to address critical challenges of poverty and social deprivation. It called on links to be made
with NGOs and the private sector in particular. In the UN “ Financing for development” process leading up
the high level global event planned for Mexico in 2002, several regional preparatory meetings recognised the
importance of PPPs to achieve development financing goals. In the light of this interest, the key challenge is
to transform these mandates into concrete activities that are of benefit to governments, private sector and to
achieve real development goals.
Reflecting this interest in PPPs as tools for development and the critical role of the private sector, the
UN/ECE Forum on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development: The next Steps”
(4-5 December 2000), agreed to establish an Alliance of public and private sectors for infrastructure
development. This Alliance fundamentally would improve the environment for PPPs in the region with
special focus initially on southeast Europe and the Investment Compact of the Stability Pact with the
following benefits accruing:
TRADE/2001/INFORMAL/1
GE.01-

 Accelerated delivery of projects;
 Raised awareness of governments about the potential of the PPP approach;
 Saving of resources through the involvement and pooling of all groups’ efforts in achieving clearly
defined goals
 Direct involvement of the private sector in delivery of advice and support with the benefit to the
private sector of access to officials of interested governments
