SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, UNDERGOING EXTENSIVE REFORM, MERIT STRONGER SUPPORT
Press Release
SG/SM/6103
WFP/1041
SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, UNDERGOING EXTENSIVE REFORM, MERIT STRONGER SUPPORT
19961104 Pledging Conference Hears Appeal for Maximum Contributions To Fortify Development, Relief, Food Aid and Related OperationsThis is the text of the statement by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali to the United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities and the United Nations/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Pledging Conference for the World Food Programme (WFP):
I am pleased to have this opportunity to address you and to open both the 1996 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities and the Pledging Conference for the World Food Programme. The joining of the two pledging conferences provides Member States an excellent opportunity to reaffirm their support not only for individual programmes and funds within the Organization, but also for the overall process of multilateral cooperation for development.
United Nations operational activities for national development efforts continue to be in high demand. These activities aim first and foremost to build self-reliant capacity to fight poverty and underdevelopment. They have been given renewed impetus by the policy consensus and commitments reached at recent global conferences. They are an essential component of the effort to ensure that these global agreements lead to concrete achievements at the country level. And they are undergoing extensive reform as a result of initiatives taken within the system, particularly in the context of the follow-up to the results of the General Assembly's triennial comprehensive policy review and adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 50/227.
Voluntary resources, freely pledged, are an essential ingredient in these cooperative efforts. It is in this spirit of partnership and solidarity that we must continue to explore ways of providing increased resources on a more predictable, continuous and assured basis. Together with a strengthening of the policy consensus that must underlie these activities, this effort will
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be the way for governments to demonstrate their continued commitment to the international development agenda, to global partnerships for development, and to the process of reform and renewal.
The level of resources made available to United Nations operational activities for development reflects political choices made by Member States, and particularly by donor countries. Overall trends in this respect are a matter of concern. There are contradictory signals that need to be addressed by the international community. Overall levels of resources are declining just at a time when there is renewed consensus on policies and renewed commitments made at the highest level in United Nations conferences and summits and in the General Assembly.
There is also a growing gap between resource flows and demands. Resources for development are lagging, while the United Nations is seeking to carry out an expanding roster of tasks and mandates. In 1995, voluntary contributions to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the WFP amounted to $4.5 billion, which is $108 million less than in 1994 and $268 million less than in 1992.
Another disturbing trend is the decline in core resources at a time when there is renewed consensus on the need for greater coordination and for multidisciplinary response to global problems. Increasing the resources channelled through trusts and other special-purpose funds is welcome, but this should not occur at the expense of core funding.
I would now like to make a few comments on the specific requirements of the United Nations funds and programmes.
The United Nations Development Programme continues to be the Organization's largest provider of grant funding for development, and the main mechanism for coordinating its development assistance. In recent years, the UNDP has been carrying out significant reforms. The first major change has been to put the eradication of poverty at the centre of all its work, focusing especially on environmental regeneration, job creation and the advancement of women.
The second major change is in the way funds are allocated. In June 1995, the UNDP Executive Board endorsed a new three-year programming framework and established, for planning purposes, the figure of $3.3 billion for core resources for the three-year period starting in 1997. With your support, the UNDP can become an even more powerful force for development.
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The United Nations Children's Fund has continued to concentrate the bulk of its efforts on combating the "silent emergencies" facing children around the world -- the insidious combination of disease, malnutrition and poverty. The UNICEF's decentralized structure allows UNICEF to respond rapidly to the changing needs of women and children and to emergency situations as well.
The UNICEF cooperation in many countries is guided by national Programmes of Action prepared in response to the 1990 World Summit for Children. In September, I reported on mid-decade progress in implementing General Assembly resolution 45/217 on the World Summit. There is, I said, "an encouraging trend towards the achievement of the majority of the goals for children in most countries...". But I also noted that "at the same time it is acknowledged that in relation to some goals there has not been significant progress". Our challenge now is to enhance UNICEF's reporting to help countries improve this record.
The United Nations Population Fund, as the lead United Nations organization for follow-up to the International Conference on Population and Development, has worked vigorously with many developing countries to incorporate the Cairo Programme of Action into their individual development plans. The UNFPA has also led an inter-agency task force to ensure system- wide collaboration, and has been a global advocate for women's empowerment.
At the national level, a great deal of effort is being made by programme countries to expand reproductive health services. The available data indicates that national resource allocation is on the increase. The international community must do its part. Last year marked a good start. The UNFPA increased its income by 17.8 per cent over 1994. However, this momentum has not been maintained during 1996. This is a source of great concern.
The World Food Programme has established a target of $1.3 billion in development resources for the 1997-98 biennium. This represents a reduction, owing to shortfalls in the attainment of previous targets. Currently, only 54 per cent of the target has been met, preventing the WFP from responding to many deserving requests for food aid in support of development, rehabilitation and disaster preparedness activities.
During the last two years, the WFP has made important efforts to strengthen its financial management and accountability systems. For example, new resource and long-term financing policies are now based on the principle of full-cost recovery. The WFP is also reorganizing and streamlining existing structures and processes.
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To meet the pressing needs of victims of emergencies, the WFP has two main instruments. The first is the International Emergency Food Reserve, which has a minimum annual target of 500,000 tons. The second is the Immediate Response Account, which has a target of $35 million in cash.
For longer-term refugees and displaced persons, it is anticipated that the Programme will require a minimum of 550,000 tons of food annually during the 1997-98 biennium. While there continues to be strong donor support for WFP activities aimed at refugees, displaced persons and victims of natural and man-made disasters, the decline in resources for the WFP's development activities is a matter of concern. Joining the two pledging conferences must be seized on as an opportunity to address the implications of this trend for the effectiveness of overall United Nations development assistance.
Developing countries are deeply aware that they bear the principal responsibility for their development. Their individual and collective effort cannot succeed without external support. The international community has consistently recognized its responsibility in this regard.
Developing countries value the operational activities for development as a complement to their efforts, on the basis of agreed mandates, principles and priorities. In that spirit, let us reverse recent trends of stagnant and declining contributions. The example of those countries that have increased their contributions must be emulated. Let us demonstrate our commitment to the development mission of the Organization, and to the United Nations funds and programmes that are the main agents of this mission. Let us ensure that development activities can proceed in a stable and predictable financial environment, a sine qua non for sustained development impact.
Development is the most important task facing humanity. I will continue to do my utmost to sustain global momentum in favour of United Nations development activities. And I urge you to do the maximum possible within your areas of concern, interest and expertise. Your voluntary contributions will have an immediate, significant impact in the lives of millions of people in need throughout the world.
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