Page 232 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International

transition to improve balance sheets and to bring them closer to international
standards, as well as recommendations on the reporting of transnational
corporations operating in foreign territory. The United Nations Institute for
Training and Research has recently developed a training course on "Regulation
of Finance and Credit: Legal Aspects", which is currently being translated into
Russian.

7. In the context of globalization of economic processes, the development
of international standards plays an increasingly important role. This topic is
examined by many organizations of the UN system, and the relevant work is of
great importance. By way of example, the fact that the international telephone
and telegraph network functions as a unit, or that States can exchange radio
and television programmes, is a direct result of the standardization efforts
undertaken by ITU.

8. In the field of finance, a significant contribution to the international
standardization is made by the ECE which has been developing under its
auspices the UN/EDIFACT - a set of rules for electronic data interchanges,
including the transfer of funds, in trade and transport. Currently, this standard
is adopted in more than 30 countries around the world.

9. Coordination of national activities is perhaps the most labour-intensive
area of the UN activities. At the same time, it gives a real and very significant
return. The most striking example in this area is the activities of the World
Health Organization. This institution organizes and coordinates the efforts of
States in all critical areas of health, including the development and testing of
vaccines and other medicines, and also assists in the distribution of new
medicines.

10. Today, WHO, together with UNICEF, provides vaccines to more than
100 countries. In 1980, thanks to the efforts of WHO, such a terrible disease as
smallpox, which in the past claimed millions of lives, was utterly obliterated. By
the year 2000, a system will have been completed whereby there will be no new
cases of leprosy worldwide. WHO is now setting itself the goal of totally
eradicating diphtheria and polio, the two leading causes of death among
children, and is stepping up efforts to combat the AIDS pandemic.

11. Much of the UN technical assistance is provided through the United
Nations Development Programme, the organization holding a major part of
the UN financial resources. In recent years, the share of UNDP funds allocated

210