14. Mr. MONAYAIR (Kuwait) stressed that ECWA played an essential role in western Asia. His delegation supported the appropriation recommended by the Advisory Committee in view of the number of vacant posts in ECWA, but wished to make it clear that once the vacancy problem was solved the Commission would need more resources. He hoped that ECWA would step up its recruitment missions, particularly in the Gulf area. 15. Mr. MARRON (Spain) said that his delegation could support the appropriations requested for the various programmes under section 14. He noted however that the· percentage increase for inflation as shown in table 14.1 of the proposed programme budget was extremely high and he would like to know what factors had been taken into account at arriving in that figure. 16. Mr. MURRAY (United Kingdom) said that the rate of real increase in .the ECWA budget, in common with that of the other regional commissions, was rather high at 3.8 per cent. The regional economic commissions no doubt did extremely useful work but precisely because the funds allocated to them were so large, it was vital to ensure that they made the best possible use of them. His delegation had therefore noted with satisfaction in paragraph 14.1 of the proposed programme budget that once ECWA had moved into its permanent headquarters it would be able to concentrate on carrying out its operational programme. He pointed out that the policy of decentralizing the activities of the United Nations system and the expansion of the work of the regional commissions, should result in a consequential reduction in the appropriations for Headquarters units. 17. He shared the anxiety expressed by other delegations regarding the estimates of inflation and noted that a very high inflation rate of 36 per cent had been used 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the budget and appropriations for the Economic Commission for Western Asia (ECWA), with delegates from various countries expressing concerns and opinions on the allocation of funds. The discussion revolves around the need for more resources, the high rate of inflation, and the importance of making the best use of the allocated funds. This suggests that the category should be related to economics, international relations, or development.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade