Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) -Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, on behalf of ASEAN member nations, made astatement at the debate themed “Operational Activities for Development”of the UN’s Financial and Economic Committee (Second Committee) withinthe 68th UN General Assembly on October 14.
Following is the full text of the statement.
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour of delivering this statement on behalf of the tenmember states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
ASEAN associates itself with the statement made by the distinguishedrepresentative of Fiji on behalf of the Group 77 and China .
Mr. Chairman,
ASEAN would like to reiterate the primary importance of thedevelopment pillar in the work of the United Nations. We believe thatstrengthening and intensifying development co-operation is in theinterest of all countries and instrumental to consolidating andenhancing the other pillars of work of the United Nations.
Asdeveloping countries that have gone through different stages ofdevelopment, ASEAN members have benefited greatly from and highlyappreciate the assistance provided by the UN through its operationalactivities for development. In this connection, we are gratified to notethat the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assemblyreaffirmed during the ASEAN-United Nations Ministerial Meeting on 26September 2013 the commitment of the UN to work closely with ASEANtowards their common goals set out in the Joint Declaration onComprehensive Partnership between ASEAN and the United Nations. ASEANinvites the UN development system to engage closely with ASEAN with aview to promoting the Comprehensive Partnership, including theattainment of the MDGs and support for ASEAN community building.
ASEAN acknowledges the comparative advantages of the different UNfunds, programs and specialised agencies. At the same time, ASEAN alsobelieves that operational activities carried out must ensure and promotenational and regional ownership and be in line with the programmecountries’ own development policies and priorities.
ASEANcommends efforts by the leadership and staff of the UN developmentsystem and welcomes the adoption and implementation of Resolution 67/226on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR). We welcome theSecretary General’s report to ECOSOC which highlights the implementationof the new QCPR at the early stages.
At the same time, ASEANis concerned about the decline in funding for UN operational activitiesfor development, as well as the overall decline in ODA in twoconsecutive years. This poses challenges to the operation of the UNdevelopment system, especially at the country level. In this regard, wecall on donor countries to honour their commitment to provide financingfor UN operational activities and narrow the growing imbalance betweencore and non-core resources. Against this backdrop, ASEAN would like tocommend the positive trend in which contributions from developingcountries is growing, totaling 562 million USD in 2011 and haveincreased by some 16% in nominal terms since 2006, of which about halfwas in the form of core contributions. In this connection, we lookforward to the development of the concept of critical mass by UN fundsand programs by the end of this year with a view to a decision by 2014as stipulated by Resolution 67/226.
Secondly, as articulated inthe QCPR resolution, the contribution of the UN development system isimportant in many fields, including addressing poverty eradication,capacity building, South-South cooperation, gender equality and women’sempowerment and sustainable development. We encourage the UN developmentsystem to continue assistance in these areas and to focus particularlyin capacity building. Development of national capacities in programcountries will contribute to the crucial long term ability to addressvarious development challenges presented to LDCs, LLDCs as well asmiddle income countries.
Thirdly, ASEAN strongly supportsefforts to reform the UN development system with a view to enhancinggreater coherence, effectiveness and efficiency at all levels andimproving the UN’s mandate of operational activities for development. Werecognize actions taken by the different UN funds and programs, such asthe alignment of strategic planning cycles of key funds, programs,specialized agencies and other entities with the QCPR cycle and annualQCPR reporting to their respective governing bodies; and initial successin establishing some basic common services at the country level.However, simplification and harmonization of business practices remainchallenging, and requires vigorous commitment from headquarters level.In this connection, we look forward to the Secretary-General’s plans forthe establishment of common support services at the country, regionaland headquarter levels, based on unified regulations and rules, policiesand procedures in all functional areas of business operations with aview of implementation by 2016.
It is also important toemphasize that strong government ownership is critical to this process.Delivering as One (DAO) is an example of such efforts. Based on reportson the evaluation of the implementation of the initiative in pilot andself-starter countries, achievements have been recorded in a number ofcountries in enhancing coherence, relevance and efficiency of the UNdevelopment system in these countries. It is recommended that the UNdevelopment system promote success stories and address the outstandingchallenges, including the issue of declining funding and firm commitmentby agencies’ headquarters. On the other hand, the principle of “no onesize fits all” approach should be reiterated and the implementation ofDelivering as One and/or other modalities, if necessary, has to besuitable and accommodate the specific characteristics and requirementsof each particular country.
Mr. Chairman,
Thegrowing role of South-South and triangular cooperation adds to thediversity of modalities in which countries work together to promotedevelopment. Many countries of the South have taken advantage of thecommon economic, social and regional characteristics to forge and boostpartnerships and cooperation in various fields, in particular knowledgeand expertise sharing at relatively low cost. The nature of South-Southcooperation, based on mutual trust, equality and especiallynon-conditionality provides arguably more policy space for developingcountries to implement priority areas for development. However, it isnot to be considered as substitute but rather a complement toNorth-South co-operation. Despite the emergence of a number ofdeveloping countries that provide development assistance, totalcontributions from developing countries for operational activities fordevelopment, for instance, only account for less than 2% of the overallfunding. In this connection, ASEAN encourages member states to promotetriangular cooperation, a modality in which two developing countriesimplement cooperation activities with the financial support of a donorcountry and/or a UN agency.
To this end, ASEAN welcomes theestablishment of the UN Office for South – South cooperation and callson the UN, with its central and neutral role in promoting development,to make greater effort to mobilise support for South-South cooperationand we encourage development partners to scale up financial assistance,knowledge sharing, technology transfer and peer-learning, strengtheningof policy and institutional frameworks.
I thank you for your attention, Mr. Chairman.-VNA
Following is the full text of the statement.
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour of delivering this statement on behalf of the tenmember states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
ASEAN associates itself with the statement made by the distinguishedrepresentative of Fiji on behalf of the Group 77 and China .
Mr. Chairman,
ASEAN would like to reiterate the primary importance of thedevelopment pillar in the work of the United Nations. We believe thatstrengthening and intensifying development co-operation is in theinterest of all countries and instrumental to consolidating andenhancing the other pillars of work of the United Nations.
Asdeveloping countries that have gone through different stages ofdevelopment, ASEAN members have benefited greatly from and highlyappreciate the assistance provided by the UN through its operationalactivities for development. In this connection, we are gratified to notethat the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assemblyreaffirmed during the ASEAN-United Nations Ministerial Meeting on 26September 2013 the commitment of the UN to work closely with ASEANtowards their common goals set out in the Joint Declaration onComprehensive Partnership between ASEAN and the United Nations. ASEANinvites the UN development system to engage closely with ASEAN with aview to promoting the Comprehensive Partnership, including theattainment of the MDGs and support for ASEAN community building.
ASEAN acknowledges the comparative advantages of the different UNfunds, programs and specialised agencies. At the same time, ASEAN alsobelieves that operational activities carried out must ensure and promotenational and regional ownership and be in line with the programmecountries’ own development policies and priorities.
ASEANcommends efforts by the leadership and staff of the UN developmentsystem and welcomes the adoption and implementation of Resolution 67/226on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR). We welcome theSecretary General’s report to ECOSOC which highlights the implementationof the new QCPR at the early stages.
At the same time, ASEANis concerned about the decline in funding for UN operational activitiesfor development, as well as the overall decline in ODA in twoconsecutive years. This poses challenges to the operation of the UNdevelopment system, especially at the country level. In this regard, wecall on donor countries to honour their commitment to provide financingfor UN operational activities and narrow the growing imbalance betweencore and non-core resources. Against this backdrop, ASEAN would like tocommend the positive trend in which contributions from developingcountries is growing, totaling 562 million USD in 2011 and haveincreased by some 16% in nominal terms since 2006, of which about halfwas in the form of core contributions. In this connection, we lookforward to the development of the concept of critical mass by UN fundsand programs by the end of this year with a view to a decision by 2014as stipulated by Resolution 67/226.
Secondly, as articulated inthe QCPR resolution, the contribution of the UN development system isimportant in many fields, including addressing poverty eradication,capacity building, South-South cooperation, gender equality and women’sempowerment and sustainable development. We encourage the UN developmentsystem to continue assistance in these areas and to focus particularlyin capacity building. Development of national capacities in programcountries will contribute to the crucial long term ability to addressvarious development challenges presented to LDCs, LLDCs as well asmiddle income countries.
Thirdly, ASEAN strongly supportsefforts to reform the UN development system with a view to enhancinggreater coherence, effectiveness and efficiency at all levels andimproving the UN’s mandate of operational activities for development. Werecognize actions taken by the different UN funds and programs, such asthe alignment of strategic planning cycles of key funds, programs,specialized agencies and other entities with the QCPR cycle and annualQCPR reporting to their respective governing bodies; and initial successin establishing some basic common services at the country level.However, simplification and harmonization of business practices remainchallenging, and requires vigorous commitment from headquarters level.In this connection, we look forward to the Secretary-General’s plans forthe establishment of common support services at the country, regionaland headquarter levels, based on unified regulations and rules, policiesand procedures in all functional areas of business operations with aview of implementation by 2016.
It is also important toemphasize that strong government ownership is critical to this process.Delivering as One (DAO) is an example of such efforts. Based on reportson the evaluation of the implementation of the initiative in pilot andself-starter countries, achievements have been recorded in a number ofcountries in enhancing coherence, relevance and efficiency of the UNdevelopment system in these countries. It is recommended that the UNdevelopment system promote success stories and address the outstandingchallenges, including the issue of declining funding and firm commitmentby agencies’ headquarters. On the other hand, the principle of “no onesize fits all” approach should be reiterated and the implementation ofDelivering as One and/or other modalities, if necessary, has to besuitable and accommodate the specific characteristics and requirementsof each particular country.
Mr. Chairman,
Thegrowing role of South-South and triangular cooperation adds to thediversity of modalities in which countries work together to promotedevelopment. Many countries of the South have taken advantage of thecommon economic, social and regional characteristics to forge and boostpartnerships and cooperation in various fields, in particular knowledgeand expertise sharing at relatively low cost. The nature of South-Southcooperation, based on mutual trust, equality and especiallynon-conditionality provides arguably more policy space for developingcountries to implement priority areas for development. However, it isnot to be considered as substitute but rather a complement toNorth-South co-operation. Despite the emergence of a number ofdeveloping countries that provide development assistance, totalcontributions from developing countries for operational activities fordevelopment, for instance, only account for less than 2% of the overallfunding. In this connection, ASEAN encourages member states to promotetriangular cooperation, a modality in which two developing countriesimplement cooperation activities with the financial support of a donorcountry and/or a UN agency.
To this end, ASEAN welcomes theestablishment of the UN Office for South – South cooperation and callson the UN, with its central and neutral role in promoting development,to make greater effort to mobilise support for South-South cooperationand we encourage development partners to scale up financial assistance,knowledge sharing, technology transfer and peer-learning, strengtheningof policy and institutional frameworks.
I thank you for your attention, Mr. Chairman.-VNA
