ENHANCING FOLLOW-UP TO MAJOR GLOBAL CONFERENCES, ROLE OF PARTNERSHIPS IN ACHIEVING DEVELOPMENT TARGETS, AMONG ISSUES RAISED IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Plenary

40^th & 41^st Meetings (AM & PM)

ENHANCING FOLLOW-UP TO MAJOR GLOBAL CONFERENCES, ROLE OF PARTNERSHIPS IN ACHIEVING

DEVELOPMENT TARGETS, AMONG ISSUES RAISED IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Looking ahead to a proposed 2005 review of actions taken to achieve global development targets, the General Assembly today discussed ways to enhance follow-up of major United Nations conferences and summits and stressed that partnerships had the potential to complement the world body’s efforts to achieve its objectives.

Speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, Morocco’s representative said that the global community now had a clear road map -- marked by the action plans and declarations adopted at the major conferences -– conducive to creating conditions for peace and sustainable development.  But that would require unswerving determination, he added.

It would be critical for developed countries to help developing ones reach global development goals by providing access to markets, stepping up official development assistance and increasing funds to fight pandemics, he said.  Also crucial were global partnerships, which benefited all and led to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, he said, referring to the targets set by the 2000 Millennium Summit, which ranged from halving extreme poverty to providing universal primary education by 2015. 

The representative of Peru, speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, was among those who stressed that the Monterrey International Conference on Financing for Development and the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development provided a framework for considering the major challenges facing humanity.  However, to confront those challenges, it was important to recognize that every actor must be involved in the fulfilment of each commitment.  It also was necessary to coordinate and integrate the work of all actors involved, including States, institutions, agencies and the private sector, among others.

Furthermore, he emphasized the need to periodically examine progress made in the fulfilment of goals agreed to at major conferences and summits.  Doing so would be the best way to renew working methods, as well as to improve synergies with other follow-up processes.  It would also enable delegations to estimate advancements, maintain stimulus, and design measures to overcome obstacles.  As such, he supported the holding of a summit in 2005 to survey progress, which would coincide with a review of the implementation of the Millennium Goals. 

Switzerland’s representative subscribed to the principle of the primary responsibility of States to eradicate poverty, respect human rights, protect the environment and promote social and sustainable development.  However, in the current climate of economic and social globalization, everyone agreed on the need to develop and affirm a new culture of collaboration, which relied on all of society’s available resources.  He was convinced that partnerships represented one way of maintaining the process or even breathing new life into the commitments that had been made at the Millennium Summit.

He went on to say that all partnerships initiated within the United Nations context must preserve the Organization’s integrity, impartiality and independence; function in as transparent a manner as possible; and contribute to the achievement of the Organization’s goals.  It was in that same spirit that Switzerland supported the Global Compact, the backbone of which must remain the transparency and responsibility of all actors involved.

A two-pronged approach was necessary to reviewing implementation of conference outcomes, stated India’s representative.  To begin with, an integrated and coordinated approach was necessary with respect to common goals.  Secondly, what was required was a focused review that sought to retain the identity and integrity of every major conference, and to stimulate progress in the implementation process.  As such, the Economic and Social Council and its commissions could play a major role in addressing that task.

Along with partnerships and coordination implementation of the follow-up to United Nations conferences, the Assembly also considered matters related to the Decade to Roll Back Malaria (2001-2010).  It also began its consideration of global road safety crisis, during which the representative of Oman introduced a related draft resolution.  At the outset of the meeting, the Assembly concluded its consideration of follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children.

Also speaking in the Assembly today were the representatives of the Republic of Korea, Paraguay, Thailand, Nepal, Sudan, Russian Federation, Iran, Italy (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Pakistan, China, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, Malaysia, Tunisia, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Jamaica, United States, Namibia, Egypt, Kenya, Togo, Eritrea, Fiji, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Costa Rica.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 23 October, to elect five non-permanent members of the Security Council.

Background

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its consideration of the following items:  follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children; towards global partnerships; follow-up to the outcomes of major United Nations conferences in the economic, social and related fields; the Decade to Roll Back Malaria; and global road safety crisis. 

For a summary of the reports before the Assembly on those items, see Press Release GA/10178 issued on 21 October.

In addition to the reports, the Assembly had before it a draft resolution on global road safety crisis (document A/58/L.3).  By the terms of the text, the Assembly would decide to hold a plenary meeting of the Assembly on 14 April 2004 in connection with World Health Day and the launching of the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention to increase awareness at a high level of the magnitude of the road traffic injury problem, and invite governments to participate, as appropriate.

The Assembly would also request the Department of Public Information to organize a meeting of experts, the private sector, relevant non-governmental organizations, members of civil society and other interested parties, including the media, on the afternoon of 14 April 2004, in conjunction with the plenary meeting, to raise awareness and exchange information on best road practices.

Further, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Assembly at its sixtieth session on the progress made in improving global road safety and the issues referred to in the present resolution, also taking into consideration the views expressed during the meetings on 14 April 2004.

Statements

KYUNG-WHA KANG (Republic of Korea) said that of the four major goals outlined in “A world fit for children”, the outcome document of the United Nations special session on children, she would focus on education, which was also identified in the Bali Consensus as an overarching imperative in fulfilling the commitments for children.  Her country had always given education the highest priority, as educated citizens had been the driving force behind the country’s economic development and democratic growth.  The Government had focused on achieving greater gender equality and eliminating gender discrimination in the field of education.

She said that a “gender-equal” curriculum for primary and secondary education had been worked out, and training programmes for teachers based on gender equality had also been strengthened.  Furthermore, measures had been put in place to empower women for promoting the rights and well-being of children, including strengthened maternity protection and childcare outside the home.  The Government had also sought to make improvement in the education sector regarding children with disabilities.  Those measures were an important part of the National Programme for the Promotion of the Welfare of the Disabled.  The country was also taking steps to meet the other major goals of promoting healthy lives, protecting children against abuse, exploitation and violence, and combating HIV/AIDS.

While promoting the goals at home, her country had also been active in regional and global initiatives on children, she continued.  She cited the Asia-Europe Meeting Action on Child Welfare and the Asia-Europe Meeting Initiative to Combat Trafficking in Women and Children as just some of the recent avenues through which the country had shared experiences and policies with others on the pending issues associated to children.  Additionally, the country’s official development aid programmes had also incorporated projects for children in East Asia and the Pacific region.

JUAN ALFREDO BUFFA (Paraguay) said his Government attached great importance to the protection and promotion of the fundamental rights of girls, boys and adolescents.  Paraguay was dedicated to implementing the goals and targets of the 1990 World Summit on Children, as well as those of the special session.  It was particularly concerned with meeting the goals aimed at providing access to education, health care and fighting disease, among others that had been elaborated in the Millennium Declaration.  Paraguay was committed to coordinate international objectives with national priorities.  He announced that Paraguay had adopted a national five-year plan, which aimed at greater and longer-term objectives involving the development of youth, who comprised nearly 40 per cent of the country’s population.

Paraguay’s Child and Adolescent Code, the principle document that guided the protection of children’s rights, had been elaborated in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  He stressed that Paraguay was striving to include children and adolescents at every level of decision-making that affected their well-being.  Despite real progress in many areas, much remained to be done, he continued, adding that the Government was seriously concerned about the number of street children, pregnancy among school-age children and the high number of dropouts -- largely due to the need to seek early employment.  But, the Government was committed to the development, education and training of the nation’s youth.  In that regard, it had proposed concrete and innovative strategies to help reverse the vicious cycle of poverty, which went a long way towards helping Paraguay achieve its goals on behalf of children. 

PRAVIT CHAIMONGKOL (Thailand) said his country attached great importance to the protection of children against abuse, exploitation and violence, and placed a special emphasis on the trafficking of children.  In addition to strengthening legislative measures, his nation had adopted the National Policy and Plan of Action to Prevent and Suppress Trafficking in Women and Children to address the root causes of that problem.  Regarding girls, special attention had been paid to their education in order to empower them.  Close cooperation with the United Nations systems and other nations, primarily Cambodia, China, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar, had helped in stepping up efforts to suppress the trafficking of children in the region.

Thailand was pleased to facilitate conflict resolution by providing a venue for peace talks between parties in conflict, he stated.  In fact, recent talks in his country had resulted in the reaffirmation of commitments by nations to refrain from using children under 18 years of age in combat, and from recruiting those under the age of 17.  His delegation underlined the importance of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and welcomed the increasing number of countries that had acceded to its two optional protocols.  He welcomed the enlargement of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, yet, was concerned about its increasingly heavy workload and backlog.

RAM BABU DHAKAL (Nepal) said his country had taken a number of legislative, policy and administrative steps to translate its commitments into improvements in the status of children.  A strategic action plan to address problems in seven key sectors had been formulated.  It included problems of children in bonded labour, child rag pickers, child porters, child domestic workers, children in mines, children in the carpet sector, trafficking in girls, and sexual or labour exploitation.  Special focus was on promoting healthy lives, provision of quality education, protection of children against abuse, exploitation and violence, as well as fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

He said that as part of the overall strategy, a comprehensive national plan of action on children was also under consideration with the assistance of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other United Nations agencies.  To implement those programmes, Nepal had already established a Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and instituted other vital measures.  At the regional level, the country had signed several South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conventions, which would complement global and national efforts to create a world fit for children. 

Despite those efforts, however, poverty persisted and children continued to suffer, he noted.  The Maoist insurgency in the country had further worsened the situation by disrupting much-needed development activities, destroying infrastructure and recruiting children as child soldiers.  Nepal, a least developed country, needed peace, in order to implement the various programmes and activities intended to protect children’s rights and promote their development.  To that end, the Government had been seeking to resolve the Maoist problem through dialogue, while at the same time taking measures to protect life and property from “Maoist brutalities”, as well as safeguard liberty and freedom from their desire to destroy democracy.

ILHAM IBRAHIM MOHAMED AHMED (Sudan) said it was clear that the international community had placed a priority on protecting and promoting the rights of children and of building their capacities in a safe and secure family environment.  It was, nevertheless, time to revitalize political will and step up the programme of work and action plan adopted at the special session.  That, along with greater international commitment, was particularly necessary because the developing countries would not be able to take advantage of the benefits of globalization, which would lead to further marginalization of the least developed countries, at the very time when many were facing increased poverty, epidemics and conflict.  Turning to the report, she said that, when considering the children of Africa, all issues that affected their well-being should be considered, including malaria, HIV/AIDS and high mortality rates due to malnutrition and armed conflict.

For its part, the Arab world had undertaken many initiatives on behalf of its children, within the framework of follow-up, including measures approved at the recent Arab Summit and a resolution adopted last May by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on the protection of children throughout the Arab world.  In the future, within the framework of follow-up, her delegation would like for the reports to include an analytical view of work done at national, international and regional levels, and to spell out progress and challenges.  Meanwhile, her delegation looked forward to the study under way in the Secretariat on children and violence, and hoped it would examine fundamental causes and underlying reasons for the violence that befell children, including sexual and commercial exploitation, and the ills they suffered from armed conflict and occupation.

RAMNATH KOVIND (India) said resources promised in 1990 had not been provided, and that implementation of programmes for children would not be possible without additional aid.  Referring to the Secretary-General’s report, he said it did not refer to problems identified regarding commitments, just a passing exaltation to countries on the follow-up to their commitments.  A more thorough analysis could have helped delegations with problems and constraints.  A recently commissioned study in India had discovered that $1 now could save $27 in the future in the area of health care and other social issues.

Poverty eradication should begin with children, he said.  As a country with the largest child population, his nation was aware of the challenges in that regard.  All indicators were positive, however, with the infant mortality rate in decline and malnutrition also decreasing from 1974 to 2000.  Primary school enrolment was 80 per cent in 2000 and the availability of safe drinking water had increased from 68 per cent in 1990 to 78 per cent in 2000.  There was a long road ahead but India was committed to the development of children.

India had established the largest childcare service in the world, he stated, and was focusing more attention on newborns, with an emphasis on the overall health status of children.  The impact of HIV/AIDS, however, made children victims of that tragedy and, as a result, efforts were in place to provide a social environment of prevention, care and support for victims.  Still, problems were persisting.  He noted that adolescent girls were receiving nutritional supplements, and girls and mothers were receiving education on proper nutrition to eradicate malnutrition.  India had a goal of achieving free elementary education by 2010, with special emphasis on girls’ education.

JENO C.A. STAEHELIN (Switzerland) subscribed to the principle of the primary responsibility of States to eradicate poverty, respect human rights, protect the environment and promote social and sustainable development.  There was little doubt about the central role of States, particularly when drafting national and international policy.  However, in the current climate of economic and social globalization, there was even less doubt that the requirements for global governance extended beyond the sphere of the competence and authority of governments.  Based on growing consensus, there was the need to develop and affirm a new culture of collaboration, which relied on all of society’s available resources.  He was convinced that partnerships represented one way of maintaining the process or even breathing new life into the commitments that had been made at the Millennium Summit.

He outlined three rules, which all partnerships initiated within the United Nations context must respect.  They must preserve the integrity, impartiality and independence of the United Nations; they must function in as transparent a manner as possible; and they must contribute to the achievement of the Organization’s goals.  The report of the Secretary-General had highlighted the need for a new culture of cooperation, and in that respect, Switzerland was interested by the development of policy dialogue with the private sector, as well as advocacy efforts undertaken to promote and sensitize non-State actors to United Nations objectives.  It was in that same spirit that Switzerland supported the Global Compact, the backbone of which must remain the transparency, and responsibility of all actors involved.  He also maintained that the Global Compact had reached the end of its experimental phase and was now maturing into adulthood.

EVGENY A. STANISLAVOV (Russian Federation) said the implementation of the goals set out in the Millennium Declaration required joint efforts and enhanced partnerships between States, international organizations, the private sector and other segments of civil society.  The experience of recent years had confirmed that the main focus of efforts should be the fight against poverty and assistance for economic growth and sustainable development.  The United Nations was, therefore, the most appropriate platform for developing such partnerships, since it ensured flexible coordination of work of its stakeholders, the balance of their interests, transparency, accountability and conformity with United Nations objectives.

He believed that further development of business relationships between the United Nations and the private sector should be supported and encouraged.  The globalization of the world economy had made business one of the key factors of development.  The full implementation of Monterrey and Johannesburg targets depended on the efficient participation of the private sector and other partners.  Russia was satisfied with the United Nations’ efforts to establish multilateral partnerships, and cited, in particular, the successful efforts of the United Nations information and communication technologies Task Force.  The United Nations system needed to expand the practice of partnerships, particularly in the area of development assistance.

It was also important that partners had an opportunity to exchange experience among themselves, he continued.  He also agreed with the Secretary-General’s position that there was no single model for successful partnerships.  However, in the final analysis, any innovations in the strategic framework and in practical implementation of partnerships should meet the interests of Member States and contribute to strengthening the authority and preserving the independence of the United Nations.

NASSROLLAH KAZEMI KAMYAB (Iran) said that his country attached great importance to the role and participation of stakeholders, including the private sector, in activities towards the achievement of United Nations goals and objectives.  Iran was well-disposed and fully prepared to engage actively in a proactive and constructive dialogue with all interested negotiating partners on all aspects of that important subject.  Partnerships, in all their aspects and at the national and global levels, had to be conducive to development and to the elimination of poverty.  The question was what role the international community had to play in that context, and how the development role of the United Nations system could be strengthened.

He said cooperation between the United Nations and relevant partners had to aim at contributing to the realization of the goals and objectives of the Organization.  It was imperative that the Organization and its related bodies focused their work on issues that were central to transferring knowledge and technology, and to building necessary domestic capacities, with a view to promoting the competitiveness of developing countries.  He expressed concern that the resources available to the United Nations system to assist developing countries in meeting the challenges they faced, in designing the policies and strategies needed to bridge the technology gap between the North and the South, were inadequate.  In that context, the resources that the partners within the framework of partnership could contribute, in terms of expertise, funding and technology, had to be complementary to governmental resources, not a substitute. 

ALDO MANTOVANI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said the United Nations and the private sector had developed valuable and diverse initiatives.  There were many forms of partnership, ranging from limited, time-bound joint ventures to global initiatives involving a variety of actors.  The Union had always considered that partnerships were integral to promote international cooperation for sustainable development.  Partnerships were supportive of and complementary to the intergovernmental processes and procedures of the United Nations, as well as policy-making at the national level.  Indeed, it was clear that to achieve the ambitious goals set out in the Millennium Declaration, the international community must explore new strategies and methods of work, and that would only be possible with the active participation of all stakeholders, governmental and non-governmental alike.

He went on to say that the 2002 Monterrey International Conference on Financing for Development had encouraged the establishment of partnerships, and at the Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), which followed Monterey by a few months; some 200 partnerships had been announced.  The United Nations information and communication technologies(ICT) Task Force was another valuable example of public-private-civil society partnership, in that case, one that aimed at ensuring new technologies were made available to all the world’s citizens in line with the Millennium Development Goals.  He looked forward to the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society as an opportunity to generate more successful partnerships in that key sector.

He stressed that global partnerships were not for multinational corporations alone.  Indeed, more attention was being paid to the contributions that could be made by the private sector.  The Union would like to see the United Nations expand its partnership strategy to include more initiatives driven by developing countries, if necessary through capacity-building projects.  The evolving debate on global corporate citizenship continued to gain momentum.  Governments should encourage companies to embrace the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinationals and the Global Compact, and become involved in other partnerships aimed at poverty reduction and sustainable development.

The Compact, launched by the Secretary-General in 2000, had received tremendous international support, and the private sector had also come to recognize the need to balance financial and economic imperatives with broader societal concerns.  So far, some 1,200 companies had signed on to the strategy.  The Union supported the Compact and its efforts to integrate its principles into business activities, and believed that it contributed positively to global efforts to achieve the Millennium Goals.  While he understood that the pursuit of profit might take precedence over the public good, partnerships must not compromise the independence of the United Nations or prevent the world body from defending general interests. 

SIMIN MAHMOOD JAN (Pakistan) said it was becoming increasingly evident that if globalization was to work for all, then the economic, financial and social challenges which confronted humanity would have to be addressed in a coherent and collective manner by all stakeholders.  That required greater cooperation between Member States and other non-State actors, such as the Bretton Wood institutions, civil society and the private sector.  She welcomed cooperation between the United Nations and other stakeholders, and acknowledged the positive role such partnerships played in facilitating the flow of financial resources and technical know-how, including research and development, building capacities and sharing experiences in various realms of development.  She also recognized the pivotal role the private sector could play in achieving the development objectives of the major United Nations summits and conferences, particularly in the areas of trade, debt, investment, technology and industrial cooperation.

Partnerships, she noted, were a tool to complement United Nations efforts to achieve its goals and objectives.  Considering the diversity of areas in which the United Nations system worked with its development partners, evolving a uniform modality of interaction and rules of engagement was not possible.  But, it was also impossible to work with non-State actors without defining the scope and limits of such cooperation.  Therefore, it was important that the partnership arrangements between the United Nations system and the private sector be based on clearly defined definitions, principles and criteria.  The principles and approaches for such partnerships should be built on the firm foundation of the purposes and principles set out in the United Nations Charter.  She maintained that non-State actors could support developing countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty by providing financial resources, technical expertise and transfer of technologies. 

ZHANG YISHAN (China) said the reach of economic globalization had broadened and deepened over recent years, yet the gap between North and South continued to widen, and disparity in the development of nations had become more pronounced.  A considerable role was being played by the private sector, especially transnational corporations, in globalization.  To turn globalization into a positive force, all relevant partners, including the private sector, should make their unique contributions, in particular in the areas of technology and financing.  He supported the strengthening of the United Nations and its cooperation with relevant partners.

To make the most of partnerships, he emphasized the importance of partners to conform to the purposes and principles of the Charter, as well as to the rules of the Organization. In addition, partnerships should complement, not substitute, intergovernmental cooperation and should be action-oriented. The United Nations should also adopt diverse and flexible forms of cooperation with relevant partners, and those partnerships should be guided and regulated to ensure quality. Lastly, partnerships in the field of sustainable development, formulated by the Commission on Sustainable Development, could serve as guide for other partnerships within the Organization’s system.

FRANCIS K. BUTAGIRA (Uganda) said it was clear from the report that the United Nations had been active in building partnerships to achieve the goal of poverty eradication and other goals of the Organization.  There were numerous examples of partnership projects, including in education, eliminating child labour, promoting youth issues, human rights, information technology and sustainable technology, all of which contributed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  Those partnerships were of particular importance to developing countries that had tremendous problems mobilizing financial, technical and human resources to implement development and poverty eradication programmes.  Partnerships from private sector programmes could come in to complement Government efforts.

At the same time, such partnerships should not be a substitute for the responsibility of States to be the lead participants in their own development and the fight for poverty eradication.  They should also not be a substitute for the international community to meet their commitments to help developing countries eradicate poverty and achieve other agreed targets that were necessary for development.  Cooperation between the United Nations and other relevant non-State actors, especially in the private sector, was necessary and mutually beneficial.  In its quest to deliver programmes to Member States, the United Nations should continue to assess the benefits and risks associated with partnerships with non-State actors and strengthen guidelines for such cooperation.

CHRISTINE KANGALOO, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, informed the Assembly that her country’s national plan of action on implementing the commitments, made at the special session on children, was well advanced and was expected to be completed and approved by the cabinet next year.  That National Plan of Action, drawn up following regional public consultations to incorporate the views of civil society and other organizations, would identify concrete strategies for the development of children.  Additionally, other activities and policy initiatives had been started or were fully under way in several areas, all of which were aimed at fully respecting and protecting children’s rights in the country.

Trinidad and Tobago’s broad policy on children envisaged the following:  provision of quality education at all levels from early childhood; ensuring access to training meant to promote sustainable employment; promotion of the protection of children’s rights; fostering youth leadership and participation in community activities and national decision-making; and increased awareness of health issues such as HIV/AIDS.  The country had also developed a plan to achieve universal pre-school education before the end of the decade.  Further, the Government remained committed to ensuring the protection and well-being of the nation’s children and would do everything to guarantee not only their survival but that they grew into healthy young adults capable of playing a meaningful role in the development of the country.

ABDELLAH BENMELLOUK (Morocco), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that in order to consider integrated and coordinated implementation of the major United Nations summits and conferences of the past decade, there was a need to reflect realistically on the commitments resulting from them in the areas of economic and social development.  The commendable and extensive work done thus far had led to considerable achievements.  The international community now had a clear road map -- marked by the various conference action plans and declarations -– which was conducive to creating conditions for sustainable and harmonious development and a peaceful world.

However, that would require unswerving determination, taking into account the specific requirements of each outcome and the focus of each of those conferences.  The Group had launched an initiative to establish an ad hoc working group to consider, among other things, the proposed 2005 summit on the Millennium Goals, and involving the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in the work of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on wider follow-up initiatives.

It was more necessary than ever before, he stated, for developed countries –- in the spirit of solidarity, partnership and shared responsibility -– to contribute to efforts aimed at helping developing countries reach the goals set by past United Nations conferences.  Among other things, they should work to provide access to markets, step up official development assistance (ODA), reduce debt -- and cancel the debt for the least developed countries (LDC’s), increase funds to fight pandemics and promote investment in developing countries.  It was also necessary to ensure a global partnership for development, which benefited all and led to the universal achievement of the Millennium Goals.  The Group hoped that the prospect of a global summit in 2005 on the Goals would help to put development at the top of the United Nation agenda.  He urged the Assembly to take advantage of the debate today to decide on the modalities of the summit.

MARCO BALAREZO (Peru), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said conferences and summits provided a framework for considering the major challenges facing humanity.  However, to confront those challenges, it was important to recognize that every actor must be involved in the fulfilment of each commitment.  It also was necessary to coordinate and integrate the work of all actors involved, including States, institutions, agencies and the private sector, among others.  He noted the proposal to strengthen ECOSOC’s role and to improve its function in the area of coordination, particularly with regard to commissions and the impact of activities of the United Nations funds and programmes.

Furthermore, he emphasized the need to periodically examine progress made in the fulfilment of goals agreed to at major conferences and summits.  Doing so would be the best way to renew working methods, as well as to improve synergies with other follow-up processes.  Emphasizing the importance of periodic review would also enable delegations to estimate advancements, maintain stimulus, and design measures to overcome obstacles.  As such, his delegation supported the holding of a summit in 2005 to survey progress, which would coincide with a review of the implementation of the Millennium Declaration. 

ALDO MANTOVANI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said he supported a strong and effective United Nations system, and believed multilateral institutions needed to be updated and strengthened.  To that end, the implementation of commitments made at major United Nations conferences and summits of the last decade, including the Millennium Declaration should be the principal goal for the years ahead.  For the Union, the Millennium Declaration constituted the overarching policy framework for the economic and social work of the Organization.  The United Nations had a central role to play in maintaining the political momentum established through the major conferences, and in ensuring a more integrated and coordinated implementation of their targets and commitments.

He said the Union was committed to the success of the upcoming High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, which would allow for Member States to make an assessment of the follow-up to the mechanisms established in the Monterrey Consensus.  The Consensus had been successful because it had been based on an innovative partnership between the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization (WTO).  Those organizations had demonstrated a great commitment in implementing the Monterrey Consensus and had shown that it was possible to work together, within their respective mandates, to accomplish a common objective.  He urged continued involvement of those institutions in discussions intended to determine the best ways to ensure that follow-up mechanisms reflected the spirit of Monterrey and corresponded to the common objectives of Member States.

It would take political attention, a strong commitment and an unwavering dedication at both the national and international levels to achieve the Millennium Declaration Goals, as well as the objectives of the other major United Nations conferences and summits, he declared.  The major event in 2005 would, therefore, strengthen the common will to focus on implementation, based on a comprehensive review of the progress achieved.

SYED NAVEED QAMAR (Pakistan) expressed satisfaction that ECOSOC had been given the primary responsibility to act as the central forum for system-wide coordination and annual review and assessment of the progress in the implementation of the United Nations conference outcomes.  He looked forward to taking part in discussions to evolve a multi-year work programme for the coordination segment of the Council, taking into account the thematic issues common to the conference outcomes, as well as proposals by Member States.

In order to attain optimal results, he said that the substantive review process needed to be carried out only by functional commissions, whose work should be analytical and should highlight key coordination issues related to the theme of the coordination segment.  Also, the monitoring of implementation of the commitments had to be across the board and based on indicators agreed through an intergovernmental process.  He stressed the need to keep reporting mechanisms, by national governments simplified and harmonized.  He also welcomed the decision to hold a major United Nations event in 2005, which would provide an opportunity to undertake a global review of conference outcomes, including that of the Millennium Summit.  In that light, he hoped the Assembly President would initiate an early preparatory process to ensure the success of that summit.

ZHANG YISHAN (China) said the United Nations took an important step forward last year in its efforts to integrate and coordinate follow-up actions, when it formed an ad hoc working group under the Assembly.  The adoption of Resolution 57/270B on integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of major conferences and summits, set up specific goals and defined roles, marking a good starting point for a comprehensive and balanced implementation of outcomes.  The implementation of outcomes from major conferences and summits should be action-oriented.  Development of the developing nations in particular, had been the common theme for all major conferences and summits.  The United Nations should give full consideration to the concerns of the developing countries, such as financial assistance, technical transfer, capacity-building and market access, among other things.

In addition, he called for the strengthening of coordination and cooperation between the United Nations and related institutions, and the promotion of coherence and coordination of international development policies.  Furthermore, reform of ECOSOC was the foundation for more meaningful development cooperation.  Reform would lead to efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness.  Lastly, he supported reviewing some major United Nations conferences and summits on a case-by-case basis, and called for a major event in 2005 to review integrated and coordinated implementation and follow-up.

ISMAIL MUSTAPHA (Malaysia) concurred with the observation that the governing body had the responsibility to ensure that policy decisions were integrated into the programme of work of respective organizations.  In that regard, executive boards should undertake a more concerted effort to ensure greater coherence in the activities undertaken by them.  He also agreed that system-wide, inter-agency coordination and cooperation to implement outcomes of major conferences and summits be further promoted through the work of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) and the United Nations Development Group (UNDG).  It was clear that the bulk of follow-up activities would need to be carried out by ECOSOC through its various functional commissions.  As such, ECOSOC had the responsibility to ensure its functional commissions worked in a coordinated manner, especially when deciding on thematic issues.  He commended the Council for having started joint meetings between its various commissions.

Furthermore, he believed that the Council should begin to consider thematic issues involving the widest cross-section of work by its various organs, insofar as it was possible.  The Council should continue with its consideration of such thematic issues until its functional commissions had exhausted their current multi-year programmes of work.  Having said that, however, he wished to stress that such consideration of common cross-sectoral issues be carried out in a fair and balanced manner, bearing in mind the tendency to overlook social issues, when juxtaposed alongside economic or developmental ones.

OLIVIER CHAVE (Switzerland) said that despite the important work achieved by the Assembly’s working group on conference follow-up, the emphasis placed on the Millennium Goals as a focal point for such follow-up, actually fell short of the expectations laid out in the Millennium Declaration.  He was convinced that coordinated and integrated follow-up must cover the outcomes of all United Nations conferences and summits.  At any rate, it was becoming clear that the issues and objectives set by those conferences were not yet being integrated.  Nonetheless, he was satisfied with the decisions concerning the working methods of ECOSOC and its relevant organs and functional commissions, as well as with suggestions made regarding the Assembly.  Each of the wider Organization’s component parts was responsible for improving its effectiveness and better coordinating its actions with a view to realizing broad integration of conference action plans, as well as the Millennium Goals.

He said that it was important to ensure more flexibility in the multi-year work plans of the Council and its commissions, improved coordination among the Secretariat’s various services, a reorganization and simplification of the work of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and improved coordination of national and international efforts and among all actors, including the Bretton Woods institutions, governments, civil society and the private sector.  He also stressed that the limited resources made available for ODA towards the realization of the Goals required the international community to come up with innovative solutions.  He supported the Secretary-General’s efforts to make the Organization accessible to new partners and actors that would bring with them new capacities and resources.

MOHAMED FADHEL AYARI (Tunisia) stressed the need to give practical effect to the decisions taken at the international conferences of the past decade and at the start of the new century.  Those events had charted a course by which the international community could work together to achieve sustainable development, peace and stability for all.  Still, Member States were challenged to come up with ways to generate tangible results, particularly as poverty continued to deepen in many parts of the world.  Indeed, despite the success of those conferences, it had become clear that the developing countries were in grave danger of not reaching the Millennium Goals.  Success for developing countries hinged on, among other things, establishing an economic climate that was conducive to their equitable participation and ensuring concrete follow-up initiatives.  In that connection, he welcomed the work of ECOSOC in the area of follow-up.

The scale of the problems faced by developing countries required more resources and better efforts to ensure their long-term development, he continued.  There was a real need to address the issue of declining ODA.  There was also a need to address debt relief, and importantly, the financing of United Nations agencies involved in development activities.  It was also important to ensure developing countries’ access to markets.  The proposed 2005 summit would be very important, and it would be critical to lay the groundwork for that meeting’s success as soon as possible.  The international community must work together to reduce poverty, hunger and marginalization.

JEANETTE NDHLOVU (South Africa) said that as a part of the developing world, her country knew the great difficulties to achieve the goals of “freedom from want and the freedom from fear”.  That was a challenge that could not be addressed by any country in isolation but only within the multilateral context. To that end, the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits provided a comprehensive basis for action at the national, regional and international levels.  The key objectives should be poverty eradication, sustained economic growth and long-term development.  Recognizing that every country had the primary responsibility for its own economic and social development, she said that regional and international agencies and groups, as well as the United Nations had an important role in seeking partnerships to achieve those objectives.

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) had already shown the continent’s commitment to promoting innovative joint ventures, she stated.  And, while that home-grown initiative had developed a framework to address challenges specific to Africa, the need for an international environment which enabled socio-economic growth was critical for it to be successful.  To that end, South Africa had been disappointed in the failed WTO discussions in Cancun, and would stress the importance of ensuring the full participation of developing countries in determining the norms for international interaction in the economic, financial and monetary fields.

She went on to say that the United Nations had an important role to play in implementing the outcomes of goals and objectives agreed upon at summits.  Of utmost importance was the need to ensure that policy guidelines from the Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, be incorporated in the operational activities of all the Organization’s funds and programmes.  She added that the role of ECOSOC should be strengthened to ensure that the body played a central role in system-wide coordination on implementation of conference outcomes.

YERZHAN K H. KAZYKHANOV (Kazakhstan) said that the Millennium Summit had marked a turning point in the process of transforming emerging global consensus into specific goals and targets, backed by political commitment at the highest levels.  In addition, the conferences in Monterrey and Johannesburg last year had proved to be useful in terms of offering a distinct mechanism to monitor progress towards achievement of the Millennium Goals.  Efforts to follow-up on outcomes of international summits and conferences was relevant to ensuring better coordination of global, regional and national activities for development.

As a result of political will, he said that it had been possible for his country to incorporate its development goals into long-term national programmes and strategies.  To achieve international development goals, it was necessary to step up efforts to mobilize and effectively use financial resources as a means of implementation.  His delegation attached great importance to the upcoming High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, to coordinate follow-up at the intergovernmental level.  The role of the United Nations was crucial for assisting governments in their efforts to comply with development commitments.  He welcomed the decision of the eleventh session of the Commission on Sustainable Development to move to a biennial cycle of work, as an example of a coordinated approach to the implementation of outcomes from major summits and conferences.  He called for a major event in 2005 to review progress achieved in the implementation of all commitments made in the Millennium Declaration.

REZLAN ISHAR JENIE (Indonesia) declared that the time had come to meet the challenges posed by the lack of progress and implementation of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related areas.  Member States should now live up to the commitments they made at those meetings, where they established internationally agreed development goals aimed at eradicating poverty, achieving growth and promoting sustainable development.  The international community should now move from the phase of setting goals and commitments to that of concrete implementation at the national, regional and international levels of the solid platforms for action that had emerged from those international gatherings.

At the national level, appropriate policies and development strategies were crucial for achieving development goals, she stated.  The Assembly, ECOSOC, and the relevant functional commissions of the United Nations, acting as a three-tiered system, for the follow-up to and review of the conferences, all played crucial roles in the implementation process.  Further, it was essential to strengthen the links between policy development at the intergovernmental level and the operational work undertaken at the country level by the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions and the WTO.  Such an approach would enable greater coherence of the activities and undertakings initiated by those bodies

He urged States to strive for greater coherence and coordination in the Assembly’s work, especially in the plenary and the Second and Third Committees.  Coherence would ensure the system was fully equipped to effectively adopt an integrated approach for follow-up to outcomes of the conferences and summits.  The Assembly, as the highest intergovernmental mechanism and the most important tool for the appraisal of policy on matters of integrated and coordinated follow-up, had a crucial role to play in that regard.

STAFFORD NEIL (Jamaica) said that in order to meet the Millennium Goals and ensure that concrete, practical efforts were made to achieve the goals set by various international meetings; all United Nations bodies should work in concert to improve coordination in support of conference implementation.  It was also important to expedite consideration of the revised programme of work of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) to allow a decision to be taken by December.  At the same time, the work of the Committee should not be hampered and relevant issues of particular interest to developing countries and to the ongoing debate on global economic policy should not be overshadowed.

He said that ECOSOC had a central role to play in providing oversight and that it remained the most appropriate body for coordinating follow-up to United Nations conferences and summits.  A well organized and effective review was vital to maintaining political momentum, raising awareness and assessing new challenges and constraints to the implementation of commitments.  He also agreed that the question of periodicity and format of reviews should be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis.  That approach should not frustrate efforts to undertake much needed reviews or ongoing efforts at implementation, however.  The holding of a major event during the Assembly in 2005, which would ensure a comprehensive review, was welcome, as it would represent an important opportunity for the international community to take stock of progress.

K. KALAVENKATA RAO (India) said the objective of any follow-up process should be to address the issue of implementation.  The implementation of outcomes would be a clear demonstration of the fulfilment of shared responsibility, and would contribute to the strengthening of the Organization.  However, for developing nations, the implementation of outcomes presented an enormous challenge, making it impossible for them to fulfil all commitments without further international cooperation.  A two-pronged approach was necessary to reviewing implementation of conference outcomes.  To begin with, an integrated and coordinated approach with respect to goals common to all was necessary.  Secondly, it also required a focused review that sought to retain the identity and integrity of every major conference, and to stimulate progress in the implementation process.  As such, ECOSOC and its commissions could play a major role in addressing that task.

He welcomed the opportunity to assess the functioning of the follow-up mechanisms established pursuant to the Monterrey Consensus.  It was important to see greater synergy between the annual meeting of ECOSOC with the Bretton Woods institutions, the WTO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, on the one hand, and the biannual, high-level meeting of the Assembly, on the other.  He sounded a note of caution about the call in the Secretary-General’s report for the establishment of a stronger link between policy guidance and operational activities.  The principal foundation for operational activities of the United Nations development system was country-driven programming, and nothing should be done to undermine that principle.  The linkage provision should not be misused to thrust donor-driven or Secretariat-driven agendas on developing countries.  In fact, the only possible link would be to ensure that activities of the funds and programmes in recipient countries would advance the implementation of conference outcomes.

WALID MAALOUF (United States) strongly supported the need to frame the work of the United Nations around outcomes of its major summits and conferences in the economic, social and related fields.  His delegation had participated actively in the open ended ad hoc working group on that matter.  While, recognizing that the group’s report was only adopted in June and it was, therefore, premature to report on outcomes, he urged Member States not to lose sight of the fact that a number of modest recommendations came out of that group, which could be acted on during the Assembly’s current session.  In that context, he was pleased that the bureaus of the Second and Third Committees had discussed overlap and duplication, and were looking for ways to take up, in a more coordinated fashion, issues related to conference follow-up.

Urging Member States to move towards partnerships and action, and away from what he termed “sterile rhetoric and timeworn themes”, he called on them to bring the vision and commitment of the major summits and conferences to the work of the Second Committee.  He welcomed resolution 57/270b’s mandate that ECOSOC’s functional commissions examine their methods of work in order to better pursue the implementation of the outcomes of conferences and summits.  Regarding the ongoing work of the Commission on Sustainable Development, he said the path breaking reforms adopted by the Commission at its eleventh session had focused on how the international community -- governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector -- could work together to achieve common ambitious and critical objectives.  Taken together, those steps would make the Commission and the United Nations more responsive and relevant to the needs of all, especially developing countries. 

ANTONIO ALESSANDRO (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that this year, more than one million people would die from malaria, and many more would contract the disease.  Of the 500 million people suffering from malaria, 450 million -– 90 per cent of the total -– were sub-Saharan Africa’s poorest citizens.  The Union was committed to strengthening and increasing financial support for research and development on the disease.

Among the actions undertaken so far by the Union, he cited the regulation adopted last July by the European Parliament and Council regarding assistance in fighting poverty-related diseases in developing countries, namely; HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.  In the allocation of funding and expertise, priority would be given to the least developed countries and the most disadvantaged sections of the population.  The financial framework for the implementation of that regulation for the period 2003 to 2006 was set at 351 million Euros.

He noted that, for the time being, available drugs were not well suited for developing countries, and malaria drugs were becoming less and less effective as a result of increasing parasite resistance.  Therefore, it was necessary to find new drugs appropriate to Africa’s special needs, and to take into account, local distribution problems.  He encouraged interested parties, especially the pharmaceutical industry, to promote sustainable local production for national and regional markets, aiming at technology transfer.  If the international community was capable of building a true global partnership with effective tools, he believed that malaria could definitely be rolled back throughout the world, as it had been in Europe.

MARTIN ANDJABA (Namibia) said that malaria was preventable, treatable and curable.  People only died from the disease if they were not treated promptly and effectively.  The challenge, therefore, was to assist the affected countries.  Unlike the AIDS virus, many African countries had access to anti-malaria drugs.  However, the growing resistance to current drugs was a problem.  That was a challenge that should be addressed now, together with the question of affordability.  The Abuja target of 60 per cent coverage could only be achieved when the new and improved drugs were made affordable.

The treatment of malaria affected communities in their efforts towards sustainable development, he continued.  In that context, the research on environmental management control in development should be supported so that it could continue.  Namibia welcomed and further encouraged the transfer of technology for production of treated nets and efforts to increase access to anti-malaria medicines.  His country also viewed the transfer of such technology as a firm beginning in effectively tacking malaria in the affected African countries.

AHMED ABOUL GHEIT (Egypt) said that studies had shown that malaria had spread in more than 100 countries, where more than 40 per cent of the world’s population lived.  Ninety per cent of cases were concentrated in Africa, with children representing the majority of the three million who died every year from the disease.  The disease was a source of regret, not only because of the number of deaths, but also because of the fact that it was curable, if diagnosed and treated.  Reports had indicated that Africa needed $1 billion a year to effectively combat the disease.  Unfortunately, financing had amounted to about a quarter of what was needed.  He agreed with the Secretary-General’s report that the level of funding was inadequate, and supported his call to strengthen governmental expenditures in Africa.

If malaria was a cause and result of poverty, developing countries could not be expected to face the threat without increased financial assistance to promote prevention, the creation of health centres and services in general.  A child died every 30 seconds because of malaria.  There was a means of treatment and prevention, but it required some of what the world spent on arms and arsenals.

JUDITH MBULA BAHEMUKA (Kenya) noted that malaria was the second largest killer disease in Africa after the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  At the national level, Kenya recognized that good health was a prerequisite for the socio-economic development of the country.  Kenya was a signatory to the Abuja Declaration, and had responded to the Declaration through the removal of taxes associated with insecticide-treated net products.  It had also implemented a National Malaria Strategy, focused on improving malaria case-management at all levels of the health sector, reducing the risks of malaria during pregnancy, increasing the use of insecticide-treated nets and responding to malaria epidemics.  The National Malaria Control Council had also been restructured to become the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee, which would allow for a more effective political and financial management tool to solicit and direct investment to roll back malaria in Kenya.

To enhance those efforts, the Government, working in collaboration with other stakeholders, would strengthen preventive and promotive health care through malaria control, expanded programmes on immunization, integrate childhood illness control and prevent environmental related communicable diseases.  Additionally, it would strengthen curative health services to manage the top ten killer diseases through the provision of health personnel, drugs and equipment, as well as expand coverage and access to health insurance.  National efforts in the fight against malaria required international support through funding and capacity-building.  Kenya had also drawn up a strategic plan that enabled it to benefit from the Global Fund.  Those funds would be utilized to strengthen malaria early-warning systems and studies to improve outbreak detection and response.

KODJO MENAN (Togo) said that Togo had, last year, strongly urged the international community to commit itself to the full implementation of efforts to roll back malaria.  He believed the targets set for the Decade constituted a real challenge for the international community to meet those goals at all costs.  It was paradoxical that malaria, which everyone agreed was controllable, continued to remain a major problem today, as shown by statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations.  As noted by the Secretary-General, despite the progress made, almost 11 million children died each year before their fifth birthday due to diseases that could be treated, such as malaria.

It was clear, he said, that combating malaria had become a major priority and source of concern for the international community, especially the developing nations.  Access to treated nets remained difficult for many to acquire, even though it had been proven to be one of the most effective means of controlling the disease.  That was largely due to the high cost of those nets.  He hoped the private sector, particularly the oil companies, would step in and contribute to reducing the costs of acquiring mosquito nets in Africa.  In that regard, Togo had decided to lower tariffs on insecticide-treated nets, even in the face of the country’s low resources.  He called for increased national investment in that sector, especially by integrating malaria treatment efforts and programmes in the development initiatives of countries.

According to available research, no effective solution had been found yet to combat the disease, largely because mosquitoes easily adapted to changing conditions and environments.  However, he believed that, given political will and if pharmaceutical companies were not too bent on the pursuit of monetary gain and profits, the campaign against malaria could be won.  Were that to happen, lives could continue to be saved and the Decade to Roll Back Malaria could succeed.  He urged donors to lend further support to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

AMARE TEKLE (Eritrea) hoped that the exchange of views today would enable countries to readjust their programmes and reorganize priorities and approaches in the fight against malaria.  Malaria, unlike HIV/AIDS, was not a new pestilence.  While, it had been completely eradicated in most parts of the world, in some unfortunate areas, it continued to kill or debilitate large sections of the population.  The horn of Africa had been the worst hit, even though it had benefited from several eradication programmes.  The causes for the continued existence of malaria differed from area to area.  In the Horn of Africa, he attributed its continued existence to the war, and pointed out that malaria sometimes had a more negative impact on the economies than HIV/AIDS. 

The nine steps his Government had taken to address the problem included inaugurating a five year malaria reduction programme for 2001–2005, establishing the national malaria control programme, and training and assigning village health agents to provide services on malaria control at the grass roots level, through regional and local offices.  It had also provided insecticide-treated nets to the needy population.  Additionally, it had employed a therapy of treatment known as the Eritrean Standard Treatment Guidelines, carried out indoor house spraying, and developed and widely disseminated educational and awareness material.  He stressed that while his Government was prepared to steadfastly pursue the goals it had set for itself in the five year plan, the challenges and obstacles were many and would be insurmountable, unless there was peace based on justice, the rule of law and good neighbourliness.

VINCENT T. RAJALINGAM (Fiji) said that less mentioned than HIV/AIDS, but no less intense, was the devastation caused by malaria, which continued to plague parts of his region.  Despite relatively less alarming statistics than witnessed in other regions, his nation was not intent on being complacent.  It was critical to take preventive measure to ensure that the disease did not reach pandemic proportions, nor, indeed, that it should revisit countries in the region that had successfully rid its citizens of it.  He acknowledged the WHO’s intense efforts to control the disease, as well as governments’ initiatives to combat the scourge.  He was encouraged to see WHO’s programme of action to roll back malaria embrace all countries and regions, irrespective of their size or the extent of the endemic.

Developing nations were particularly vulnerable to the onset of any epidemic, he stated.  They lacked the industrial base for pharmaceutical production to meet demands and the financial means to buy medicines from manufacturers.  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was only one avenue for African countries to access funds for malarial control.  Clearly, NEPAD could also boost that fight.  Other forms of financing, such as debt swaps and private sector contributions, had sound basis as well.

ROBLE OLHAYE (Djibouti) said that the global fight against terrorism and the spreading scourge of HIV/AIDS were but a few of the pressing issues which had pushed malaria “below the radar of public concern”.  For that reason, the disease remained a dangerous threat to millions of people.  Africa recognized that it was the major focus of the malaria crisis through the 2000 Abuja Declaration.  He called for increased funds to be set aside for malaria, and maintained that African Governments needed to be engaged and enhance the capacity of manpower.  The international community must also transfer new technology to developing countries, particularly with regard to the production of long-lasting insecticide nets.  Also, ways must be found to increase the availability of combination drugs for multi-drug resistant malaria.

He pointed out that the usage of insecticide-treated bed nets was restricted because of their high costs.  However, those costs could be lowered by a reduction in the high tariffs and taxes levied against them within Africa.  Long lasting insecticidal nets were considered a major breakthrough in the prevention of malaria but its global production was inadequate.  The report had recommended that an additional 5 to 10 factories be constructed at strategic locations in Africa.  The nets were made from polymers, which was derived from petroleum.  They could, therefore, be made free or at low cost by oil companies in Africa.

He said that while progress was being made in the fight against malaria, it was too slow.  The creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was a major breakthrough that held the potential of access to funds for malaria control commensurate with the needs.  He also paid tribute to the contribution of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and urged other governments and organizations to join the cause to eradicate one of humanity’s scourges from the face of the earth.

TERUNEH ZENNA (Ethiopia) said that although malaria was a global health problem, it remained the disease of the impoverished, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.  That was due to a number of factors, including the premature termination or unplanned interruption of anti-malaria measures in epidemic prone areas, population movements and migration, and changes in eco-epidemiological systems.  The epidemic had proved to be a major public health problem in Ethiopia, with about four to five million cases reported annually.  If proper measures were not taken, tens of thousands of people would certainly die.

Highlighting his country’s efforts to combat the problem, he said that a five year strategic plan had been launched by the Government.  In collaboration with the WHO and UNICEF, among others, efforts were underway to target the most vulnerable sections of the population, namely, pregnant women and children in rural areas.  He called on the international community, especially partners from developed countries to increase the flow of financial support, in line with their political commitment to stopping the global spread of malaria.

FUAD AL-HINAI (Oman) introduced the draft resolution on global road safety crisis.  He said that the burden of ensuring road safety fell disproportionately on developing nations, where roads were becoming more congested with vehicles and people every day.  Yet, the battle was not lost.  There was an unprecedented understanding of the dynamics of road crashes, and there was a broad range of effective interventions to prevent them.  In developing nations, victims of road crashes were pedestrians, where in the developing world, they were passengers of automobiles.  Due to stricter manufacturing standards imposed by car manufacturers in developed nations, drivers and passengers were actually well protected by steel frames.  In contrast, pedestrians had very little protections.  It was understood that car manufacturers planned to increase production and exports to the developing world.  Thus, the potential for an increase of vehicles and the number of deaths and injuries because of them was inevitable, unless action was taken.

There was a new way to think about road safety, he continued.  First, it was important to look at roadways and make changes.  Pedestrians and people in non-motorized vehicles were not separated from fast moving traffic.  Many roads did not have barriers or even white lines down the middle to separate traffic lanes.  Communities should have roadways that circle villages and towns rather than just pass through them.  In addition, blind spots limiting visibility could be eliminated and rumble strips added to roads to reduce speeds.  It was also possible to make design changes in vehicles, which lacked safety features, such as collapsible steering columns and engine blocks, which absorbed impact and minimized injury to pedestrians.  Lastly, human behaviour could also be looked at to make changes.  Laws could be written and enforced to penalize drivers for speeding or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Laws and their enforcement could be supported beginning at the top levels of government down to the community level.

SUHAILI ABDUL RAHMAN (Malaysia) said his country had maintained a long-standing commitment to addressing the problem of road traffic accidents, which last year alone claimed nearly 6,000 lives in the over 200,000 cases reported.  Through its National Road Safety Council, Malaysia continued to undertake various efforts to reduce the number of road traffic accidents and promote road traffic safety consciousness among road users and the general public.

Besides those national efforts, Malaysia was an active participant at the regional and international levels in formulating strategies for the development and sustainability of road infrastructure.  Those strategies were aimed at reducing road traffic accidents by constructing better, safer and user-friendly road infrastructure, as well as promoting and ensuring efficient maintenance of road infrastructure.  The country was also involved in the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), under the aegis of the World Bank, the World Road Association (PIARC), the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Land Transport and Safety Committee, the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA) and the ASEAN Sub-working Group on Road Transport and Road Safety.

Statistics on deaths, injuries and disabilities caused by road traffic accidents should be the concern of all since they affected and continued to affect everyone personally in one way or another, he noted.  The United Nations had an important role to play in leading international efforts to address the highly preventable but deadly public safety problem.

ZHANG YISHAN (China) said that WHO had predicted that, by 2020, road traffic injuries could rank third among causes of death and disability, ahead of other health problems such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.  Therefore, he called on the international community to enhance cooperation and endeavour to improve road safety for all countries, particularly the developing ones.  Ensuring road safety was a system project that involved human beings, vehicles, roads, the environment and management.

Also, as national governments bore the primary responsibility for road safety, they should give priority to preventive interventions that relied on the participation and collaboration of all sectors of society, and which heightened the safety awareness of relevant government departments, transportation authorities and the general public.  In addition, it was imperative to effectively “beef up” international cooperation.  Countries should increase information exchange, learn from one another and combine efforts to improve road safety.  Fourthly, the WHO should play an important role in coping with the problem.

He said that, along with the sustained health growth of the Chinese economy over the past two decades, the country’s road construction and automobile industry had made significant headway.  Major challenges for his Government included ways to try and improve road safety conditions, accelerate legislation on road safety, increase input in highway and urban road safety facilities, intensify the training and safety education of drivers, and upgrading the treatment and rehabilitation of those injured in traffic accidents.  He hoped the enhanced cooperation with WHO and other international organizations and agencies would draw on the experience of other countries.

MARCO VINICIO VARGAS, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, said that, each year, traffic accidents caused three million deaths worldwide.  They cost $500 billion a year in medical services and loss of productivity, and represented a loss close to one 1 per cent of gross domestic product.  The lack of road safety was no longer a challenge just for the developed world or big urban centres, he stressed.  In his country, as more people bought cars, the danger increased exponentially, not only from accidents but from increases in the levels of toxic fumes, as well.  With its number of traffic accidents doubling in the last ten years, Costa Rica, with a population of only four million people, was an example of the seriousness of the problem.

He went on to say that Costa Rica’s transit authorities had undertaken strenuous efforts to develop new and innovative strategies to achieve and expand on the four “Es” of road safety:  enforcement, engineering, education and emergency.  To promote road safety, it was critical to take into account, specific geographical characteristics, population make up, and culture and weather factors.  The involvement of local governments, civil society actors and private enterprises was also indispensable.  Stressing the need to promote civil engineering with a “human face”, he said relevant actions must take into account specific needs of the most vulnerable users of any transportation system.  Finally, he said that sustainable road safety required, among other things, that the road system should not be more complex than that which the most vulnerable could use safely. 

ALDO MANTOVANI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said the magnitude of the burden of road traffic injuries was reflected by the figures cited in the WHO report.  It was clear that the problem had a major effect on low and middle-income countries, and that it considerably undermined the achievement of sustainable development.  Still, there was a great deal that could be done to prevent and reduce road traffic injuries.  Accidents were preventable and their impact on society could be reduced by the political commitment of national governments.  Much more could also be done on the international level to address the problem.  He supported efforts by the United Nations to support the development of policies on road safety, and to promote the integration of road safety concerns into all relevant national policies.

The Union welcomed the WHO initiative to designate road safety as the theme for the World Health Day to be celebrated in Paris on 7 April 2004.  The Union’s commitment was also reflected in the recent adoption by the European Commission of the European Road Safety Action Programme, which aimed to halve the number of road accident victims by 2010 in the European Community, as a whole.  Lastly, he said, speaking in his national capacity, that Italy was ready to join the list of nations supporting the resolution on global road safety crisis.

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