63-703: The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( ECE or UNECE ) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council . It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and integration among its member states . The commission is composed of 56 member states, most of which are based in Europe, as well as a few outside of Europe. Its transcontinental Eurasian or non-European member states include: Armenia , Azerbaijan , Canada , Cyprus , Georgia , Israel , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan ,
126-474: A UN Global Registry. The UN GTRs contain globally harmonized performance requirements and test procedures. Each UN GTR contains extensive notes on its development. The text includes a record of the technical rationale, the research sources used, cost and benefit considerations, and references to data consulted. The Contracting Parties use their nationally established rulemaking processes when transposing UN GTRs into their national legislation. As of October 2024,
189-483: A legal framework wherein participating countries (contracting parties) agree on a common set of technical prescriptions and protocols for type approval of vehicles and components. These were formerly called "UNECE Regulations" or, less formally, "ECE Regulations" in reference to the Economic Commission for Europe. However, since many non-European countries are now contracting parties to the 1958 Agreement,
252-683: A new regulation, regulation 0 was introduced. Regulation 0, is the "International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA)" while allow to define international compliance to a set of regulations. European union also applies other UNECE regulations for cars produced in unlimited series: R34 — against fire, R28 — Audible warning, R21, R12, R26, R123 — Adaptive front-lighting, R121 — Location and identification of hand controls, tell-tales and indicators, R122 — Heating, R25 — Head restraints, R55 — combinations of vehicles, R67, R97, R110. European union also applies its own (non-UNECE) regulations such as European Community regulations. The most notable non-signatory to
315-518: A quality platform for high-level engagement among member states and with international financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society on global trends, policies, and action. It resolved to hold biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forums at the national-leadership level, transforming the high-level segment of the Council to review trends in international development cooperation and promote greater coherence in development activities. At
378-494: A specific expertise: The core of the Forum's work is based around the "1958 Agreement", formally titled "Agreement concerning the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or be used on wheeled vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of these prescriptions" (E/ECE/TRANS/505/Rev.2, amended on 16 October 1995). This forms
441-567: A state admission to UNESCO , but now this is done by the members of UNESCO themselves. The following is a list of the specialized agencies reporting to the Council: In a report issued in early July 2011, the UN called for spending nearly US$ 2 trillion on green technologies to prevent what it termed "a major planetary catastrophe", warning that "It is rapidly expanding energy use, mainly driven by fossil fuels , that explains why humanity
504-460: A wide range of topics. The UNECE Statistical Division also provides technical assistance to South-East European, East European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries. The division also provides: UNECE conducted the Fertility and Family Survey in the 1990s in 23 member States, with over 150,000 participants, with hundreds of resulting scientific publications. This activity has hence continued in
567-544: Is a symbolic reminder that the economic and social work of the United Nations is never finished; there will always be something more that can be done to improve living conditions for the world's people. World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party ( WP.29 ) of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) of
630-511: Is no longer possible to import a vehicle into the United States as a personal import, with four exceptions, none of which permits Americans to buy recent vehicles not officially available in the United States. Even prominent billionaire Bill Gates and his Porsche 959 have proven unable. Rather than a UN-style system of type approvals, the US and Canadian auto safety regulations operate on
693-459: Is not an option". The governance of the multilateral system has historically been complex and fragmented. This has limited the capacity of ECOSOC to influence international policies in trade, finance, and investment. Reform proposals aim to enhance the relevance and contribution of the council. A major reform was approved by the 2005 World Summit based on proposals submitted by secretary-general Kofi Annan . The Summit aimed to establish ECOSOC as
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#1732797626707756-401: Is obliged to honor that type approval and regard that vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment as legal for import, sale and use. Items type-approved according to a UN Regulation are marked with an E and a Distinguishing Number, within a circle. This number indicates which country approved the item, and other surrounding letters and digits indicate the precise version of the regulation met and
819-486: Is on the verge of breaching planetary sustainability boundaries through global warming , biodiversity loss , and disturbance of the nitrogen-cycle balance and other measures of the sustainability of the earth 's ecosystem ". UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon added: "Rather than viewing growth and sustainability as competing goals on a collision course, we must see them as complementary and mutually supportive imperatives". The report concluded that "Business as usual
882-524: Is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations , responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized agencies , the eight functional commissions, and the five regional commissions under its jurisdiction. ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and
945-808: The Russian Federation , Tajikistan , Turkey , Turkmenistan , the United States of America and Uzbekistan . The commission was first proposed in London in the summer of 1946 by the Temporary Subcommission on the Reconstruction of Devastated Areas. The commission was established by the Economic and Social Council on 28 March 1947 in order to "Initiate and participate in measures for facilitating concerted action for
1008-659: The United Nations Charter was originally signed, the Economic and Social Council consisted of 18 seats. The formal concept of the United Nations Regional Groups did not yet exist, and unlike the Security Council , there was no "gentlemen's agreement" between the superpowers to assign ECOSOC seats. Regardless, with 4 exceptions out of 102 elections ( see list ), a relatively stable pattern emerged and held until 1960: As
1071-576: The United Nations Conference Building was a gift from Sweden . It was conceived by Swedish architect Sven Markelius , one of the 11 architects in the international team that designed the UN headquarters. Wood from Swedish pine trees was used in the delegates' area for the railings and doors. The pipes and ducts in the ceiling above the public gallery were deliberately left exposed; the architect believed that anything useful could be left uncovered. The "unfinished" ceiling
1134-561: The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Its responsibility is to manage the multilateral Agreements signed in 1958, 1997 and 1998 concerning the technical prescriptions for the construction, approval of wheeled vehicles as well as their Periodic Technical Inspection and, to operate within the framework of these three Agreements to develop and amend UN Regulations, UN Global Technical Regulations and UN Rules, kind of vehicle regulation . WP.29
1197-407: The United Nations Regional Groups to ensure equal representation. His Excellency Bob Rae was elected the eightieth President of the Economic and Social Council for the 2025 Session on 25 July 2024. Paula Narváez , Representative of Chile, was elected as the seventy-ninth president of the Council on 27 July 2023. She succeeded Lachezara Stoeva , who was elected as the seventy-eighth president of
1260-711: The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Additionally, the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), which reviews the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , is convened under the auspices of the Council every July. The members of ECOSOC are responsible for electing the executive board of UNICEF , the council of the United Nations Development Programme ,
1323-574: The 1958 Agreement are referenced by a Distinguishing Number, historically corresponding to the chronological order in which the countries became such member parties. As of 2022 , the participants of the Agreement, with their Distinguishing Number, were: Most countries, even if not formally participating in the 1958 agreement, recognise the UN Regulations and either mirror the UN Regulations' content in their own national requirements, or permit
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#17327976267071386-464: The 1958 Agreement is the United States , which has its own Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and does not recognise UN type approvals. However, both the United States and Canada are parties to the 1998 Agreement. UN-specification vehicles and components which do not also comply with the US regulations therefore cannot be imported to the US without extensive modifications. Canada has its own Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards , broadly similar to
1449-421: The 1958 Agreement to fully participate to its activities. The 1998 Agreement is born to produce meta regulations called Global Technical Regulations without administrative procedures for type approval and so, without the principle of mutual recognition of Type Approvals. The 1998 Agreement stipulates that Contracting Parties will establish, by consensus vote, United Nations Global Technical Regulations (UN GTRs) in
1512-765: The 1998 Agreement has 40 Contracting Parties and 24 UN GTRs that have been established into the UN Global Registry. Manufacturers and suppliers cannot use directly the UN GTRs as these are intended to serve the Countries and require transposition in national or regional law. As part of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, the issues of divergent standards in automobile regulatory structure are being investigated. TTIP negotiators are seeking to identify ways to narrow
1575-616: The Charter was amended again to increase the size of ECOSOC to 54 seats. The seat distribution became: Participation on a continuing basis: Participation on an ad hoc basis: The following are the active functional commission of the Council: The following commissions were disbanded by the Council and replaced by other bodies: The following are the active regional commissions of the Council: The following are some of
1638-520: The Council on 25 July 2022, succeeding Collen Vixen Kelapile of Botswana. The Council consists of 54 Member States, which are elected yearly by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. Seats on the Council are allocated ensuring equitable geographic rotation among the United Nations regional groups. Outgoing members are eligible for immediate re-election, and some seats are held by de facto permanent members. In 1945 when
1701-550: The Establishing of Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be fitted and/or be used on Wheeled Vehicles", or 1998 Agreement, is a subsequent agreement. Following its mission to harmonize vehicle regulations, the UNECE solved the main issues (Administrative Provisions for Type approval opposed to self-certification and mutual recognition of Type Approvals) preventing non-signatory Countries to
1764-764: The High-Level Panel Report on System-Wide Coherence in November 2006 aimed to establish a forum within the ECOSOC as a counter-model to the exclusive clubs of the G8 and G20 . The Forum was to comprise 27 heads of state (L27, corresponding to half of ECOSOC's membership) to meet annually and provide international leadership in the development area. This proposal however, was not approved by the General Assembly. The Economic and Social Council Chamber in
1827-487: The League of Nations and were integrated by its successor, while others were created by the United Nations itself to meet emerging needs. Each agency must negotiate with the Council as to what their relationship will look and work like. This leads to a system where different organizations maintain different types of relationships with the Council. For example, in the 1950s the members of ECOSOC were responsible for granting
1890-606: The Palais des Nations, an event allowing mayors from the UNECE region to exchange their best practices on urban development, housing and land management. UNECE is the first UN Regional Economic Commission to implement such an initiative that facilitates the cooperation between the UN, Member States and cities. The UNECE Transport Division has been providing secretariat services to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). In addition to acting as secretariat to
1953-558: The Summit it was also decided to hold annual ministerial-level substantive reviews to assess progress in achieving internationally agreed on development goals (particularly the Millennium Development Goals ). These "Annual Ministerial Reviews" will be replaced by the High-Level Political Forum from 2016 onwards after the new post-MDG/post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals are agreed upon. Subsequent proposals by
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2016-592: The UNECE region and beyond through the Conference and its Bureau, and the Database of International Statistical Activities. The Statistical Division develops guidelines and training materials on statistical methodology and practices, in response to demands from member countries. It works with different groups of specialists from national and international statistical organizations, and organizes meetings and online forums for statistical experts to exchange experiences on
2079-799: The US FMVSS, but Canada does also accept UN-compliant headlamps and bumpers. The impending Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union could see Canada recognise more UN Regulations as acceptable alternatives to the Canadian regulations. Canada currently applies 14 of the 17 ECE main standards as allowable alternatives - the exceptions at this point relate to motorcycle controls and displays, motorcycle mirrors, and electronic stability control for passenger cars. These three remaining groups will be allowed in Canada by
2142-586: The United Nations System. It has 54 members. In addition to a rotating membership of 54 UN member states, over 1,600 nongovernmental organizations have consultative status with the Council to participate in the work of the United Nations. ECOSOC holds one four-week session each year in July, and since 1998 has also held an annual meeting in April with finance ministers of heading key committees of
2205-617: The World Forum, the Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations section serves as the secretariat of the Administrative Committee for the coordination of work, and of the administrative/executives committees of the three agreements on vehicles administered by the World Forum. Among other things, ITC has produced: The World Forum services three UN Agreements: The UNECE Statistical Division provides
2268-479: The agreement allowed participation of ECE member countries only, but in 1995 the agreement was revised to allow non-ECE members to participate. Current participants include the European Union and its member countries, as well as non-EU UNECE members such as Norway, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Azerbaijan, and even remote territories such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. Contracting parties to
2331-469: The auto parts industry, a German (E1) type approval, for example, is regarded as a measure of insurance against suspicion of poor quality or an undeserved type approval. As of 2015 , there are 135 UN Regulations appended to the 1958 Agreement; most regulations cover a single vehicle component or technology. A partial list of current regulations applying to passenger cars follows (different regulations may apply to heavy vehicles, motorcycles, etc.) Recently,
2394-542: The certification was false or improper — i.e., that the vehicle or equipment does not in fact comply — then authorities may conduct tests and, if a noncompliance is found, order a recall and/or other corrective and/or punitive measures. Vehicle and equipment makers are permitted to appeal such penalties, but this is a difficult direction. Non-compliances found that are arguably without effect to highway safety may be petitioned to skip recall (remedy and notification) requirements for vehicles already produced. Historically, one of
2457-411: The committee of UNHCR , and various commissions and other bodies under its jurisdiction. ECOSOC is also responsible for tasks such as reviewing and updating the UN list of least developed countries . The president of the Council is elected for a one-year term and chosen from the small or medium sized states represented on the Council at the beginning of each new session. The presidency rotates among
2520-512: The east. The work of the commission had to concern itself only with questions that were of common interest to East and West, as to not cause confrontation. However, since the fall of the Soviet Union, the economic commissions of the United Nations have been expanding their activities in the former Soviet republics. The following are the member states of the commission, along with their date of admission: The concern of UNECE with problems of
2583-730: The economic reconstruction of Europe," as well as to "maintain and strengthen the economic relations of the European countries, both among themselves and with other countries of the world." It was established at the request of the United Nations General Assembly who called on the Economic and Social Council to create the commission, as well as the Commission for Asia and the Far East , in order to "give effective aid to countries devastated by war." ECE absorbed
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2646-686: The energy sector in the region. The Expert Group on Resource Management created the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources , the first widely accepted natural resource management system for classifying, managing, and reporting energy, mineral, and raw material resources in the world. The United Smart Cities programme is a joint effort between UNECE and the Organization for International Economic Relations (OiER). Numerous private business entities and other international and European agencies support
2709-516: The environment dates back at least to 1971, when the group of Senior Advisors to the UNECE governments on environmental issues was created which led to the establishment of the Committee on Environmental Policy, which now meets annually. The Committee provides collective policy direction in the area of environment and sustainable development, prepares ministerial meetings, develops international environmental law and supports international initiatives in
2772-401: The exchange of information on forest working techniques and training of forest workers; periodic surveys of the long-term outlook on forests; technical work on the rational use of wood; reviewing forest product markets; and share experiences on forest and forest sector policy. In 1947, UNECE set up a Panel on Housing Problems, which later evolved into the Committee on Human Settlements and after
2835-583: The form of the Generations and Gender Programme . The Sustainable Energy Division supports the UN's energy program, including security of energy supply, economics, and environmental protection, in the areas of energy efficiency , renewable energy, clean electricity, natural gas, coal, and resource classification. It is the secretariat responsible for Committee on Sustainable Energy and various expert groups supporting access to affordable and clean energy for all, as well as help reduce greenhouse gas emissions of
2898-783: The function and resources of the European Central Inland Transport Organization upon its founding. As the commission was established towards the beginning of the Cold War, it faced difficulties in achieving its mandate of economic reconstruction of Europe due to the Iron Curtain: separately the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation was established in 1948 in the west and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance in 1949 in
2961-492: The import, registration, and use of UN type-approved vehicles, or both. The United States and Canada (apart from Lighting Regulations) are the two significant exceptions; the UN Regulations are generally not recognised and UN-compliant vehicles and equipment are not authorised for import, sale, or use in the two regions, unless they are tested to be compliant with the region's car safety laws, or for limited non driving use (e.g. car show displays). The 1958 Agreement operates on
3024-513: The international community, to harmonize environmental conditions and policies throughout the region and to stimulate greater involvement of the public and environmental discussions and decision-making. CEP is the overall governing body of UNECE environmental activities. The committee's work is based on several strategic pillars: The first task of UNECE after the Second World War was to coordinate reconstruction effort in Europe. Timber
3087-416: The most conspicuous differences between UN and US regulations was the design and performance of headlamps . The Citroën DS shown here illustrates the large differences in headlamps during the 1940-1983 era when US regulations required sealed beam headlamps, which were prohibited in many European countries. A similar approach was evident with the US mandatory side marker lights. The "Agreement concerning
3150-581: The number of United Nations members grew with decolonization , the pattern began to break down starting in 1961, with nations in Africa winning elections to seats formerly held by Western Europe and the Republic of China (Taiwan) . In 1965, the Charter was amended to increase the size of ECOSOC to 27 seats, and the Regional Groups were formally introduced. The seat distribution became: In 1973,
3213-420: The other bodies that the Council oversees in some capacity: The specialized agencies of the United Nations are autonomous organizations working within the United Nations System, meaning that while they report their activities to the Economic and Social Council, they are mostly free to their own devices. Some were created before the United Nations existed and were integrated into the system, others were created by
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#17327976267073276-472: The principle of self-certification, wherein the manufacturer or importer of a vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment certifies—i.e., asserts and promises—that the vehicle or equipment complies with all applicable federal or Canada Motor Vehicle Safety, bumper and antitheft standards. No prior verification is required by a governmental agency or authorised testing entity before the vehicle or equipment can be imported, sold, or used. If reason develops to believe
3339-429: The principles of type approval and reciprocal recognition . Any country that accedes to the 1958 Agreement has authority to test and approve any manufacturer's design of a regulated product, regardless of the country in which that component was produced. Each individual design from each individual manufacturer is counted as one individual type. Once any acceding country grants a type approval, every other acceding country
3402-564: The programme, including Environment Agency Austria (EAA), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UN-Habitat , and the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP). The programme promotes areas of strategic smart city policy and development. The key focus areas as detailed by the programme are: The ECE secretariat has been characterized as a "strong" secretariat. The ECE secretariat
3465-471: The reform in 2005/2006 into the Committee on Housing and Land Management. The committee is an intergovernmental body of all UNECE member States. It provides a forum for the compilation, dissemination and exchange of information and experience on housing, urban development, and land administration policies; and in areas such as Birmingham, a more fiscal issue-UK. In 2020, the CUDHLM created the Forum of Mayors at
3528-460: The region. CEP works to support countries to enhance their environmental governance and transboundary cooperation as well as strengthen implementation of the UNECE regional environmental commitments and advance sustainable development in the region. Its main aim is to assess countries' efforts to reduce their overall pollution burden and manage their natural resources, to integrate environmental and socioeconomic policies, to strengthen cooperation with
3591-488: The regulations are officially entitled "UN Regulations". According to the mutual recognition principle set in the Agreement, each Contracting Party's Type Approvals are recognised by all other Contracting Parties. Formally signing the 1958 Agreement was possible till June 30 of that year, and five countries chose to do so: Italy (March 28), Netherlands (March 30), West Germany (June 19), France (June 26), and Hungary (June 30). Sweden and Belgium acceded soon after. Originally,
3654-497: The secretariat for the Conference and its expert groups, and implements the statistical work programme of UNECE. The Conference brings together chief statisticians from national and international statistical organizations around the world, meaning that the word "European" in its name is no longer an accurate description of its geographical coverage. The Statistical Division helps member countries to strengthen their statistical systems, and coordinates international statistical activities in
3717-749: The time the ratification of the trade deal occurs. Vehicles built in compliance with global safety and emissions regulations were still available to Americans in the period 1976-88, as individual imports. This was via the grey market . Many of the finest, iconic automobiles of the Malaise era , such as the Lamborghini Countach , Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL , Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Range Rover were officially forbidden to Americans, but this outlet proved viable for many years. The grey market reached 66,900 vehicles imported by individual consumers in 1985, and altered to meet U.S. design regulations. It
3780-424: The type approval number, respectively. Although all countries' type approvals are legally equivalent, there are real and perceived differences in the rigour with which the regulations and protocols are applied by different national type approval authorities. Some countries have their own national standards for granting type approvals, which may be more stringent than called for by the UN regulations themselves. Within
3843-580: Was crucial for construction, and energy, but the forests had been heavily overcut and production and trade were at a standstill. The ECE Timber Committee emerged from the International Timber Conference held in 1947 in Mariánské Lázně in the former Czechoslovakia. The main pillars of the committee's activities have been: the collection and publication of the best available statistics on forests, wood production and trade;
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#17327976267073906-795: Was established in June 1952 as the " Working Party of experts on technical requirement of vehicles ", while its current name was adopted in 2000. At its inception, WP.29 had a broader European scope. Since 2000, the global scope of this forum was recognized given the active participation of Countries in all continents, excluding the United States and Canada, who developed incompatible standards. The forum works on regulations covering vehicle safety , environmental protection , energy efficiency and theft -resistance. This work affects de facto vehicle design and facilitates international trade. There are six permanent Working Parties which are subsidiary bodies that consider specialized tasks, consisting of people with
3969-714: Was led by Gunnar Myrdal in its first decade. Myrdal refused efforts by the Soviet Union to dictate what staff would be employed in the secretariat. During this period, the secretariat sought to promote European integration efforts. From 1982 to 2007 the IOS Press published the Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on behalf of the UNECE. United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC )
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