SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN IRAQ, UN CONFERENCE

ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AS PART OF EFFORT TO HELP COUNTRY FULFIL POTENTIAL

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks on signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Iraq in Geneva, yesterday, 1 September:

Today is a solemn day for Iraq and for the United Nations.  I am in Geneva to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, and to meet the survivors and families of the victims.  Many Iraqis perished that day, along with international staff of the United Nations.

But today is also an occasion to look forward.  We should never forget that Iraq is blessed with exceptional human and natural resources.  The mission of the United Nations is to support Iraq fulfilling its own potential for development and stability.

The Memorandum of Understanding you are signing today is part of this effort.  I congratulate the UNCTADsecretariat on launching operational activities to support Iraq’s economic development.  And I commend the Government, through His Excellency Raed Fahmi, Minister for Science and Technology, for its determination to use the power of modern science to benefit the Iraqi people.

UNCTAD’s programmes for Iraq cover trade, investment and enterprise policies.  These can help Iraq to become a fully engaged actor in today’s globalized economy.

As we take this step forward in UN-Iraqi cooperation, I hope that all States and partners will support this work, for the sake of those who deserve it most:  the people of Iraq.

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For information media • not an official record