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PR. No. 359/2009
Date: 26/09/2009
STATEMENT BY H.E. SHAH MEHMOOD QURESHI, FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN AT THE 33 RD MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA
( New York , 25 September 2009)
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Mr. Chairman,
H.E. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. At the outset, let me convey Pakistan 's profound appreciation to you and your colleagues for Sudan 's able stewardship of the Group during this year.
2. I would also like to thank the UN Secretary General for his presence with us today and for his personal commitment to advancing the global development agenda and the noble principles and purposes of our Charter.
3. The global development scenario remains complex. The development emergency, in particular, that we faced, when we met last year, has not relented. It is expected to persist, perhaps with less intensity for some, as there are hopeful preliminary signs of recovery. Unfortunately, for others including many in this Chamber, it may just be the beginning of the crisis. This will continue to influence our work in the year ahead.
Mr. Chairman,
4. Clearly, there is no room for complacency. In fact, we see an urgent imperative to revisit our approach and strategy to address these daunting challenges that we confront in the developing world.
5. We need to highlight, with renewed vigor the inextricable linkages between peace and development, the central role that the UN can and must play in advancing the broad development agenda and in promoting a genuine and enhanced global partnership for development.
6. Over the past several years, successive Group Chairs have done well to maintain the unity and integrity of the Group in the face of growing pressures generated by a complex interplay of issues and increasingly divergent national positions.
7. We should continue to assign highest priority to preserving the solidarity and unity of the Group in future as well. This should be the centerpiece of our strategy for the year ahead.
8. I shall touch upon some of the key issues that we believe would influence and shape our work during the new Session.
Mr. Chairman,
9. The Outcome of the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development provides us the framework, direction and timelines for actions needed to combat the adverse impacts of the global financial and economic crisis.
10. A welcome first step, marking the start of an important process is the establishment of the Open Ended Working Group of the General Assembly.
11. We look forward to the Working Group starting its work at the earliest to follow up on the implementation of commitments made at the Conference to mitigate the impact of the crisis in the short term and to address systemic and structural weaknesses of the global financial and economic architecture.
12. To navigate through this age of economic turbulence and to generate the kind of economic sustainability that we need, the world must unleash the potential of trade as a powerful engine of economic growth and development.
13. Unfortunately, the breakdown in the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations robs us of this opportunity to use trade as a vehicle for stimulating consumption, production and generating employment - the essentials to pull the world out of present recession. In addition, there are growing signs of protectionism either due to the ongoing economic and financial turmoil or under the guise of addressing climate change. These are retrogressive measures. They would negatively impact upon the growth prospects of the developing countries, and do not bode well for the success of the Doha round of trade talks.
14. An all round effort involving all the stakeholders is, therefore, needed to provide the much needed political propulsion to break the long-standing deadlock in the WTO negotiations and to bring the Round to an early, successful, and truly development oriented conclusion.
15. Similarly, in this resource constrained and knowledge driven world, easy access to and transfer of technology is the other source of hope for building requisite capacities among the poor to empower them to effectively pursue better living standards.
16. We need to also collectively reflect on how best we can advance our common interest of accessing technology and securing its transfer, including through steps to overcome the constraints imposed by global IPR regime.
Mr. Chairman,
17. It is indeed a matter of satisfaction that the Group has successfully maintained a common vision and approach on the vital and complex challenges posed by Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Pakistan was honoured to have contributed to the adoption of the Bali Plan of Action, as we did at the Rio Summit, back in 1992, as the Chair of the Group of 77 and China .
18. Bali is the most recent manifestation of international community's resolve to combat Climate Change, through a concerted global action. Some feel that the process has in fact drifted away from the spirit witnessed at Bali . This is unfortunate, as Bali provided us with a credible and universally acceptable framework, built on four pillars of enhanced action on mitigation, adaptation, financing and technology transfer and development.
19. Most developing countries do not currently have the financial resources, technological know-how and institutional capacity to switch to low emission and high growth pathways. Pakistan believes that a globally agreed outcome, at a speed commensurate with the urgency of the climate change challenge, is the only way out of this complex and difficult situation.
Mr. Chairman,
20. We look to Copenhagen with a determination to reach a consensus. Indeed, all of us will have to contribute. Developed countries, by committing to obligatory, time bound, deep and verifiable emission reductions as well as commitments on transfer of technology, capacity building, in terms of human and infrastructure development, and sufficient and adequate financial assistance for developing countries to adapt to climate change; Developing countries, by committing to introduce low-carbon strategies in their socio-economic growth plans and undertaking voluntary measures on mitigation and adaptation, subject to availability of finance and technology transfer.
21. Climate Change has also added a new dimension to the vulnerability debate. The situation demands an ever more vigilant monitoring of the global scenario with a view to accurately assess the country vulnerabilities and how various vulnerabilities particularly those related to Climate change are impacting the poor countries.
22. We support a new, comprehensive, science based approach to vulnerability covering physical, economic and climate related aspects. Such an approach, we believe, would allow for more effective and equitable allocation of resources.
Mr. Chairman,
23. We also welcome the inclusion of agriculture development and food security as a new agenda item in the Second Committee this year. As an agrarian economy, for us, agriculture holds the key to poverty reduction. Hence, we believe that there is a need to adequately and urgently address agriculture development and food security issues in the context of national and international development policies.
24. Recognizing this, Pakistan gladly co-sponsored the resolution that established this new agenda item. Bringing food security discussions to UN, we believe, is an important and timely step towards making the UN, a truly dynamic organization seized of real life issues.
25. In the same vein, my delegation would also support giving greater attention to health, particularly non-communicable diseases in our discussions in the General Assembly.
26. The 64 th Session would also mark the commencement of the preparatory process for the 2010 UN Summit . A decision to convene the Summit has already been adopted by the General Assembly. Pakistan favours a broadly framed and focused Summit instead of a MDG specific event, as originally proposed.
27. Mainly, because we believe that the development emergency and other sustainable development challenges that the world confronts today warrant a broadly framed Summit focusing on the whole range of development issues as a sequel to the Millennium and World Summits. This will be well-placed, as a number of MDG related events have already taken place since the 2005 World Leaders Summit.
28. Pakistan has also been closely involved in the UN System-wide Coherence process both as one of the Co-Chairs of the Panel that produced the original report and also as a Pilot for the ‘One UN at Country Level'. We welcome the progress achieved thus far and look forward to concrete results during the 64th session.
29. We strongly feel that the main objective of this exercise is to develop an effective and coherent UN development cooperation system that is responsive to the national development plans and strategies of the developing countries. This objective may not be achieved without meaningfully addressing the issue of funding, which is the root cause of incoherence and fragmentation of UN development assistance.
30. The International Environmental Governance debate, which was shifted to Nairobi , after lack of progress here in New York early this year, is another area of interest for Pakistan . As a member of the Ministerial Working Group established in Nairobi to work on IEG issues, we look forward to engaging in these discussions both in Nairobi and here in New York .
Mr. Chairman,
31. Pakistan accords high priority to South-South cooperation as a manifestation of solidarity of countries of the South. During its chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China in the year 2007, Pakistan had particularly focused on giving due prominence to this aspiration for collective self-reliance among countries of the South.
32. The South's significance in global economy has enlarged exponentially, mainly due to emerging economies. This has opened up new opportunities as well as new challenges for developing countries. Now many developing countries are investing their surpluses in other developing countries. Many are engaged in extensive development cooperation. We need to further propel these efforts.
33. The Second UN Conference on South-South Cooperation will be an important opportunity to address these challenges and consolidate positive trends. We would like to thank the Government of Kenya for its generous offer to host the Conference.
Mr. Chairman,
34. We are also confidant that the Group will display its traditional unity during the discussions on the scale of assessment and the budget. The ongoing financial and economic crisis has imposed significant challenges on developing countries in general and Pakistan in particular. Pakistan , therefore, proposes to maintain the current scale of assessment.
35. Finally, let me take this opportunity to congratulate fraternal Yemen for being elected as the Chair of G-77 and China for 2010. We are confident that in pursuing an imposing development agenda during 2010, Yemen will be guided by the principle of transparency and inclusiveness and deep commitment to the preservation and promotion of Group's unity, which Sudan , Antigua and Barbuda and Pakistan and other preceding Chairs of our Group have been able to resolutely uphold in the past.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
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Islamabad
26 September 2009
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