435.Inintroducing thereport, theDirector oftheInterorganizational Co-operation andJointPlanning BranchoftheOfficeforProgramme Planning and co-ordination invited th~Committee, inthiscontext, toreviewbroadly the concept, structure andfuturedevelopment ofcross-organizational programme analysis asatoolforitswork. Indoingso,heidentified fourareasinwhich theCommittee mightwishtoguidethefutureworkoftheSecretariat: (a)therole thatcross-organizational programme analyses shouldplayinassisting the~mmittee inperforming itsfunctionsi (b)thecriteria tobeusedinselecting thesubjects forsuchanalyses, (c)thecriteria tobeusedindefining thescope,orcoverage, ofeachanalysis, and(d)theformofpresentation ofthereports onsuch analyses. Asregards theselection ofthesubject foranalysis in1987,he recalled thattheAdministrative Committee onCo-ordination hadconsidered three subjects: environmenti science andtechnology fordevelopmenti andactivities relating towomen. Forthereasons outlined inthereportbeforetheCommittee, environment hadbeenconsidered themostappropriate. 2.Discussion 436.Itwasgenerally agreedthatcross-organizational programme analyses werean extremely important andusefultoolfortheworkoftheCommittee inpromoting greater efficiency, co--operation andco-ordination intheactivities oftheunited Nations system. Theirbasicfunction hadbeenwelldefined duringprevious sessions oftheCommittee andremained valid. Briefly, theyshouldprovide a critical andanalytical assessment oftheactivities oftheorganizations ofthe UnitedNations systeminrelation totheirmandates, withspecial attention togaps incoverage, overlapping andduplication ofactivities, andproblems of co-ordination. TheCommittee welcomed theopportunity toreviewthecurrent status ofthoseanalyses, sinceitbelieved thattheycouldandshould befurther improved. Previous cross-organizational programme analyses had,forexample, tendedtobetoolong,toodescriptive andinSUfficiently critical andanalytical andtolackobjective insights andadequate conclusions bytheSecretariat • However, itwasimportant tomaintain acleardistinction between cross-organizational programme analyses andevaluations, whichwerelimited tothe UnitedNations andassessed thecontent andeffectiveness ofactivities inselected programme areas. 437.Anumberofcriteria wereconsidered important inselecting SUbjects for cross-organizational programme analysis. Aprimary criterion inthisregardwas thatthesubject should beofhighpriority toMemberStates. Othercriteria included participation intheprogramme areabyalargenumberaforganizations of thesystem, possible linkage withevaluations, strongpotential forfollow-up action, andperceived orpotential problems ofco-ordinatio~. TheCommittee agreed that,infuture,itshouldbeprovided withinformation onseveral SUbjects meeting thosecriteria soastohaveafirmbasisonwhichtomakeitsselection. 438.Itwasnotedthatarecurring problem indesigning cross-organizational programme analyses, particularly incomplex multisectoral andmUltidisciplinary areassuchasenvironment andeconomic andtechnical co-operation amongdeveloping countries, wastheformulation ofagreedoperational criteria todetermine ona case-by-case basiswhichactivities ofthesystemshouldfallwithintheirscope. -91-f;-j -n 'i ,j ~..i..(J I~·j·i,1 '1'IL Itwassuggested thatresolution ofthatproblem couldbe,initself, auseful resultoftheanalysis. /439.TheCommittee recognized thatconsiderable workhadalready beendonein refining andelaborating themethodology andstructure ofcross-organizational progra~~e analyses. Itwasfelt,however, thatgreater efforts should bemadeto tailoreachstudymoreclosely totheparticular circumstances ofthesubject considered. Insomeinstances, forexample, thismightentaillessdescription of activities andinstead aselective focusonacluster ofcrucial problems.. Inthe lightofthecriticism thatprevious analyses hadnotfullydealtwithsuchissues asgaps,overlaps andduplication, andco-ordination problems, somedelegations feltthatfuturereports shouldhavedistinct separate sections forsuchkey elements. TheCommittee agreedthatfutureanalyses shouldbestructured insucha wayastofacilitate itstaskinformulating action-oriented conclusions and