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Mr. President,
At the outset my delegation wishes to align with the statement made by the distinguished representative of Sudan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
The two complementary reports of the Secretary-General on this agenda item contend that despite the global financial and economic crisis and its negative impact, some progress has been achieved in the implementation of NEPAD. The reports also note that the main challenge now for African countries is to ensure that the financial crisis, combined with the latent food and energy crisis, does not reverse the progress made in Africa and reduce the risk of increasing poverty and hardship for the most vulnerable groups.
We strongly believe that the way forward for meeting Africa’s development needs requires more intense, coordinated, balanced and integrated actions to effectively implement the development commitments made by the international community to comprehensively address all challenges to Africa’s development.
An urgent and well coordinated global action, in our view, would help mitigate the socio-economic impact of the crisis and help African countries recover ground in their progress towards the implementation of NEPAD and the achievement of the IADGs including Millennium Development Goals.
Clearly, the international community has to scale up its efforts in order to meet all commitments to generate the resources required for achieving sustainable development and sustained economic growth in Africa.
Mr. President,
Pakistan strongly feels that further bolstering investments, expanding trade by allowing greater market access to exports from Africa and building capacity and human resources are the most important tools to put Africa on the fast development track. These, we believe, should be the three main pillars for a strategic partnership between Africa and the rest of the world.
Pakistan has consistently supported the political and economic aspirations of Africa. We support effective and early implementation of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
We have actively supported and contributed towards efforts for promoting durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. Durable peace, we believe, can only be achieved through a comprehensive strategy comprising conflict prevention, addressing the root causes of conflict, strengthening long-term capacities for peaceful settlement of disputes, peacemaking and peacekeeping; and a coherent system wide response to post-conflict peace-building, reconstruction and development.
In this regard, UN peacekeeping is an indispensable tool for restoring peace and stability in conflict situations and has particularly proved its utility and effectiveness in the African continent.
Mr. President,
Pakistan is committed to supporting the UN peace efforts in Africa. Our contribution to the UN peacekeeping in Africa comes in the form of a contingent of nearly 10,000 troops deployed, which continues to be amongst the two largest contingents in Africa for the last decade.
Pakistan also has an Africa Plan for Trade Development with bilateral trade today reaching nearly US$ 1.8 billion a year. Furthermore, we also provide bilateral assistance in economic, social and technical spheres to a number of African countries in the context of South-South cooperation.
In particular, Pakistan has been successfully running Special Technical Assistance Programme for Africa since 1986. Hundreds of young African professionals from both the public and private sector have received training under this programme in different fields including public administration, management, banking, customs, accounting and diplomacy.
We are in the process of further expanding the scope and scale of our assistance and cooperation programmes for Africa. Our Prime Minister has conveyed his desire to help Africa replicate our programs focused on the eradication of Hepatitis-C, safe drinking water and low cost housing schemes which are being carried out as his special initiatives in Pakistan.
Mr. President,
I wish to conclude by saying that the challenges faced by Africa are colossal. But the opportunities, means and resources to address those challenges are also immense only if harnessed effectively. NEPAD presents a realistic framework for action. The African Union is emerging as a dynamic factor promoting African ownership in tackling Africa’s problems. The sub-regional organizations in Africa are also playing an important role.
We are confident that with commensurate political will on part of the international community, in particular the developed world, to faithfully implement the commitments made, Africa can hope to realize its full political and economic potential.
I thank you Mr. President.