USEFULNESS OF PLEDGING CONFERENCES FOR UN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES QUESTIONED AS 1998 CONFERENCE CONTINUES AT HEADQUARTERS
Press Release
DEV/2192*
GA/9496
USEFULNESS OF PLEDGING CONFERENCES FOR UN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES QUESTIONED AS 1998 CONFERENCE CONTINUES AT HEADQUARTERS
19981104 Members States this morning pledged contributions in support of the development activities of the United Nations system, as the annual Pledging Conference for those activities continued.In addition to pledges, a number of delegations questioned the usefulness of the pledging conference. The representative of the Netherlands said his country had serious doubts as to whether the present system should be continued. The representative of Denmark said there was a fundamental problem with the current voluntary annual funding system, and that holding a pledging conference was not the solution.
There was a need to hold these conferences after changes in procedures were defined and agreed upon by all delegations, said the representative of Spain. Also, like many other delegations, he added that the shortfall in official development assistance (ODA) was an issue of concern. The representative of Indonesia, stating that the pledging conference was critical and significant, expressed deep concern over the decline in core resources for development.
The total amount of pledges made will be available after the Conference concludes tomorrow, 5 November. Pledges made today are listed in alphabetical order of the countries making pledges.
Pledges were made by Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, India, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Maldives, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey and Yemen.
Statements were also made by Bangladesh, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Maldives, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea and Turkey.
* Press Release SG/SM/6783-DEV/2190-SAG/18 should have been SG/SM/6783- DEV/2191-SAG/18.
At the outset of the meeting, Sotirios Zackheos (Cyprus) was elected President of the Conference, and Gian Nicola Filippi Balestra (San Marino) was elected Vice-President.
The Conference will reconvene at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 5 November.
Statements
The representative of Denmark said that there was a fundamental problem with the current ad hoc voluntary annual funding system of United Nations development activities, and that holding a pledging conference was not the solution. His country was disappointed by the continued decline in multilateral development assistance at a time when Denmark was consistently allocating more than 1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to development assistance.
The representative of the Netherlands said that his country sincerely hoped that the international community would consider the usefulness of pledging conferences. His country had serious doubts as to whether the present system should be continued, and felt that support for United Nations development programmes should not only come from a few donor countries. He urged affluent nations, as well as newly industrialized nations to contribute.
The representative of India said that the financial crisis that the United Nations faced had its origin in non-payment of assessed contributions by some richer industrialized Members. Unless assessed contributions were paid promptly, on time, in full and without conditions, reforms of the Organization would fail in impact. Reductions in the funding of operational activities for development was yet another unfortunate dimension of the widespread indifference to development and multilateralism among donor countries.
The representative of Ghana said development activities were bound to become even more significant in a world faced with the considerable challenges of globalization. His country would maintain the level of contributions of last year.
The representative of Luxembourg said the international community must continue official development aid in order to continue to make strides towards human development targets. In 1997, his country allocated 0.55 per cent of its gross national product (GNP) for ODA, and it would work towards the goal of allocating 0.7 per cent.
The representative of Republic of Korea said the successful implementation of development policies largely depended on enhanced efficiency of programmes and the mobilization of adequate resources. His delegation welcomed the productive
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outcome and ongoing consultations of funding strategies at the recent executive board meetings of the United Nations funds and programmes. Although his country was not in a position to announce pledges at the current time, because its national budget process was not yet completed, it would, despite its financial difficulties, do its part to contribute to development activities.
The representative of China said that 240 million people in his country were affected by floods, and direct economic loss amounted to over $20 billion. In spite of those problems, China would still do what it could to provide voluntary contributions to the funds and programmes engaged in the operational activities for development. The past several years had seen a small but continuous increase in China's pledged contributions.
The representative of Turkey said his country attached great significance to the development activities of the United Nations system and noted that its pledges for 1999 would be higher than those of the previous year.
The representative of the Czech Republic expressed concern with the overall decline in funding for development. She noted that her country's pledges would constitute an increase of 30 per cent from the previous year's pledges.
The representative of Japan said there was a need to decide on the future of pledging conferences.
The representative of Ireland said his country was concerned with decreasing ODA levels to its current all time low, in which the poorest and most vulnerable countries had been hardest hit. In contrast to that trend, Ireland had been increasing its support. His country was not in a position to make any pledges at this time, but would do that later.
The representative of Germany said a newly elected parliament took office in his country recently. One of the most important initial tasks for the Government would be to finalize a budget. His delegation could not pledge at this time.
The representative of Liechtenstein said the international community had a responsibility to aid world development. His country had, in the past, supported United Nations development activities.
The representative of Portugal said that his country shared concerns about the decline in resources for development activities.
The representative of the Maldives said that his country had increased the level of its contributions over the years.
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The representative of Norway said that long-term capacity-building efforts in the poorest countries had been placed severely at risk due to an overall decrease in ODA. Norway, however, had been a major contributor to multilateral development for many years, and the Norwegian Government intended to increase its level of funding in future years.
The representative of Bangladesh said that while the need for ODA was on the rise, a shift from long-term funds to emergency relief funds had resulted in an overall shortfall in funds for development. He suggested that amounts be negotiated in the form of multi-year pledges to assure reliability and predictability of funds. Such arrangements would add to the effectiveness of the operational activities for development.
The representative of Indonesia said his country believed that the pledging conference was critical and significant, but it had deep concern that the current pledging conference took place in a backdrop of a decline of core resources for development. His country's contributions would be announced in the future.
The representative of Spain said that there was a need to hold these conferences after changes in procedures were defined and agreed upon by all delegations. He expressed concern with the shortfall in ODA. With the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty coming to an end, the crisis had not been eliminated and would, therefore, threaten other parts of the earth. It was, therefore, necessary for all countries to do their utmost to increase ODA so that the international community may progress. His country's contributions would be announced in the future.
Pledges Made
Algeria
UNDP $100,000 UNFPA 300,000 dinars UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture $ 5,000
Austria
UNDP 125,000,000 schillings UNICEF 20,000,000 " UN Capital Development Fund 170,000 " UNFPA 6,400,000 " INSTRAW $10,000 UN Volunteers 700,000 schillings UN Drug Control Programme 7,000,000 "
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Austria (continued)
UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund 1,000,000 " UN Voluntary Fund for Human Rights Advisory Services and Technical Cooperation $20,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation 900,000 schillings UN Voluntary Fund for Disability 100,000 " UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture $20,000
Bangladesh
UNDP $150,000 UNDP local office 1,100,000 taka UNICEF $32,000 UN Capital Development Fund $3,500 UNFPA $25,000 UNIFEM $1,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $1,500 UN Volunteers $1,000 UNEP $2,550 UN Drug Control Programme $1,000
Belgium
UNDP 452,200,000 Belgian francs UNICEF 80,000,000 " UNFPA 70,000,000 " UNIFEM 15,000,000 " UN Volunteers 90,000,000 "
Benin
UNDP $5,000 UNICEF $4,000 UNFPA $3,500 UNEP $2,000 Special Measures Fund for LDCs $1,000 UN Trust Fund to Combat Desertification and Drought $1,000 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights $2,000 UNHCR $1,500 Food and Agriculture Organization $3,000
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Bolivia
UNDP $70,000 UNICEF $70,000 UNFPA $4,000 INSTRAW $1,000 UNIFEM $1,000 UNEP $2,000 UN Drug Control Programme $5,000 UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund $1,000 UN Fund for Science and Technology for Development $1,000 UN Voluntary Fund for International Decade of Indigenous People $1,000 UN Trust Fund to Combat Desertification and Drought $1,000 UN Voluntary Fund for Disability $1,000 UN Youth Fund $1,000 UN Fund for Science and Technology for Development $1,000
Bulgaria
UNDP 1,800,000 leva UNICEF 250,000 leva UNFPA 300,000 leva
China
UNDP $3,000,000 UNDP Office in China 2,500,000 yuan UNICEF $1,100,000 UNICEF Office in China 500,000 yuan UN Capital Development Fund $30,000 INSTRAW $10,000 UNIFEM $30,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $40,000 UNITAR $10,000 UN Volunteers $30,000 UNEP $180,000 UN Revolving Fund for Natural Resources Exploration $20,000 UN Voluntary Fund for Disability $10,000
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Colombia
UNDP $450,000 UNICEF $450,000 UNFPA $40,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $12,000 UNEP $37,000
Côte d'Ivoire
UNICEF $5,000 UNFPA $,5000
Cuba
UNDP local office 200,000 pesos UNICEF 110,000 " UN Capital Development Fund 1,352,754 " UNIDO 21,000 "
Czech Republic
UNDP 6,750,000 koruny UNICEF 5,000,000 " UNFPA 2,000,000 " UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation 2,000,000 " UN Volunteers 2,500,000 " UNEP 5,000,000 " UN Drug Control Programme 2,000,000 " UNRWA 1,000,000 "
Ethiopia
UNDP $144,927 UNDP Office in Ethiopia 60,000 birr UNICEF $49,277 UNFPA 30,000 birr
Ghana
UNDP $40,000 UNICEF $5,000 UNFPA $10,000 UNIFEM $5,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $5,000 UNITAR $5,000
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Ghana (continued)
UNEP $5,000 UN Trust Fund to Combat Desertification and Drought $5,000
Greece
UNDP 70,000,000 drachmas UNICEF $230,000 UNIFEM $3,600 INSTRAW $4,000 UNITAR $6,000 UNEP $20,000 UNEP Trust Fund, Basel Convention $8,000 UNEP Trust Fund, Montreal Protocol $9,000 UN Multilateral Fund for Montreal Protocol on Ozone Layer $696,000 UN Trust Fund for Convention on Biological Diversity $20,000 UNHCR $300,000 UNRWA $400,000 UN University $42,000 UN Drug Control Programme $20,000 UN Youth Fund $3,000 UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture $10,300 UN Voluntary Fund for International Decade of Indigenous People $3,000 UN General Fund $30,000 UN Institute for Disarmament Research $7,600 UN Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa $9,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $16,000 Seabed Authority $19,000
India UNDP $4,500,000 UNICEF 31,000,000 rupees UNFPA 9,000,000 " INSTRAW 50,000 " UNIFEM 509,000 " UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $100,000 UN Volunteers $15,000 UNEP $100,000 UN Drug Control Programme $60,000
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India (continued)
UN Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa $2,000 UNRWA 225,000 rupees
Kuwait
UNDP $570,000 UNICEF $200,000 UNITAR $20,000 UNEP $200,000 UN Fund for Drug Abuse Control $5,000
Lesotho
UNDP 493,216 maloti UNICEF 23,623 " UN Capital Development Fund 4,231 " UNFPA 4,696 " INSTRAW 4,400 " UNIFEM 3,685 " UN Volunteers 4,231 " UN Fund for Science and Technology for Development 3,354 " Special Measures Fund for LDCs 2,745 " UN Trust Fund to Combat Desertification and Drought 2,200 " Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries 8,800 "
Liechtenstein
UNDP 10,000 Swiss francs UNICEF 7,000 " UNFPA 5,000 " UNIFEM 8,000 " UN Voluntaary Fund for Victims of Torture 10,000 " UNAIDS 10,000 "
Luxembourg
UNDP 24,000,000 francs UNICEF 16,000,000 " UNFPA 16,000,000 " INSTRAW 600,000 "
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Luxembourg (continued)
UNIFEM 16,000,000 " UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation 2,000,000 " UNEP 1,000,000 " UN Drug Control Programme 3,000,000 " UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture 500,000 " UNAIDS 16,000,000 "
Maldives
UNDP $7,500 UNICEF $7,500 UN Capital Development Fund $2,000 UNFPA $2,000 INSTRAW $500 UNIFEM $1,700
Myanmar
UNDP 1,080,000 kyats UN Capital Development Fund $5,000 UNFPA 60,000 kyats
Netherlands
UNICEF 52,000,000 guilders UN Capital Development Fund 15,000,000 " UNFPA 78,500,000 " INSTRAW 500,000 " UNIFEM 6,400,000 " UN Volunteers 750,000 " UNEP 4,100,000 " UN Drug Control Programme 1,500,000 " UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture 1,000,000 " UN Research Institute for Social Development 250,000 " UNHCR 47,500,000 " UNRWA 11,000,000 " UNAIDS 12,000,000 "
Philippines
UNDP $ 7,000 UNDP local office 17,750,000 pesos UNICEF $78,595
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Philippines (continued)
UNIFEM $5,000 UN Volunteers $1,200 UNEP $9,381 UN Voluntary Fund for Disability $691 UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture $2,595 UNDRO $643
Poland
UNDP $400,000 UNDP Warsaw office $200,000 UNICEF $46,000 UNFPA $23,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $5,000
Portugal
UNDP $1,600,000 UNICEF $200,000 UNFPA $55,000 UNIFEM $20,000 UN Habitat & Human Settlements Foundation $25,000 UNEP $70,000 UN Drug Control Programme $25,000 UN Trust Fund to Combat Desertification and Drought $100,000 UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture $15,000 World Food Programme $185,000 UNCTAD $100,000 IAEA $100,000 UNRWA $25,000 UNHCR $225,000 UNIDO $100,000
Saudi Arabia
UNDP $3,500,000 UNICEF $1,000,002 UNFPA $30,000 UN Drug Control Programme $50,000
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Switzerland
UN Capital Development Fund 17,000,000 Swiss francs UNFPA 11,000,000 " UNIFEM 700,000 " UN Volunteers 500,000 " UNAIDS 2,200,000 "
Turkey
UNDP $770,000 UNDP Study Programme $30,000 UNICEF $120,000 UNFPA $108,000 INSTRAW $35,000 UNIFEM $15,000 UNEP $100,000 UN Drug Control Programme $250,000 UN Volunteers $50,000 UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund $50,000
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