Fifty-Ninth General Assembly

Second Committee

33^rd & 34^th Meetings (AM & PM)

text approved by second committee recommends assistance to protect caribbean sea

 

from pollution by oil, chemicals, radioactive materials, nuclear waste

Delegates Conclude Discussion

On Eradication of Poverty, Take up Two Other Items

The General Assembly would call upon the United Nations to help Caribbean countries protect the Caribbean Sea from degradation due to ship pollution, especially illegal oil spills and other harmful substances, and from the accidental release of hazardous waste, including radioactive materials, nuclear waste and dangerous chemicals, according to a draft resolution approved today by the Second Committee (Economic and Financial).

Also by that draft, which the Committee approved without a vote, the Assembly would encourage further efforts toward regional cooperation to address land-based pollution, pollution from ships, physical impacts on coral reefs, and the dynamic interaction of socio-economic activities for the use of coastal areas and the marine environment.

In a prior recorded vote, the Committee approved preambular paragraph 14 of the text by 121 votes in favour, to 1 against (United States) and 3 abstentions (Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Japan).  (See annex)

By other terms of the text, on promoting an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development, the General Assembly would call upon States to prioritize action on marine pollution from land-based sources as part of their national sustainable development strategies and programmes, and to advance implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities and the Montreal Declaration on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.

Further by the draft, the Assembly would call upon States to develop national, regional and international programmes to halt the loss of marine biodiversity in the Caribbean Sea, particularly fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs.  It would also support efforts by Caribbean States to implement sustainable fisheries management programmes by strengthening the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism.

Also today, the Committee concluded its discussion on the eradication of poverty and other development issues, with speakers stressing the vital role played by microcredit and microfinance in empowering vulnerable groups, increasing employment and incomes, and reducing vulnerability to economic and social crises.  Highlighting microfinance opportunities in his country, the representative of Bangladesh said that clients of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee who had participated in microcredit programmes for more than four years had raised household expenditures by 28 per cent and assets by 112 per cent.

Other speakers pointed out that microfinance was not the ultimate solution to development finance, since the poor often lacked adequate collateral to borrow.  Nigeria’s delegate emphasized the importance of prioritizing the poor, saying that microcredit lending standards and patterns must be harmonized to cater to specific needs.  Since its inception in 1986, the People’s Bank in Nigeria had provided seed capital for small-scale entrepreneurs to invest in small business, agriculture, livestock production and general trading.  However, institutional and managerial weaknesses, as well as large-scale low repayment rates by borrowers, had posed obstacles to continued financing.

Delegates also pointed out the importance of providing women with access to microcredit, underscoring their vital contribution to poverty eradication.  Singapore’s representative noted that women not only opened developmental doors, but studies had shown that giving credit to them had a positive effect on schooling and living standards, raising the status of poor women in their families.  Developmental strategies that failed to include women -- who generally made up at least half of the population -- encountered higher poverty, slower growth, a lower quality of life and weaker governance.

Following the conclusion of that discussion, the Committee took up its agenda items on information and communication technologies (ICT) for development, as well as training and research.

Addressing ICT for development, speakers highlighted the huge potential that ICT offered for development, but underscored the widespread inequalities that still contributed to the digital divide.  Indonesia’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said that ICT development in most member countries still required substantial improvements in infrastructure and human resources to put them on a par with developed nations.  Hopefully, the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, to be held in Tunis, Tunisia, next year, would draw up a detailed work programme to implement targets supporting regional ICT initiatives.

Anwarul Chowdhury, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, said that the advent of global networks, new information technologies and connectivity had widened the digital divide, which particularly threatened the least developed countries (LDCs) with marginalization.  Africa needed special attention, he added, urging development partners to share hardware and software with LDCs, and to help them meet the Brussels Programme of Action targets of increasing computer literacy among students by 2015, and of increasing average telephone density and Internet connections by 2010.

Regarding training and research, speakers welcomed the expanding programmes of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), but noted that it received most of its funding from donations, voluntary contributions and earmarked Special Purpose Grants, while its General Fund dwindled.  Several delegates emphasized that resolving the Institute’s outstanding rent, debt and maintenance costs would place it in a better position to offer quality services to Member States.

Prior to this afternoon’s action, the representatives of Barbados (on behalf of CARICOM) and Qatar (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China) made general statements before the vote.  The representative of the United States made a statement in explanation of position before the vote, and Venezuela’s representative made a statement after the action.

Also speaking today were representatives of Kenya, Iceland, San Marino, Suriname (on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Malaysia, Tunisia, Mali, Canada, Eritrea, Cambodia, Myanmar, Colombia, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Switzerland, Jordan, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, China, Trinidad and Tobago (also on behalf of CARICOM) and Kuwait.

Representatives of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference also made statements.

Introducing the various reports before the Committee were Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator of the ICT Task Force and Director of the Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination Division in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Wijayananda Jayaweera, Director of the Division for Communication Development for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Marcel Boisard, Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); and Hans van Ginkel, Rector of the United Nations University.

The Second Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday 17 November, to conclude its consideration of training and research and of information and communication technologies for development.

Background

The Second Committee met to continue its discussion of the eradication of poverty and other development issues.  (For background information, see Press Release GA/EF/3095 of 15 November.)  It was also expected to begin considering its agenda items on information and communication technologies (ICT) for development as well as training and research, besides taking action on a draft resolution relating to sustainable development.

Before the Committee was the Report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (document A/59/14 (Supplement No. 14)), which reviews training programmes in international affairs management; activities of the New York Office and the Hiroshima Office for Asia and the Pacific; and training and capacity-building in sustainable development.

The report notes that the activities of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) have increased to 150 programme workshops or seminars annually, which benefit more than 7,600 participants, and that the number of collaborators has jumped to 750.  The UNITAR’s presence and activities have increased in Asia and the Pacific with the opening of a regional office in Hiroshima, Japan, and new capacity-building projects for sustainable development have been successful and well received.

The UNITAR’s budget for the next biennium should reach $24 million, of which $22 million is earmarked for projects, the report says.  However, its general fund remains weak and vulnerable, with non-earmarked voluntary contributions expected to reach only $300,000, which could jeopardize free programmes for delegates and diplomats in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi.

Also before the Committee was a report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (document A/59/230), which takes stock of UNITAR programmes in multilateral diplomacy and international affairs management; peace-making and preventive diplomacy; correspondence instruction in peacekeeping operations; women and children in and after conflict; environmental law; climate change; chemicals and waste management.  It also looks at decentralized cooperation, legal aspects of debt and financial management, and projects of the New York Office and the Hiroshima Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Noting that the reliable performance of special-purpose grants has eased UNITAR’s financial load, and that voluntary contributions to its general fund continue to decline, remaining seriously inadequate, the report recommends a continued consolidation of training and capacity-building programmes.  While their expansion remains within the fund’s ability to finance them, Member States are urged to resume or increase financial contributions.

The Committee also had before it the Report of the Council of the United Nations University (document A/59/31 (Supplement No. 31)), covering the January-December 2003 period.

Also before the Committee was a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on implementation of General Assembly resolution 50/130, including the recommendations of the eighth Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development (document A/59/207).

The resolution, on communication for development programmes in the United Nations system, encourages United Nations bodies to use such informal mechanisms as round-table conferences to improve communication for development programmes; stresses the need for those bodies to develop and systematically build up communication capacities, especially in training development workers and technicians as well as communication planners and specialists; and invites countries to provide resources to support initiatives on capacity development for developing countries.

In reviewing existing coordination, the report cites eight United Nations bodies, which jointly form an international consortium on HIV/AIDS communication strategies; collect and share tools from key agencies/implementers to identify and improve access to proven tools and reduce duplication; improve training for journalists; and encourage the production and dissemination of local media content.

The report notes that the United Nations system has achieved some cohesion in its communication activities, but still needs to enhance synergy among all partners at the international and country levels.  Developing countries and their partners should intensify efforts to address the “digital divide” more effectively by enhancing national ownership and making related initiatives and strategies more effective and sustainable.

In addition, the Committee had before it a note by the Secretary-General on science and technology for development (document A/59/80-E/2004/61 and Corr.1), transmitting a report by the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, held in Geneva in December 2003, and preparations for the second phase, to be held in Tunis in November 2005.

BULUS PAUL ZOM LOLO (Nigeria) said that microcredit and microfinance played an important role in poverty eradication, empowering vulnerable groups, rural community development and promoting gender equality.  Since its inception in 1986, Nigeria’s Peoples Bank had provided seed capital for small-scale entrepreneurs to invest in small business, agriculture, livestock production and general trading.  However, despite its good works, institutional and managerial weaknesses, coupled with large-scale low repayment rates by borrowers, and posed obstacles. During periods of dwindling resources, microcredit and microfinance was a viable way to provide capital to society’s most vulnerable, particularly women, to increase income, acquire assets and reduce vulnerability to economic crisis.

Microcredit and microfinance, however, were not the ultimate solution for development financing, he continued.  Microcredit worked best under optimal conditions and with specific clients.  In many cases the poor, who needed microcredit most, lacked adequate collateral to borrow or avail themselves of credit opportunities.  Service to the poor must be the overriding priority and principle, and there was a need to harmonize microcredit lending standards and patterns, and to tailor lending to specific needs.  That required cooperation between the public and private sectors, particularly in capacity building, loan disbursements, and development infrastructure, as well as a favourable environment that would enable the poorest strata of society to participate more in the economy.  Nigeria would hold a conference on microcredit to mark the International Year of Microcredit (2005).

NJOGU NGARIAMA (Kenya) said the major constraint on effective private sector participation in developing countries was the absence of sound financial services, especially for small businesses and the rural poor.  Exorbitant lending rates charged by commercial institutions had made financial borrowing expensive, which was exacerbated by stringent collateral requirements.  Consequently, a large segment of society had been barred from engaging in any meaningful business enterprises.  Those potential entrepreneurs could provide the necessary stimulus for widespread wealth creation and poverty eradication.  The challenge was to support small-scale businesses and integrate them into the formal economy.

He said the Kenyan Government had established a Microfinance Unit at the Central Bank in 2003, which aimed to streamline the operations of existing microfinance institutions and enhance credit access for small entrepreneurs.  The microfinance institutions would provide an alternative source of affordable credit, as the country’s financial sector was dominated by large multinational corporations with poor geographical coverage.  In addition, Kenya had enacted a bill covering microfinance supervision and regulatory regimes, which required institutions to set up a Deposit Protection Fund for client deposits in the event of a financial crisis.

IFTEKHAR AHMED CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said microcredit had proven that people living in poverty were innately capable of working their way out of it with dignity and had the creativity and capacity to improve their socio-economic situation if well equipped to do so.  Under the right conditions, access to financial services, particularly microcredit, enabled poor people to increase their income, build assets and reduce their vulnerability to crisis, as noted in the Secretary-General’s report.  Clients of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee who participated in microcredit programmes for more than four years were able to increase their household expenditures by 28 per cent and their assets by 112 per cent.

Bangladesh had drawn up a detailed programme in observance of the International Year of Microcredit (2005), which Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia would launch 1 January, he said.  In February, Bangladesh had hosted the Asia-Pacific Summit Meeting of Councils, the largest ever microcredit summit in the region; attended by a total of 1,200 delegates from 47 countries.  The Year would provide a significant opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of microcredit in poverty alleviation, show-case achievements, the promotion of best practices and the fostering of financial-sector developments that supported sustainable services for the poor.

HJALMAR HANNESSON (Iceland) said international migration could contribute positively to development and economic growth if appropriately regulated and controlled.  The gender equality perspectives of migration were important because gender inequality could be both the cause and consequence of international migration.  Another challenge was the rapid growth of human trafficking and smuggling.  The fight against trafficking in human beings should be an international priority, as most States were either origin, transit or destination countries.

Trafficking in human beings was a global problem that both the international community and national governments must deal with, he said.  Iceland had actively participated in the international fight against that serious crime through the Nordic Ministerial Council by participating in the Nordic-Baltic Task Forces against Trafficking in Human Beings.  The fight against human trafficking was also one of its main priorities in its work with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

DANIELE BODINI (San Marino), noting that small businesses generated half of the gross domestic product in industrialized nations, said that their enhancement benefited all countries, fostering sustainable economic growth, empowering women and youth, as well as curbing outbound migration.  Job protection in developed countries and job creation in least developed and other developing countries was a major global priority with many ancillary benefits.

Microcredit was a powerful tool to create a just and democratic economic environment in the poorest segments of society, he continued.  There was broad international consensus on the need to step up microfinance services, but microcredit must not be confused with development assistance.  True investment policy not only enhanced borrowers’ potential and that of their businesses, but it also instilled dignity and pride.  San Marino called on governments to create national microcredit policies and rules based on priorities.  International agencies should cooperate within the framework of national guidelines to ensure that microcredit venues conformed to international priorities.  Both domestic and multilateral plans should be evaluated annually and amended when necessary. Private lenders should co-invest with international and national funds as well as manage the microcredit business.

EWALD LIMON (Suriname), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and associating himself with the “Group of 77”developing countries and China, said the Caribbean region was prone to natural disasters, which contributed to the vicious cycle of poverty.  Despite hurdles such as unfair trade, environmental degradation and HIV/AIDS, CARICOM was aware that it was up to developing countries to work towards their own development, but the hurdles must be removed in cooperation with the rest of the international community.  Microfinance as a development tool must be promoted in order to make the shift from offering charity to enabling poor people to increase their incomes.

He said the eradication of poverty among women was integral to any effective strategy for the global alleviation of poverty.  Poor women were more likely to fall victim to human trafficking, and many CARICOM nations had been targeted by organized crime as “transit countries”.  They were committed to working with the rest of the international community to solve that problem.  Developing countries must formulate national poverty-reduction strategies in line with the productive capacity-building needs of the economy in order to break out of the pervasive poverty trap, he said.  The region was working to improve and upgrade educations standards and facilities, as education was regarded as critical in the fight against poverty.  Developing countries had held up their end of the deal by liberalizing trade, opening their markets, observing good governance and encouraging conditions for technology transfer, yet, they were still awaiting the advantages and prosperity promised as a result of globalization and trade liberalization.  Instead they found some getting richer and many living in abject poverty.  Lately, the pivotal development agenda had to make way for matters of war and security.  It was obvious, however, that development could not be achieved without security, nor security without development.

YEAN YOKE HENG (Malaysia) said poverty eradication required a multi-dimensional approach at the national, regional and international levels.  Many developing countries were working closely with the United Nations and development partners to introduce necessary reform, including transparency and good governance, to their policies and national development priorities in order to achieve sustainable social and economic development.  At the same time, the international community must ensure good governance at the global level to establish an enabling economic environment that facilitated the integration of developing countries into the world economy and allowed them to share the benefits of globalization.

He said microcredit and microfinance had had a positive impact in such areas as health care, education, the elderly and women’s empowerment.  Microcredit had allowed the poor to engage in small business and commercial ventures, providing them with a source of livelihood and employment. Malaysia had introduced various measures promoting the accessibility of microcredit facilities in local financial institutions.  The increased involvement of the poor in business and other enterprises made possible through microcredit had contributed significantly to the overall Malaysian economy as well as poverty eradication.  The United Nations and international financial institutions should continue helping developing countries to further develop microcredit institutions and facilities for the poor.

ALI HACHANI (Tunisia) recalled that during the General Assembly’s general debate, heads of State and government had agreed to put the human dimension at the centre of future debates and activities on development, with a special focus on poverty eradication.  Commitments must be translated into specific action.  Poverty was a product of disparities in the pace of success in different parts of the world.  Shared responsibility and international solidarity, as well as an integrated approach involving all actors, were needed to win the fight against poverty.

Emphasizing that the international community was waging the fight against poverty on four fronts, he said development had been placed at the centre of multilateral trade negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and on the Doha agenda.  It had developed an international approach to address the external debt of developing countries, where the negative transfer of financial resources deterred economic growth and aggravated poverty.  Industrialized countries had committed themselves to give 0.7 per cent of their gross domestic products for official development assistance (ODA).  Also important was a financing programme to guarantee implementation of the Cairo Action Plan on development.  The General Assembly’s World Solidarity Fund was a fresh instrument to fight poverty in the world’s poorest regions.

JULIA CARMACARO (Venezuela) said her Government had taken financial steps to promote microcredit throughout the country, using it as a tool to reduce poverty and social exclusion.  The programmes that had been introduced were aimed at the cotton, textile, and garment industries; small businesses; agricultural development; and loan financing to cooperatives.  Microcredit allowed sectors outside the productive mainstream to contribute to economic development and growth, especially in agriculture.  In 2005, Venezuela would be releasing a publication on microcredit and organizing an awareness raising campaign to promote the International Year of Microcredit.

She said the Government of Venezuela intended to fulfil the commitments it had made at major summits and conferences and had made poverty eradication a main objective.  The national social programmes designed and applied included a literacy programme aimed at a million people, and special educational programmes. They were flanked by financial assistance, such as loans to students.  In the health field, Venezuela had launched a drug addiction treatment programme and provided equipment for medical care facilities as well as medication for disease control.

BAKARY DEMBELE (Mali) said his country’s National Strategy for the Fight against Poverty aimed at developing institutional capacity, enhancing human resources and social services, and improving infrastructure in all productive economic sectors.  The strategy for the 2002-2006 period was matched by action plans to reduce poverty from 63.8 per cent to 47.5 per cent by 2005.  Mali had also declared October as “Solidarity, Action for All Month”, with one week each dedicated to four themes: the elderly, therapy, the disabled and socio-economic solidarity.

The Mali Solidarity Bank had set up a National Solidarity Fund to provide food, potable water, sanitation services, primary health care, education and decent living conditions to the poor, he said.  In accordance with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Mali’s 1998-2002 national strategy and action plan made microfinance a priority, giving it a decisive role in creating jobs and credit services for the poor.  Microfinance services had been extended to 800,000 direct and indirect borrowers and Mali had 706 points of access to microcredit, versus 151 outlets in the traditional banking system. Municipal associations were also granting credit and microcredit services to the poor.

ALEXANDRA WHITE-THOPPIL (Canada) said that promoting gender equality and empowering women were effective ways to combat poverty, hunger and disease, as well as stimulating truly sustainable development.  Canada’s foreign policy had identified gender equality as one of six programming priorities for overseas development assistance.  The Canadian International Development Agency’s Gender Equality Policy aimed to advance women’s equal participation with men as decision-makers in shaping sustainable development; support women and girls in realizing their full human rights; and reduce gender inequalities in access to and control over resources and developmental benefits.

Over the past 25 years, she said, Canada had worked internally and with partners, other donors, and international institutions to advance the global dialogue on gender equality to ensure that it was addressed in all of the country’s international development policies, programmes and projects. Increasingly, Canada had focused its efforts on ensuring that women and girls took part equally with men and boys in social, cultural, political and economic decisions affecting their lives.

AMARE TEKLE (Eritrea), endorsing the Group of 77 statement, said that a situation in which one third of the world’s population lived in abject poverty, suffering from limited opportunities and devastating epidemics, was an unacceptable human tragedy in an age of unprecedented prosperity.  To reverse that situation, a rights-based approach to development must include the empowerment and meaningful participation of people at the grassroots.  In addition, an enabling international environment must be created to ensure equitable opportunity for development.

He said the rich countries must, therefore, share responsibility for the elimination of poverty and hunger by assisting national governments and international institutions to establish a system of food security.  They could do that through restructuring trade agreements, arranging debt relief and increasing development assistance.  On the other hand, poor countries had the primary political and moral responsibility to feed their own people and avoid a culture of dependency.  In that light, good governance was a sine qua non for development.

WIDHYA CHEM (Cambodia) said good governance was at the centre of his country’s development strategy.  Cambodia’s Governance Action Plan focused on combating corruption, legal and judicial reform, public administration reform, including decentralization, and armed forces reform, with an emphasis on demobilization.  Poverty eradication was Cambodia’s greatest development challenge.  Poverty was most prominent among people in rural areas with small plots of land, few economic sectors, large households, limited formal education and limited access to physical infrastructure and information communication technologies.

Increased agricultural production and agriculture jobs, greater economic diversity among rural households and access to affordable microcredit was essential, he said, adding that rising unemployment in rural areas was worrisome. Cambodia also must balance macroeconomic stability with sustainable economic growth.  A heavy dependence on the ODA, a narrow tax base and weak expenditure management posed obstacles in that regard.  The National Poverty Reduction Strategy aimed to enhance the rule of law and promote respect for human rights and democracy to create a conducive environment for sustainable development.  It also aimed to ensure long-term economic growth of 6 to 7 per cent on average, to close the income gap between rich and poor, men and women, and rural and urban populations, and to promote sustainable environmental management and natural resource use.  The Strategic Plan of Neary Ratanak, or “Women are Precious Stones”, was intended to promote gender mainstreaming, foster capacity building for women, eliminate discrimination and ensure equal rights for women.

AUNG LYNN (Myanmar), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that in preparing for the forthcoming Millennium Declaration Review Summit, one thing was clear:  if the current trends continued, the agreed goals and targets would not be met.  It was therefore incumbent upon all parties to redouble efforts and develop new synergies to meet the Millennium Development Goals.  Concerned about poverty eradication, Myanmar had placed emphasis on expansion and diversification of agriculture production and had built an extensive network of dams and reservoirs.  It had also developed 26 industrial zones throughout the country.  There were also efforts to integrate remote border and other marginalized areas into the economic mainstream.

He said small-scale credit to farmers had been in practice for more than half a century.  In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a micro-financing project had been introduced in 1997, which encouraged the participation of women, who comprise 99 per cent of the borrowers.  As a member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Myanmar was implementing the ASEAN Plan of Action on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication.  Together with Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Thailand, it had adopted the “Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy” (ACMECS).  Myanmar was also active in the “Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical Cooperation” (BIMSTEC).

ALVARO SANDOVAL (Colombia) said developing countries faced greater challenges and obstacles in meeting developmental goals than did developed countries.  The UNDP had described insufficient public expenditure, crippling external debt, lack of market access, and the current decline in the ODA as severe impediments to eradicating poverty.  Developing countries themselves must promote good governance, fairer income distribution, social protection, inclusive systems, and increased productivity.  However, they lacked the capacity to overcome such problems alone, and needed international cooperation to overcome trade imbalances, ensure market access, cancel debt, and redesign the international financial architecture.

Eradicating poverty was also a major challenge for medium-income States, he said.  International cooperation for development had been drastically cut in those nations, although it was desperately needed for infrastructure as well as resolving economic problems exacerbated by the international situation.  Given the shortage of funding, social programmes had been postponed or cancelled.

DURGA SUBEDI (Nepal) said that about half of the population in developing countries were using polluted water for basic needs.  Nineteen per cent of South Asia’s population, 25 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population and 40 per cent of East Asia’s population lacked access to safe drinking water.  One third of the world’s urban population lived in slums and that percentage was rising fast.  The LDCs had the world’s highest birth rates and the lowest life expectancy rates due to high child and infant mortality and HIV/AIDS prevalence.  Their burgeoning populations, coupled with deforestation, environmental degradation, unemployment, lack of education and poor health made their lives even more difficult.

Poverty eradication and development were interconnected.  However, current prospects were not encouraging.  Nepal and many other developing countries were not poised to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.  The international community must realize that national resources were not enough to meet those targets.  Countries needed outside assistance, including adequate financial resources, technology transfer and human development.

LAI WEI LIN (Singapore) said societies that did not use women in development experienced higher poverty, slower economic growth, a lower quality of life and weaker governance.  No society could improve the well-being of its people without the participation of women, who generally made up half or more of the population. Women helped open the doors of development and studies had shown that giving credit to women had a positive effect on schooling and living standards, and raised the status of poor women in their families.

Last year, the Government of Singapore had invested 3.8 per cent of its gross domestic product on education, achieving a literacy rate of 91 per cent for females aged 15 years and older, she said.  Some 51 per cent of the university population last year were females, and the Government had made primary school education compulsory, ensuring an equal start for boys and girls.  Women’s labour had risen from 50.6 per cent in 1993 to 53.9 per cent in 2003, and they had also made inroads into traditionally male-dominated sectors, such as information technology and engineering.  More and more women were moving up the corporate ladder, rising to key decision-making positions at the same level as their male counterparts.

DER KOGDA (Burkina Faso) said that poverty, as defined during the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, was not only measured in economic and social terms.  It also violated human rights and was a threat to fundamental civil and political freedoms.  The elimination of all forms of social discrimination would go a long way in helping to alleviate poverty.  Ninety-two per cent of the world’s poor lived in rural areas, and diversification in agriculture and animal husbandry was crucial to poverty eradication.  However, alternative sources of income were needed, as were adequate infrastructure, education, health and food.

In Burkina Faso, poverty had decreased slightly in the rural areas, but increased sharply in urban areas, he said.  Authorities had implemented a support fund to foster gainful employment and small-enterprise development.  However, more support was needed to meet public needs.  During the recent African Union Summit on employment and combating poverty, leaders from Burkina Faso and other African countries had recognized the need for macroeconomic stability and growth, but alone they would not eradicate poverty.  Employment creation and enhancement must be at the forefront of development goals.  Burkina Faso called for full support of the World Solidarity Fund and for stepped up action in poverty eradication.

THOMAS GASS (Switzerland) said that despite a growing consciousness of the gender-specific aspects of migration, effective solutions to the problems faced by migrant women were still lacking.  The ratification of relevant conventions was important, but there was still a lot to be done to ensure their implementation, particularly since there was often a contradiction between national legislation and human rights.  Examples included cases of domestic violence victims who were tied to their husbands by their residency permits.

Regarding remittances by women migrants, he called for the reduction of transaction costs and the application of work rights and the International Labour Organization (ILO) standards to migrant women.  In addition, it was of the highest importance to effectively combat trafficking in women, which was a manifestation of gender inequality in the current era of globalization.  Switzerland welcomed the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s report that stressed the importance of good sex-disaggregated data, and supported initiatives that promoted the updating and interpretation of such data to define and implement further gender-sensitive strategies that promoted a migration policy based on women’s rights.

PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia), noting the growing body of evidence that microcredit and microfinance played a vital role in combating poverty, said that first and foremost, an enabling environment must be provided for the poor to empower themselves and fully use their productive capacity.  However, governments in developing countries lacked the institutional capacity to provide proper guidance and supervision on microcredit and microfinance.  With the support of the international community, governments should adopt policies supporting access to microcredit and the development of microfinance institutions.

He said that observing 2005 as the International Year of Microcredit would provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of microcredit and microfinance in eradicating poverty, share good practices, and enhance financial-sector development in support of sustainable pro-poor financial services in developing countries.  The international community should pay more attention to expanding national microcredit and microfinance capacity and scope as important tools for poverty eradication, job and income generation, sustained growth, and attaining the Millennium Development Goals.  The reality was that demand for such services still far exceeded supply.

BASHEER ZOUBI (Jordan) said microcredit and microfinance played a crucial role in poverty eradication, gender-equality promotion, empowerment of vulnerable groups and rural community development.  In May, Jordan had forged an agreement with the Arab Gulf Programme for the United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) to set up the National Bank for Financing Small and Medium Projects.  The bank’s policies were based on the belief that the poor needed not charity, but tools to help themselves.  Its lending programmes gave preference to women.

In October, he said, Jordan had hosted the 2004 Middle East and Africa Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils, organized by AGFUND, the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the Washington, D.C.-based Microcredit Summit Campaign.  The three-day summit aimed to reach the poorest people, empower women, build financially self-sufficient institutions and ensure a positive measurable impact on families.  During the Summit, the Arab-African Microcredit Fund had been launched.  The Summit had called upon the Arab League to make poverty alleviation a priority on the agenda of upcoming Arab summits.  The Summit had also called upon banks servicing small and medium-sized businesses to provide sustainable programmes rather than one-time giveaways.

PATRICK MNISI (Swaziland) said his Government had prepared an interim poverty reduction strategy paper in 2002, which focused on poverty, HIV/AIDS, unemployment and social welfare.  In December, 2003, the United Nations country team, together with the Government, had produced the first progress report on attaining the Millennium Development Goals, which identified challenges and opportunities associated with each goal.  In addition, a Poverty Reduction Unit had been set up in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development to monitor the country’s achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the effectiveness of its strategies to alleviate poverty.

However, he said, in addressing poverty, Swaziland faced several problems, including the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS, an unemployment rate of about 22 per cent, a high proportion of people –- about 66 per cent -- living below the poverty line and four years of severe drought.  As a landlocked country, Swaziland was expected to reach gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita growth rate of 5 per cent to meet development goals by 2015.  The region had recently experienced an increase in competition for investment, especially from South Africa and Mozambique, which had resulted in slow economic growth, declining foreign direct investment and less employment.

S.B. LIKWELILE (United Republic of Tanzania) said his country’s 2000 Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers was a national framework to guide the fight against poverty.  It identified primary education, basic health care, water and sanitation services, rural roads and agriculture as priority development sectors, HIV/AIDS and good governance as priority cross-cutting issues.  In the first three years of the paper’s implementation, progress had been made in achieving macroeconomic stability, increasing primary school enrolment through the Primary Education Development Programme, improved health services and basic infrastructure, particularly roads.  However, poverty levels remained high and services to the poor were still low.  The new National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty focused on reducing income poverty, improving the quality of life and social well-being, and good governance, with gender, environment and HIV/AIDS as cross-cutting priorities.  It effectively mainstreamed the Millennium Development Goals, NEPAD and the Brussels Programme of Action.

Microcredit and microfinance could contribute significantly to poverty reduction through better employment opportunities, higher incomes and household expenditures, reduced vulnerability to economic and social crisis, he said. Limited access to credit constrained the development of small enterprises and income generation.  In Tanzania, 60 per cent of the beneficiaries of improved access to microcredit were women.  The country had set up a National Microfinance Policy, a Small Entrepreneurs Loan Facility and a Rural Financial Services Programme to ensure access to low-cost credit.  Officials had also encouraged the creation of savings and credit cooperative societies to inculcate the culture of savings and easy access to low-cost credit.

WENDA ADRIAANSE, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said microcredit was an important element of work that the Danish Red Cross supported in Viet Nam and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where it had assisted in providing primary health care.  Decisions were driven by the needs of the people themselves and articulated through participatory rural appraisal techniques.  Microcredit had also had positive effects in Africa, particularly in Swaziland, Rwanda and Gabon.  However, there were also countries where microcredit had not yet overcome various challenges to contribute to the war on poverty.

One of the growing problems for members of the Federation was the uncertainty of the environment in which they worked, she said.  The need to provide social services and other care was not decreasing, but government funding was shrinking, as was the pool of providers beyond governments that had once delivered that care.  Moreover, the extended family was a diminishing social asset in virtually all countries.  To address those and other concerns, there was a need for dialogue at the national level on economic and social policy formulation, which should be broad-based and aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

S. SHAHID HUSAIN, Organization of the Islamic Conference, supported the Secretary-General’s recommendations to develop polices that enhanced migrant women’s employment opportunities, access to safe housing, education, language training, health care and other services in the host country as well as to develop educational and communications programmes to inform migrant women of their rights and responsibilities under international and national law.  The Organization of the Islamic Conference underscored the importance of policies that recognized the contributions of migrant women in their countries of destination as well as their professional credentials and training for recertification when required.  At the October 2003 Islamic Summit Conference, member States had been urged to adopt a participatory approach that took women’s needs and strategic interests into account and allowed for their participation in all national development projects. A proposal to convene a ministerial conference on women was being negotiated.

The Programme of Action of the September 2004 International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo had focused on national admission policies, saying they should not discriminate against women and children, he recalled.  Similarly, the Islamic Summit Conference had highlighted the need to combat the trafficking of migrants, emphasizing in particular the need to protect women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation and coercive adoptions. While such dangers and risks had been minimal in Organization of the Islamic Conference member States, the Secretary-General’s concern was shared at the highest level.

Action on Draft Resolution

Prior to taking action on a text relating to Promoting an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea in the context of sustainable development (document A/C.2.58/L.34), the Committee heard statements by delegations.

General Statements Before the Vote

CHRISTOPHER FITZHERBERT HACKETT (Barbados), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), expressed concern over delegations’ objections to preambular paragraph 14 of the text, which spoke to the vulnerability of developing countries to natural disasters.  The CARICOM had hoped that the international community would join in international solidarity with the Caribbean at a time when the recent hurricane season had affected all countries in the region, causing an escalating death toll in Haiti and leaving 50 per cent of Grenada’s population homeless.

SULTAN IBRAHIM YOUSOUF AL-MAHMOUD (Qatar), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, also underscored the extensive damage caused by recent hurricanes in the Caribbean region and called upon delegations to vote in favour of preambular paragraph 14.

Explanation of Vote Before the Vote

LUCY TAMLYN (United States) said her delegation would vote against preambular paragraph 14.  Its language was scientifically inaccurate and misleading and there was insufficient evidence to indicate a trend of increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts and floods, or of natural disasters worldwide.  The consequences of those events had increased owing to a variety of factors, not the events themselves.

She said that while the United States understood the concerns of Caribbean States and recognized the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, particularly in the Caribbean, evidence did not support a statement that that was part of a long-term trend.  Moreover, the language implied a casual link between climate change and current extreme weather events.  In reality, that link was uncertain.  The paragraph also failed to deal adequately with the various causes of vulnerability.  The United States had offered an alternative text that recognized the recent disasters in the Caribbean, but sought to limit the conclusions to those that could be justified on the basis of current knowledge.  It sought also to correct ambiguity over the role of climate change, as opposed to climate variability, in recent events.

Action on Preambular Paragraph 14

The Committee then approved, by a recorded vote of 121 in favour, 1 against (United States) and three abstentions (Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Japan), preambular paragraph 14 of the draft resolution.

Action on Draft Resolution

Acting without a vote, the Committee then approved the text as a whole.

Explanation of Vote After the Vote

ALONSO HERRERA DE ABREU (Venezuela), expressing concern over preambular paragraphs 6 and 25, and operative paragraph 4, which referred to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, said his country had participated actively a in efforts to promote a sustainable integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea, but did not share the views expressed in those paragraphs.  Venezuela was not a party to the Convention nor had it applied all the Convention’s directives.  However, its historic solidarity with neighbouring countries would not obstruct the consensus to approve the text.

The Committee then took up information and communication technologies for development.

Introduction of Reports

SARBULAND KHAN, Executive Coordinator, Information and Communication Technologies Task Force and Director, Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the report on information and communication technologies for development:  progress in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 57/295 (document A/59/563).

He said the December 2003 World Summit on the Information Society, held in Geneva, had been designed as a global platform for all stakeholders to come together in developing a common vision of the evolving information society.  In moving forward, the Secretary-General must set up a working group on Internet governance and a task force on financial mechanisms to bridge the digital divide.

Noting that the international community had shown great interest in the preparations for the second phase of the Summit, to be held in Tunis next November, he stressed that it must sustain the momentum, goodwill and consensus it had gained among stakeholders during the first phase in Geneva.  The United Nations was committed to supporting the second phase, and would work with the ITU Task Force and the host country to make the Tunis Summit a success.  Governments and others had recognized the close links between the Millennium Development Goals and the Tunis Summit, understanding that the event could play a crucial role in achieving development goals.

He then introduced the report of the ITU Secretary-General on the first phase and progress in preparations for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, noting that the United Nations had taken a major step forward during the past year in developing a viable and practical system-wide ICT strategy, and defining a road map for implementing it.  The United Nations ICT strategy must be pursued as a vital component in enhancing its effectiveness and capacity to support countries in using ICT to attain the Millennium targets.  A strategy had been developed to harness ICT’s power, enhance its standardization, and harmonize investment in providing services to Member States.

WIJAYANANDA JAYAWEERA, Director, Communication Development Division, Communication and Information Sector, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), introduced the report on communication for development programmes in the United Nations system (document A/59/207).  He said the role of communication in development was to make people conscious of the reality of their situation, and aware that they had the power to change it.  All development programmes must be transparent and accountable to the intended beneficiaries through a vigorous civil society, which must be empowered to articulate its interests and participate in policy formulation and programme implementation.

He said that communication for development involved building people’s capacity to process vital information through a range of interdependent channels -- from inter-personal communications at the grassroots level to diverse and pluralistic media at the local and national levels.  That meant designing strategies to accelerate grassroots participation in democratic governance and creating an enabling environment for free and pluralistic media to investigate diverse development issues.  Addressing the information and communication needs of the poor and marginalized must form an important component of a wider strategy to tackle poverty and social exclusion.

Questions and Answers

Responding to a question on the ICT Task Force’s coordination with other entities to promote the objectives set forth during the World Summit on the Information Society, Mr. KHAN said the ICT Task Force had adopted an approach whereby cooperation with the private sector was needed to promote an enabling environment for development.  It planned to develop initiatives made during the Geneva meeting in collaboration with major institutions, such as the UNDP, the ITU and the World Bank, among others, in capacity building, training and awareness-raising in developing countries over next two years.  It had already received commitments from partners to make that happen and was organizing regional forums on Internet governance so as to bring issues to the attention of the Internet Working Group and the ICT Task Force prior to the second Prepcom Meeting, to be held in February.

Introduction of Reports

MARCEL BOISARD, Executive Director, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), introduced the report of the Executive Director (document A/59/14) and the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, including details on the status of contributions to and the financial situation of the Institute (document A/59/230).  In the last two years, UNITAR had worked to consolidate programmes, giving priority to quality over quantity.  For example, it had developed a methodology called National Profile for effective chemical management.  More than 100 countries were using the methodology, which aimed at setting priorities for training and capacity building and helping agencies channel their assistance and meet recipients’ needs.  The Global Environment Facility (GEF) had used it to manage chemical products and deal with conventions that had resulted from the Rio Summit.

HANS VAN GINKEL, Rector, United Nations University, said the institution had continued to work on critical issues within two main themes –- peace and governance and environment and development.  Regarding peace and governance, research and policy analysis work at the United Nations University Centre in Tokyo had continued in 2004 in the areas of conflict and security, human rights and ethics, policy and institutional frameworks, and international order and international justice.  Under environment and development, the University was carrying out several projects in such fields as land management, new growth standards for infants and young children, software development, dryland management, land degradation and management, conservation and biodiversity, agricultural and rural cooperation, and wetlands ecology.  The University had also continued its work in capacity development, awarding fellowships to 79 academics and professionals for short- and long-duration training programmes on issues ranging from natural disaster risk management and land management, to remote sensing, geothermal energy, fisheries and food technology.

He said the University had continued to make good progress in strengthening the quality, relevance and outreach of its research and capacity development activities, as well as its connection to and interaction with the United Nations family.  The collective efforts of the United Nations University Centre, its 12 research and training centres and programmes and the broader network of cooperating and associated institutions would continue to be directed towards the problems that were core concerns of the United Nations.

Statements

GE SONGXUE (China) said the University had continued to play a unique role in the last two years in developing networks inside and outside the United Nations system to foster academic exchanges on topics of concern to the Organization.  It had harnessed the collective wisdom and synergy of diverse disciplines to carry out analyses, studies, training activities and exchanges on important issues affecting the development of human society, thus contributing to the goals of peace, environmental protection and sustainable development.  China had always supported the University and had helped establish its International Institute for Software Technology.  Some Chinese academic institutions maintained partnerships with the University, he said, and hopefully those relationships would continue to develop.

Mr. LOLO (Nigeria), welcoming the expanded scope of partnerships between UNITAR and other entities of the United Nations system, said the Institute should provide a range of training programmes and activities with a deliberate bias towards development issues and international affairs management.  The UNITAR was an important research and training entity within the United Nations, but its core finances remained poor.  The UNITAR received most of its funding from donations, voluntary contributions and earmarked Special Purpose Grants and only a few Member States contributed to its General Fund.  Countries that had yet to contribute, or that had suspended payments, should respond positively to the Secretary-General’s recommendations for increased funding for UNITAR.  Resolving its outstanding rent, debt and maintenance costs would place it in a better position to offer quality services to Member States.  The UNITAR should benefit from free rent and maintenance as did the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.

Mr. HACHANI (Tunisia) said that recent international interest in ICT was a source of both hope and misgivings.  The digital divide symbolized a world environment that was unequal in many respects, and ICT could open the way for investment and stimulate development.  The ICT question was not just a matter for experts, but had created a social and political debate at the global level.  The World Summit on the Information Society could create an international response to the ICT problem, outlining the factors at stake and future prospects.  It was a unique event that the international community must seize in order to build strategic partnerships in traversing the digital divide and developing a balanced information society.

Mr. AL-MAHMOUD (Qatar), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, urged Member States, relevant United Nations bodies, including the ICT Task Force and other intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector to contribute to the preparatory process of the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, as well as the Summit itself in order to ensure its overall success.  The Group of 77 and China called on the international community to make voluntary contributions to the special fund set up by the ITU to support the Summit.

He said he was pleased that UNITAR had fully regained its position within the United Nations system and that its training and capacity-building programmes had been consolidated.  The Institute now provided training for personnel from developed and developing countries.  In the period under review, UNITAR had noted that the number of beneficiaries of seminars, workshops and conferences had risen from 6,000 to 7,800.  The growing popularity of UNITAR’s training activities meant that it was a body that provided useful services to Member States.  However, UNITAR should find ways to better maximize its use of time and shorten the time allotted for some activities, particularly during major events in New York.  Contributions to UNITAR’s General Fund remained low, severely inhibiting the Institute’s capacity to render more services to Member States, particularly developing countries.  In fact, some free programmes for diplomats and delegates were in jeopardy.  The Group of 77 and China called for increased funding from more diverse sources and for a shift in emphasis from Special Purpose Grants to the General Fund.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said ICT was the most dynamic force behind globalization, significantly reducing time, distance and the information gap.  The transaction of resources had speeded up, productivity had increased, and trade, transport and financial transactions had been facilitated.  However, widespread inequality remained in ICT access, requiring high-tech infrastructures and connectivity.  Challenges faced by the developing world included how to harness ICT potential in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.  The ICT growth in most developing countries was inseparably linked with economic and social development.  They were being pauperized in a knowledge-based globalized economy.

Regional integration could contribute significantly to the rapid and equitable development of the global information society, he said.  Meaningful cooperation within and among countries, involving all stakeholders, could contribute significantly to bridging the digital divide and strengthening national capacity building.  Consolidating regional cooperation to build information societies was one of the main goals of the World Summit on the Information Society, which offered potential for new types of partnership and sharing of experiences.

JEAN-ROBERT MORET (Switzerland) said the first phase of the World Summit had adopted a political statement and an action plan by which the international community had reaffirmed that the existence of an information society implied the full and unrestricted implementation of basic freedoms, including freedom of opinion and expression and freedom to receive and send information.

Important issues such as Internet governance and financing mechanisms for information and communications technologies for development had not been resolved, he said.  However, they would be addressed during the Summit’s second phase, to be held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 16 to 18 November 2005.  During that second phase, States would discuss the follow-up and implementation, at the national, regional or international levels of the statement of principles and the plan of action adopted at Geneva.  Particular attention would have to be paid to the challenges confronting least developed countries.  Switzerland welcomed the active participation of civil society and the private sector in the preparatory phases of the Summit.

Mr. HANNESSON (Iceland) said that geothermal energy and the sustainable use of marine resources were fundamental to Iceland’s prosperity and it had sought to share its experiences with other countries by hosting two UnitedNationsUniversity training programmes on key aspects of sustainability, including the Geothermal Training Programme and the Fisheries Training Programme.  The Geothermal Programme, which gave university graduates intensive on-the-job training in their chosen specialities, was intended to help developing countries with significant geothermal potential to build their expertise in geothermal exploration and development, thus contributing to renewable energy development worldwide.

The Fisheries Programme addressed the challenges posed by the over-exploitation of in-shore and coastal stocks that had threatened food security in numerous developing countries, he said.  The Programme helped developing countries promote sustainable development in their fisheries sectors. United Nations University programmes were an integral part of Iceland’s development policy and its efforts to meet the Johannesburg commitments.  Iceland would considerably increase its contributions to the University in the coming year.

CAMILLE ROBINSON-REGIS (Trinidad and Tobago), speaking on behalf of CARICOM, said her country’s national ICT Strategy was an integral part of a development vision providing for a knowledge-based society by 2008.  Aptly named “Fast Forward”, the strategy was a comprehensive plan leveraging the power of the people, innovation, education, information technology and infrastructure to accelerate social, economic and cultural development.  It complemented the country’s development vision, which aimed to achieve developed-country status by 2020 or before, and would provide tangible benefits for all by actively involving civil society, the Government and the private sector.

Last year, she continued, CARICOM had adopted the CARICOM ICT/Connectivity Agenda 2003 and Platform for Action as a two-year plan focusing on e-governance, public education and awareness, e-learning, and capacity building.  Later, in Barbados, CARICOM Ministers had committed themselves to an aggressive and focused strategy calling on the region to adopt a fresh approach to ICT policy and regulation, capacity building, research and innovation.  The strategy urged national and regional organizations in CARICOM to prepare ICT projects in such areas as disaster preparedness, trade facilitation, skills development and promotion of cultural entrepreneurship, community e-government projects and wireless access connectivity projects.

Regarding training and research, she said the CARICOM nations had continued to be hindered by insufficient human resources, as well as their limitations and vulnerabilities as small island developing States.  The financial state of UNITAR had improved over the years, which was a major step towards consolidating activities and programmes at the Institute.  However, CARICOM was concerned at the level of voluntary contributions to the General Fund, which would negatively affect the continuation of some of the Institute’s programmes and steer it away from its original mandate.

FAWAZ BOURISLY (Kuwait) said that the attainment of the Millennium Development Gaols required effective cooperation among the international community.  United Nations University and UNITAR played an important role in helping countries to achieve the Millennium targets, and renewed resources for development were essential.  Countries in special situations and those that depended on a single source of revenue demanded particular assistance.  Kuwait attached special importance to continued and increased participation by UNITAR and United Nations University in the work of the United Nations, and both Kuwait and Qatar were coordinating certain diplomat training programmes.

REZLAN ISHAR JENIE (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said his region was moving towards a knowledge-based economy by implementing the e-ASEAN initiative, which focused on developing the ASEAN information infrastructure, e-commerce and e-government.  Despite the potential of the ICT development, however, all countries had yet to fully harness its benefits due to varying stages of development.  In most ASEAN nations, ICT development still required infrastructure and human resource improvement to put them on a par with developed countries.  Hopefully, the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society would draw up a detailed work programme to implement activities and targets that supported regional ICT initiatives, including e-ASEAN.

Regional action to enhance national and international ICT efforts was an ASEAN priority, he said.  This year in Bangkok, ASEAN Ministers had held their fourth meeting to further advance cooperation in ICT development, including implementation of the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement and promotion of e-learning culture towards a knowledge-based ASEAN.  In the area of cyber security, each ASEAN nation was establishing a National Computer Emergency Response Team.  A Standard Operating Procedure for information sharing among the ASEAN countries had been developed to ensure a coordinated ASEAN response to cyber threats.

ANWARUL CHOWDHURY, High Representative of the Secretary-General for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, said that ICT must not be confined to a few countries, but to all, particularly society’s most vulnerable segments living in LDCS, landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).  Despite some inroads in technological development, LDCs were at risk of increased marginalization with the advent of global networks, new information technologies and connectivity, which were widening the digital divide.

Africa required special attention, he said, adding that while the economies of African countries remained fragile and the gap between information-rich and information-poor nations widened, the growth of wireless technology had helped African LDCs enter the information age.  Political will and leadership, education and capacity development, as well as information dissemination, were needed to direct those energies toward development.  Development partners should share hardware and software with LDCs, and help them meet the Brussels Programme targets of increasing computer literacy among college students by 50 per cent and among junior and high school students by 2015.  Average telephone density should rise to five main lines per 100 inhabitants, and Internet connections to 10 users per 100 inhabitants by 2010.

The digital solidarity fund proposed by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal at last year’s World Summit on the Information Society deserved full support to become operational, particularly for the benefit of LDCs, he said, stressing that training and job growth must support the infrastructure.  Technology’s power could be harnessed to provide new applications for the benefit of vulnerable countries in the fields of agriculture development, small-business growth, the use of computers for security and combating terrorism, and in effective governance.

ANNEX

Vote on Promoting an Integrated Management Approach to the Caribbean Sea Area in the Context of Sustainable Development

The draft resolution (preambular paragraph 14) on promotion of an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea in the context of sustainable development (document A/C.2/59/L.34) was adopted by a recorded vote of 121 in favour to 1 against, with 3 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia.

Against:  United States.

Abstain:  Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Japan.

Absent:  Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dominica, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nauru, Niger, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tajikistan, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

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