STRENGTHENED SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION EMPHASIZED IN SECOND COMMITTEE
Press Release
GA/EF/2697
STRENGTHENED SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION EMPHASIZED IN SECOND COMMITTEE
19951107 The strengthening of South-South cooperation and involvement of the private sector and the donor community in triangular funding arrangements were underscored this afternoon, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its consideration of economic and technical cooperation among developing countries.The representative of India said South-South cooperation should also be expanded by increasing product and country coverage and the private sector should also be encouraged to get involved in technical cooperation. The representative of the Republic of Korea spoke of the technical assistance his Government was providing other developing countries through training programmes.
The representative of Algeria said that for the potential of South-South cooperation to be fully realized, triangular arrangements must be strengthened with donor countries involved. He also called for the strengthening of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Special Unit for technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC).
Speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community, the representative of Botswana said the expansion of the Community in the last few years had provided them with new challenges and enhanced prospects for regional economic integration and also the need for new and additional resources to meet those challenges.
The representative of Belize called on the economic cooperation among developing countries (ECDC)/TCDC institutions of the United Nations to take a hard look on how the positions of small countries could be improved in the area of multilateral trade, stressing particularly the need to provide assistance in developing regional mechanisms for trade adjudication. The observer of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said his organization was ready to collaborate with the United Nations in providing expertise, consultancies and research and training opportunities.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 8 November, to begin the 1995 triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system.
Statements
MASEGO MPHATHI (Botswana), speaking also on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), said the past few years had seen the expansion of the Community with the admission of South Africa and Mauritius. The expansion had provided them with new challenges and enhanced prospects for regional economic integration. It had also called for new and additional resources to meet those challenges. Although there had been positive developments on the political front, he said the legacy of their immediate past imposed on them a daunting task, requiring them, as a region, to reconstruct their infrastructure and social life and to put their economies on a sustainable path.
He said the Community continued to appeal to the international community and relevant bodies of the United Nations system to extend appropriate assistance to the Community and enable it to advance the process of regional cooperation and economic integration. The Community had demonstrated its prudence in the management of financial and other resources. It had taken the initiative to create a formal sector or mechanism to deal with defence, security and conflict resolution, which had already scored some success. Further, the Community was currently engaged in discussions with other regional organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to identify and explore areas of mutual interest. It, therefore, welcomed the establishment of the African-Latin American Institute with headquarters both in Namibia and Uruguay.
SHARAD PAWAR (India) said economic and technical cooperation among developing countries was an important mechanism for promoting growth and accelerated development, especially at a time when protectionist pressures appeared to be intensifying in the developed countries. Cooperation among developing countries strengthened their collective self-reliance and also benefited global reorientation and growth. Assistance to and promotion of that aspect of South-South cooperation was a positive factor in North-South cooperation.
He said the lessons of the past suggested a focus on modest and practical projects, rather than luxurious or costly programmes. It would be useful to avoid waste and duplication and to harmonize efforts. The focus should be on trade, investment and transfer of technology between developing countries. The private sector should be more actively encouraged to get involved in the process, which would allow developing countries to tap a greater reserve of financial resources, management skills and technological capabilities.
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South-South cooperation should be expanded by increasing product and country coverage, he continued, adding that regional cooperation and integration arrangements should also be promoted to enhance competitiveness. Measures should also be taken to encourage private investment flows among developing countries. India had been cooperating with other developing countries, providing technical assistance in a variety of ways, including training facilities in Indian technical institutions.
HA YONG MOON (Republic of Korea) said his country attached great importance to South-south cooperation and had implemented various programmes to share its experiences with other developing countries. The Republic of Korea had hosted various training courses for participants from all over the developing world. His country, within its limited resources, was committed to assisting developing countries. The participation of the private sector and selected non-governmental organizations would also be beneficial to South- South cooperation. Private companies in his country were also involved in technical assistance programmes. He expressed support for triangular funding arrangements in technical cooperation programmes.
MERZAK BELHIMEUR (Algeria) said economic and technical cooperation among developing countries must be enhanced, as such cooperation was a catalyst in the growth of their economies. Regional integration efforts were growing in Africa and existing ones were being reorganized and strengthened. However, those efforts should not mislead people into thinking that all was well. The rich countries should display solidarity with the development efforts of the developing countries, even though those efforts were the primary responsibility of developing countries themselves.
He said prospects for growth could not be fruitful unless rich countries and international organizations became full partners in the restructuring of the international economy. For the potential of South-South cooperation to be fully realized, triangular arrangements must be strengthened with the donor countries involved. He also called for the strengthening of the UNDP's Special Unit for Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries (TCDC).
AHMET ENGIN ANSAY, observer of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said the international communities support strategy must always be tailored to the specific needs of Member States as identified by them, even when in certain instances those needs might fall in other areas of development, such as public service reform or electric power generation. In those instances, the challenge should be met with equal and unabated vigour. The capacity for technical cooperation among developing countries, wherever available, should be mobilized to support such initiatives.
He said the OIC stood ready to collaborate with the United Nations in providing expertise, consultancies and research and training opportunities. He looked forward to a revival of his organization's relationship with the
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UNDP's Special Unit for TCDC. He would support proposals that might feasibly advance that process, resource and other constraints notwithstanding. Other areas that had potential for cooperation between the OIC and United Nations organizations in the promotion of ECDC/TCDC would be collaboration in establishing an equivalent of the UNDP's Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) Programme in OIC member countries and promoting the trade information network of the Chambers of Commerce and Industries of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China.
EDWARD A. LAING (Belize) said the times called for intensification of ECDC/TCDC, which were somewhat of an antidote to globalization. Thus, developing countries must cooperate among themselves. There had been a proliferation of arrangements in the area of ECDC and TCDC, which had raised some concerns. At the current crucial time, there was a need to increase the dimension of formal cooperation. He cited problems faced by small countries in the area of multilateral trade, adding that those unfavourable conditions were not being helped by the mechanisms of the World Trade Organization. He called on the ECDC and TCDC institutions of the United Nations to examine how the positions of small countries could be improved in that regard, stressing particularly assistance in developing regional mechanisms for trade adjudication.
He underscored the importance of improvements in South-South communication capabilities, calling for a reversal of anti-democratic trends in the ownership of that vital medium. The support given by the Non-Aligned Movement to South-South cooperation was encouraging, as evidenced by the final document adopted at the Movement's summit meeting held in Cartagena, Colombia, last month. He called for strengthening of the UNDP's Special Unit for TCDC, as well as for the strengthening of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
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