SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN TENTH ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE, PRAISES ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF EUROPEAN BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN TENTH ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE, PRAISES ACCOMPLISHMENTS

OF EUROPEAN BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

   Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, delivered on his behalf by Danuta Hubner, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in London on 22 April:

It gives me great pleasure to send my greetings to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the occasion of its tenth anniversary.  Your institution, built upon the fragments of the Berlin Wall, shares many of the fundamental aims of the United Nations, an organization likewise constructed in the aftermath of an event that decisively changed the course of world history.  Indeed, the Bank's financing strategies are guided by two inter-related principles supported by the United Nations:  the promotion of democratic institutions, and the promotion of increased prosperity through well-functioning, market-based economies.

The United Nations greatly appreciates the Bank's many accomplishments in helping the recovery of countries with economies in transition, including those in conflict areas, particularly within the Stability Pact for South-eastern Europe.  You have demonstrated the role that international financial institutions can play in building institutions, creating regulatory frameworks, promoting the rule of law and assisting in the emergence of the private sector, while ensuring that the environmental aspects of development are taking into account in the policy-making process.

The International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held next year in Mexico, offers an important opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and international financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, so that we may better pursue our common goals.  We must build on last December's regional preparatory meeting, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, in close cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and use this Conference and our dialogue to unleash the reservoir of human creativity, which can contribute so much to human development.  The release of this human potential requires investment in education, infrastructure, public health and other basic social services.  That is why the financing of development is such a crucial issue. 

Whether in the form of domestic savings, foreign direct investment, official development assistance or public-private partnerships, the mobilization of resources is vital if we are to reach the poor, generate opportunities for the young and make globalization more inclusive and equitable.

The European continent is not only a wealthy region; it also includes many transition economies -- particularly in South-eastern Europe and the Confederation of Independent States -- facing problems similar to those of developing countries. As we move ahead, we must be sure to focus on the social cost of transition, not only as a question of social justice but also to avoid discontent that could impede the sustainability of the transition process.  And we must narrow the gaps between the wealthiest countries and those lagging behind, in order to avoid the emergence of new dividing lines in Europe.  I look forward to working together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Economic Commission for Europe and other partners in this vital endeavour.  In that spirit, please accept my congratulations on this anniversary and my best wishes for your current deliberations.

* *** *