The process of deeper regional integration requires the development of a regional pool of policy analysts.

Regional infrastructure and policy cooperation are essential for supporting economic development.

(f) Promoting regional cooperation in strengthening health and development policy and programme capability to address regional health challenges

According to the Estonian regional development strategy, the aim of the regional policy is to achieve the balance of regional development to the extent that in all the counties

(a) Convening of regional forums or conferences that promote policy dialogues and facilitate a networking approach to regional development of the transport and tourism sectors

(c) Strengthen the vertical linkages between forest policy development and dialogue at the global, regional, national and local levels.

Activities entail the implementation of an initial feasibility study of new national and regional approaches to science policy development based on existing policy frameworks and current policy planning in the Pacific member states.

Countries note the progress made by regional partnerships and the benefits that their dynamism has brought to national policy development.

Programme F.3 Regional Policy

Regional ICT Policy and Regulation

A regional workshop, in which numerous development partners participated, was held in October 2004 to discuss the role of NEPAD and the development of the Policy Framework.

The development of policy consensus among developing countries at the regional level might facilitate their diffusion by creating economies of scale.

Specifically, economic policy should centre on regional cooperation, investment facilitation and job creation social policy should focus on citizens' needs and aspirations and sustainable development policy should seek ways to offset the cost of environmental degradation.

Programme F.3 Regional Policy 86

The evaluation therefore addressed itself to the range of UNDP work, including corporate and institutional policy its contribution to shaping national and international development policy and its regional and country programmes.

A sound policy framework should approach reform holistically regional players should tackle the development challenge as a positive sum game, building on achievements to promote a dialogue to defuse regional tensions.

Current efforts to improve and strengthen policy coherence and operational coordination both at the country level (through instruments such as the Millennium Development Goals and poverty reduction strategy papers) and regional level (through the regional consultation mechanism) are a welcome development.

Policy Development

Policy development session

Welcomes the proposal made by the WTO during the meeting of policy dialogue between the WTO and the representatives of six major regional development banks, including IDB, which was held at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, on 3 May 2003, that the regional development banks convene policy dialogues of trade and finance ministers at the regional level, to which the WTO and the World Bank may also be invited.

The various themes of the framework included trade policy, competition policy, investment policy, tax policy, corporate governance, public governance, infrastructure development and human resources development.

While focused on global policy development, the programme's activities are geared to promoting mutual reinforcement between global policies and regional and national policies and actions.

The importance of regional infrastructure and policy cooperation for supporting economic development, particularly for landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, is also stressed.

(b) Providing substantive and effective support, including the development of policy options and analysis, to intergovernmental processes, in particular to the Commission on Sustainable Development, including regional implementation meetings to be held by the regional commissions in collaboration with the secretariat of the Commission

Consideration should be given to establishing a fund that is geared to translating advocacy and dialogue undertaken at the regional level into policy advisory work, policy development, capacity building and pilot programmes at the country level.

Committee for Development Policy

Social policy and development

Policy development and law

Committee for Development Policy

The United Nations regional commissions and offices, regional development banks and other regional organizations continue to contribute to regional implementation of sustainable development goals and targets.

The regional level offers an opportunity to exchange national experiences on the necessary interrelated policy issues which are of crucial importance for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Identifying how competition rules in bilateral and regional agreements might be further developed and might appropriately address developing countries' development needs, national policy objectives and capacity constraints

(ii) Four ad hoc expert group meetings on economic policy analysis and forecasting employment policies and economic development in countries including those emerging from conflict preparation of the regional Millennium Development Goals report and development in countries under crisis conditions

Regional cooperation for development

(iv) Committee for Development Policy

(p) Committee for Development Policy

Development strategies and trade policy

The Southern African Development Community continued building a regional power grid and infrastructure for regional development corridors .

See J. Musonda, Regional competition policy for COMESA countries and implications for an FTA in 2000 , in UNCTAD, Competition policy, trade and development in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (UNCTAD ITCD CLP Misc.18), p. 103.

In Africa, the strategic partnership of UNIFEM with the Inter Governmental Authority for Development led to the endorsement of a regional gender policy by ministers of gender, and to the preparation of a draft gender policy in the Sudan.

Investments and regional development strategy

Subprogramme 3 Social policy and development

14.54 In the biennium 2006 2007, capacities of regional offices will be strengthened to support regional environmental policy dialogue and coordinated policy implementation, and the delivery of UNEP technology transfer and capacity building activities at the regional, subregional and national levels.

(b) Convening three regional workshops to address and analyse appropriate national science, technology and innovation policies with a view to identifying strategies and practices favouring technological capacity building and strengthening technological capabilities, innovation and competitiveness and integrating them in the overall development policy, including the policy framework on meeting the Millennium Development Goals

Facilitating and servicing the successor to the Task Force, the management oversight board and regional and thematic platforms and networks, encouraging policy development and reviews, and supporting cooperation among members