UN General Assembly
1961

143. We are very much disturbed by the existence of duplication of efforts and by the absence of clear- out objectives in the activities of the United Nations and the specialized agencies. We believe there should be effective co-ordination, even if this entails structural changes in some of these institutions. Co-ordination in the economic and social and technical assistance activities of the United Nations should be effective both at the planning and execution levels. A system of priorities which corresponds to the resources of the Organization should be worked out first and foremost on a regional basis, in the planning stage, by the specialized agencies working in close co-operation with the regional economic commissions, 144. On the operative level of economic and technical assistance, co-ordination should likewise be effective, Again the regional economic commissions should play a leading role, especially regarding the regional projects concerning their respective areas of operation. TL- regional commissions should have more leeway for initiating programmes of their own and, where appropriate, undertaking operative functions of technical assistance.