Agenda Item 107

Statement by Dr. Asad M. Khan, Minister, Pakistan Permanent Mission to the United Nations, In the General Assembly on Agenda Item 107: Follow-Up to the outcome fo the Millennium Summit: Specific Meeting Focused on Development. ( New York, 15 December 2008)

Mr. President,

We thank you for convening the Specific Meeting of the General Assembly focused on Development, as decided in resolution 60/265.

  1. Today, as we deliberate, the world is in the throes of a development emergency triggered by multiple crises of finance, food, energy and a looming global recession.
  2. Clearly, these crises seriously threaten the efforts of developing countries like Pakistan to achieve the internationally agreed development goals including MDGs. The situation becomes particularly alarming when we also know that poverty is more widespread than previously estimated and that this number is going up rapidly.
  3. Earlier this month in Doha , our review of the implementation of the development commitments made in Monterrey also confirmed the existence of serious implementation deficit. More notably, as reflected, in the continuing decline in ODA flows, distortions in the global trade regime and the continued exclusion of the low-income countries from the global economic governance and decision making. All signs indicate that the present crises will only make the implementation shortfalls more pronounced and real.
  4. We are happy that in Doha we were able to rekindle the Monterrey spirit and recommit to a genuine global partnership for development. A partnership that is rooted in the belief that as humanity our destiny is interwoven, and that peace and development are inseparable and is premised on mutual trust and common pursuit of agreed goals.
  5. We particularly welcome the Doha decision to convene the United Nations Conference on the world financial and economic crisis. The Conference, we believe will provide a good opportunity, at the highest political level to fully assess the impact of the financial crisis on the efforts of the developing countries to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development and will make specific recommendations on how best to address the challenges and underlying factors that triggered the crisis.
  6. We look forward to early convening of the Conference and to working closely and cooperatively with you Mr. President in defining the modalities for the Conference.
  7. Pakistan is also delighted at the agreement reached in Doha to have a strengthened and more effective inter-governmental process to follow up on the implementation of the Doha Declaration. Pakistan has long pushed for effective implementation mechanisms to effectively monitor development commitments under UN auspices. We see this decision as an important step in the right direction and will be working closely with the UN member states for its early realization.

Mr. President,

  1. We would have wished to use this specific development focused meeting to carry out a serious, comprehensive and in-depth review of the global economic situation and to make concrete recommendations on how best to tackle the multiple crises including the global economic meltdown. As pointed out last year, we would have also liked to have this meeting in the beginning of General Assembly session, rather than towards the end of the main part of its work.
  2. In line with the spirit of the original proposal, this meeting, we believe, should be convened during the General Debate when our leaders, at the highest political level, can reflect on the global economic trends and prospects as well as assess the progress in the implementation of the development goals and commitments. We realize that this important role, on account of the extraordinary circumstances that we face this year, will be played by the UN Conference that we have agreed to convene soon.
  3. We also note with regret that now for the second consecutive year none of our developed country partners have participated in this debate, which is unfortunately a sad reflection on how seriously the decisions and commitments made following intense intergovernmental negotiation processes are taken.
  4. Pakistan for one will continue to work closely with our partners in a constructive and creative manner to address some of the key challenges that we face globally, and in the context of our work in the UN, to advance the implementation of the global development agenda.

I thank you.