Vienna Chapter
Mr. President (H.E. Mr. Miroslav SOMOL, Deputy Minister of Trade and
Industry, Czech Republic),
It is with great pleasure that I congratulate you on behalf of the
Group of 77 and China on your election as the President of the 11th
session of the UNIDO General Conference. The Group is confident that your
experience and skills will contribute to the success and fruitful
conclusion of this General Conference. On behalf of the Group, I also take
this opportunity to extend my congratulations to other members of the
Bureau on their election. The Group would also like to thank your
predecessor H.E. Mr. Claudio Moreno, former Permanent Representative of
Italy for successfully steering the work of the 10th session of General
Conference. The Group also expresses its appreciation to the Secretariat
for the organization of this Conference.
Mr. President,
The Group of 77 and China welcomes the opening remarks by the
Director-General, Mr. Carlos Magariños. The Group takes this
opportunity to acknowledge the immense contribution of the
Director-General for the achievements of UNIDO during the past 8 years.
His creative and innovative leadership has brought a fresh profile for
UNIDO as a UN specialized agency. The Group of 77 and China believes that
the gradual transformation of UNIDO from its past crisis to present
success is entirely due to the commitment and dedication of Mr. Magariños
and his staff. The Group of 77 and China wishes Mr. Magariños all
success in his future endeavours and believes that the Conference will pay
a well-deserved tribute to the outgoing Director-General.
Mr. President,
I would be commenting on the agenda items 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 15 and
18 on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
Mr. President,
The Group of 77 and China is of the view that the high technical
cooperation delivery of USD 98.8 million achieved in the year 2004 is
commendable, following its successful trend since 2003. This figure is
even higher than the levels reached in 1997 when the regular budget was
20% more than the present level.
The Group takes note of the tabulated summary provided on technical
cooperation (TC) delivery in selected areas of competitive economy, sound
environment and productive employment. The global forum activities of the
Organization should be carefully focused to complement the technical
cooperation projects.
The evaluation of UNIDO's programmes in selected countries, carried
out during 2004, should help in refining the technical cooperation
guidelines. The Group is confident that these evaluation results would
further improve the performance and results of UNIDO's corporate strategy,
including its funds mobilization.
The newly established alliance between UNIDO and the UNDP is expected
to further improve its technical delivery mechanisms and improve
inter-agency cooperation and is significant in the context of the UN
reform process. The Group would like to reiterate that, with reference to
decentralization of its activities, interventions and field
representation, UNIDO should expand its field presence in a step-by-step
approach, within the limits of the existing budgetary resources and in
close consultation and co-operation with Member States.
The Group also takes note of and welcomes the projects undertaken by
UNIDO to promote South-South cooperation. This aspect should be further
strengthened. The Group welcomes the projects and activities undertaken by
UNIDO to promote the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals
through South-South co-operation and encourages the Secretariat to
continue to participate actively in promoting South-South Cooperation.
The establishment of the four new Programme Approval Committees and
the adoption of thematic and results based approach for the formulation of
the programme and budget proposals are important developments. The Group
agrees that the concept of Results Based Management (RBM) should be built
into integrated programmes and projects during the initial formulation
stage. Identification of clear and realistic objectives and outcomes,
including result indicators is necessary.
Mr. President,
The Group of 77 and China welcomes the adopted recommendations
contained in the External Auditor's report for the financial period
2002-2003. The Group urges the Secretariat to take the necessary steps to
ensure the full implementation of the recommendations by the External
Auditor without delay with the view to timely improve the financial
performance of the Organization and enhance technical cooperation
delivery.
The Group is pleased with the recommendations of the Evaluation Group
to the Secretariat to introduce the principles of results-based management
in all technical cooperation activities. This would ensure coherence,
sustainability and focus on the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goal-related targets at the country level.
Mr. President,
The Group of 77 and China welcomes the holding of the Industrial
Development Forum with particular focus on Industrial Development, Trade
and Poverty Alleviation through South-South Cooperation. The Group views
this Forum as an excellent opportunity for UNIDO to assess its
accomplishments, while at the same time provide it with relevant guides
for its future work. The Group recommends that UNIDO takes consideration
of the outcomes of the discussions in the Industrial Development Forum to
formulate concrete programs of actions and funds mobilization to expand
UNIDO's South-South Cooperation activities. While the Group urges the
Secretariat to maintain South-South Cooperation as one of the major topics
for future Industrial Development Fora for the General Conference, it
recommends that outcomes of such discussions are translated into a
comprehensive strategy.
The Group of 77 and China takes note of documents GC.11/13 and GC.11/10
and wishes to express its concern that 45 Member States have lost voting
rights as of 22 November 2005.
The Group therefore urges those Member States and former Member
States that have not yet paid their assessed contributions, including
advances to the Working Capital Fund and prior years' arrears, as well as
towards the security enhancements, to do so without delay. The Group
further requests the Director-General to continue to pursue his efforts
and contacts with Member States to effect the collection of arrears and
fulfillment of their financial obligations. The Group welcomes the
initiative of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Lithuania, Kazakhstan,
Slovenia and Ukraine to take advantage of and conclude payment plans with
UNIDO to settle their outstanding arrears.
Mr. President,
The G-77 and China takes note of the information concerning
incentives and disincentives following precedent in other UN
Organizations, and the fact that the only measure on which action had so
far been taken was multi-year payments plans, which do not impede
programme implementation and technical cooperation delivery to Member
States.
Finally, the Group welcomes the adopted recommendation regarding the
encouragement to Member States and other donors to increase their
voluntary contributions to UNIDO and to consider contributing programmable
funds, especially to enable UNIDO to implement Integrated Programmes and
the Country Service Frameworks in a coordinated manner to achieve greater
synergy and increased impact.
Mr. President,
The Group acknowledges the crucial role and potential, investment and
technology promotion can play in creating conducive national environment
to attract direct foreign investment. In this regard the Group welcomes
that UNIDO has extended assistance for the establishment of national
Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) as well as building such capacities
and upgrades through training and establishment of new programmatic
activities.
The Group is of the view that greater efforts be geared towards the
enhancement of cooperation activities with other international
organizations in order to harness the implementation of MTPF in the area
of trade-capacity building. As regards sustainable energy and climate
change, UNIDO's energy programmes that aim at providing modern energy
services and promoting income-generating activities are commendable. Such
initiatives should be reinforced on a wider spectrum in developing
countries and LDCs so as to ensure the realization of the objectives of
the Millennium Development Goals. The Group is of the view that these
efforts should lead towards the promotion of business partnerships to
support energy efficiency and cleaner technologies.
Mr. President,
With regard to the Medium Term Program Framework (MTPF) for
2006-2009, contained in document GC.11/12, the G-77 and China is of the
view that the components of this MTPF reflect continuity with the previous
ones, and are more elaborated and focused on the relevant priorities in
developing countries such as investment promotion, technology transfer,
trade facilitation, capacity building, market access, private sector
development beside those related to environmental issues.
The G-77 and China notes with appreciation that the contents of the
MTPF fall within the scope of the Millennium Development Goals as well as
the outcomes of the 2005 World Summit held last September in New York.
While appreciating this framework, the G-77 and China believes that
adequate measures should be taken to ensure its effective implementation,
through the mobilization of Funds and the provision of technical
assistance. In this context, UNIDO should continue to seek the necessary
financial resources to meet technical cooperation demands.
Furthermore, the implementation of the MTPF should be in line with
UNIDO's Long Term Vision covering the period 2005-2015.
Mr. President,
With regard to the Strategic long-term vision statement the G-77 and
China commends the Secretariat for its untiring work put in developing the
Vision Statement. The Group also appreciates the useful contribution by
all the Member States that took part in the preparation of the vision
statement.
Unevenness of the global development picture is one of the greatest
challenges of this age. UNIDO can play an important role in narrowing this
widening gap between the developed and developing countries. The Group of
77 and China considers the LTVS to be a useful document in shaping UNIDO's
future and in contributing towards meeting this challenge.
The Group would like to draw Member States attention to the fact that
the full and proper implementation of the LTVS, is dependent upon
availability of sufficient resources. Thus while the decentralization
process could prove to be one way to better utilize human resources, the
Organization remains constrained in terms of assured and guaranteed flows
of financial resources.
The G-77 and China emphasizes the role UNIDO is playing in the
industrialization of the developing world. The Group feels that
formulation of targets to meet this goal are a necessary step in gauging
and enhancing the Organization's performance. While the Group is conscious
of the difficulties involved in formulating measurable and achievable
targets, it is confident that this task is not impossible.
The Group thinks that formulation of such targets could help in
sharpening the focus and spurring the efforts of the Organization, thus
allowing it to fulfil its aims and objectives. These targets and their
achievement would also prove a means to seeking greater financial
resources.
The G-77 and China appreciates the process of close consultations
with Member States during the preparation of the LTVS and hopes that these
close consultations will continue in future.
The G-77 and China has carefully studied documents GC.11/7 and GC.11/7
Add.1 and is in agreement that the programmatic activities of UNIDO during
the next biennium will continue to focus on making an active contribution
towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals within the mandate
and competence of the Organization.
The G-77 and China takes note that the programmes related to the
provision of substantive technical and Global Forum Activities have been
substantially altered as compared with the Programmes of the biennium
2004-2005. We recognize that the new programmes are providing specialized
services to meet developmental needs associated with Major Programme C
(Energy and Environment), D (Trade Capacity Building) and E (Poverty
Reduction through Productive Activities).
The Group of 77 and China is of the view that in order to achieve the
objectives set by Member States in implementing the mandate of the
organization, the Secretariat needs to be provided with appropriate human
and financial resources, both in terms of ordinary budget and voluntary
contributions. Therefore, the Group believes that there is a need to
increase the resources directly related to Major Programmes C, D, E and F
which are the cutting edge of UNIDO's mandate and core business.
However, in the spirit of compromise, the Group of 77 and China
expressed its support to the decision taken in the 30th session of the IDB
regarding the adoption of the Programme and Budget for 2006-2007
requesting the Director-General to submit to the eleventh session of the
General Conference revisions to document IDB.30/6 reflecting the
adjustments necessary, taking into account the need to allocate
appropriate resources to major programmes C, D, E and F.
Mr. President,
The G-77 and China has examined document GC.11/7, IDB.30/1 and notes
that for the purpose of identifying the locations of the UNIDO desks (UDs)
for the pilot phase of the Agreement, the Secretariat has applied the
criteria defined and the indicators developed in November 2004. The G-77 &
China, however, understands that the future placement of UNIDO Desks would
be guided not only by these criteria but also the improvements suggested
to them by the G-77 and China, as well as the experience gained so far in
this field which should be given due consideration. Needless to mention
that location/conversion of a UNIDO Country Office to a UD in a country
would take place in close consultation with the concerned country.
The G-77 and China is encouraged by the projected figure of opening
14 UNIDO Desks by this session so as to increase UNIDO field
representation by almost 50% of what it was before the conclusion of the
Cooperation Agreement. The Group hopes that greater field representation
will lead to greater fulfilment of UNIDO's mandate.
As regards the UNIDO-UNDP joint programme development, the Group
notes that three joint programmes have been fully formulated while a
number of them are at various stages of development. It is hoped that once
the process gains momentum and practices and procedures are evolved, the
pace of project formulation/implementation will rise considerably.
The G-77 and China is encouraged by the fact that the UNIDO-UNDP
Agreement has attracted the attention of various donor agencies. The G-77
& CHINA hopes that UNIDO will work towards translating this interest
into greater fund mobilization for the Organization. The Group notes the
mention of other UN agencies joining the initiative, and requests the
Secretariat for provision of additional information on this point.
The Group also takes note that eight UNIDO Desks were operational by
mid-May 2005, while opening procedures for another twelve were at
different stages. The G-77 and China considers holding of the training
sessions and preparation of operational guidelines an important step
towards the implementation of the Agreement.
To capitalise upon the strengths and successes of the Organization
and to ensure continuation of the same in the long term, the Group would
request the Secretariat to draw comprehensive future plans keeping in view
the scenario expected after the pilot phase and the completion of the
Agreement. This would ensure a smooth transformation.
The G-77 and China looks forward to the success of the pilot phase.
Mr. President,
The Group of 77 and China would like to express its heartiest
congratulations and warmest welcome to Mr. Kandeh Yumkella, on his
appointment as the new Director-General of UNIDO by the 11th General
Conference.
The appointment of Mr. Yumkella as Director-General is of special
significance to the Group of 77 and China. The Group recognizes in Mr. Yumkella, a
person with knowledge of the Organization and immense practical and
professional experience who understands the needs and concerns of UNIDO
Member States. We are positive that technical cooperation activities will
be further sustained and strengthened, since Mr. Yumkella himself has
participated in UNIDO's success story in the past eight years.
The achievements of Mr. Carlos Magariños as Director General
during his tenure have set the Organization on a new path. In particular,
the attainment of financial stability, the significant increase in
mobilization of funds for technical cooperation activities, the
establishment of a more distinct methodology for the development of
integrated programmes, the greater focus in UNIDO services and the
recognition of UNIDO in the UN System as well as in the area of
international cooperation, among others, are the legacy of Mr. Magariños.
We are confident that Mr. Yumkella will build upon these achievements
and turn the Organization into a more vibrant actor in the promotion of
development and poverty alleviation, and the gradual attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals.
Mr. Yumkella, you can count on the full support from the Member
States of the Group of G-77 and China and consider us your valuable
partners in the fulfillment of the Organization's aims and objectives.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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