Statement by Nadieska Navarro, I Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations, on Item 57 “Operational Activities for Development”. II Committee.
New York, 15th October 2008.
Madam Chair,
First of all, our delegation would like to join the statement made by the delegation of Antigua & Barbuda, on behalf of the G-77 and China.
The issue of Operational Activities has today an extraordinary relevance in the light of the complex international situation we face, including the recent financial events. We all agree that this panorama threatens as never before the checkered efforts and the real possibilities of developing countries to implement their national strategies and plans and to attain the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.
Amidst these difficulties, the Funds and Programs must continue playing their role at the field level, especially emphasizing in the assistance they must provide to the Governments from our nations in what they consider to be their priority areas. In this regard, we must reaffirm the urgent need for these institutions to count on an adequate and predictable level of financing, particularly concerning their core resources, allowing them to develop their activities in accordance with their specific mandates. We hope, therefore, the current financial crisis does not turn into a pretext for these so needed resources not to be assigned by the developed countries, in the way and quantity required.
In this regard, we are concerned about the situation described in the Report of the Secretary-General A/63/201 on the trends in the financing of the United Nations system, where the existing imbalances and obstacles the Funds and Programs face to increase the quantity and quality of the financing they receive, are clearly exposed. We consider relevant to take up said report when mentioning that the formulae to increase the resources of these entities must be based on the demands of beneficiary countries and rooted in their national priorities, not on the desire of the donors to finance the areas of their exclusive interest.
Due to its particular importance, we consider these questions should also be treated with special emphasis in the upcoming Doha Conference, where the commitments made on financing for development will be reviewed.
Madam Chair,
Despite all the Resolutions and Decisions the Member States pass in the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the very Executive Boards of the United Nations Funds and Programs, we are still concerned about the apparent discrepancy existing between the intergovernmental debates and decisions and some of the strategy papers these entities propose as a guideline for their work in the field. That is conspicuous, particularly in the case of UNDP. That is why we reiterate the importance of the intergovernmental guideline and supervision for all agencies in the UN system, particularly from what is established in the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Reviews of the Operational Activities. That is indispensable if we want to promote a real coherence between the normative and the operational areas.
We also take this opportunity to show once again our deep concern about the most recent attempts to politicize the operational activities, particularly regarding the work of UNDP, which, as everyone knows, has caused serious damages and has been the target of intense debates where almost all Member States have rejected this trend for considering it totally unacceptable and not in accordance with the principles of neutrality, impartiality and respect for the sovereignty of recipient countries, valid for all operational activities.
This trend has unfortunately grown stronger in recent times, due to the insistence to reform the policies of disclosure of audit reports of Funds and Programs, which are documents considered to be confidential and very important to the internal work of these organs. We reiterate once more our rejection to the indiscriminate disclosure of this kind of information, which behind the alleged need for oversight, hides undoubtedly political purposes based on selectivity and double standards, and completely alien to the fundamental objectives of the UN system organizations, aimed mainly at eradicating poverty and promoting development.
Madam Chair,
We likewise consider necessary to insist in the need to avoid futile debates on the so-called System-wide Coherence, during our deliberations in this Committee. We all know that this complicated negotiation is held separately at the General Assembly level and that we are far from reaching an intergovernmental consensus as to some of the proposals made in this context.
Whatever decision intended to be imposed in this regard, from any other forum, including this Committee, must be rejected since it would prejudge the outcomes of the aforementioned negotiation. Also, in this context, we call on the Secretariat to prevent the use of terms and definitions upon which the required intergovernmental consensus has not been reached.
In any case, we consider relevant to recall that the application of a single formula for all developing countries in the field of operational activities is neither feasible nor advisable, and so has been proved by practice. All this would inevitably lead to the loss of the flexibility that should characterize their work at the field level, to meet concrete situations and needs of the beneficiary countries’ development. Therefore, every Fund and Program has developed abilities based on their experience and level of specialization in their different topics, areas of activities and specific mandates.
We hope, Madam Chair, that our debates on all these issues are fruitful and contribute to improve the quality of the work of the UN system in the field in favour of development, because, as it is also very well stated in the above mentioned report of the Secretary-General, there has to be a strong political will to equip the Organization to not only set international commitments, but also to support countries in their implementation.
Thank you very much.
(Cubaminrex- Embacuba ONU)