STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MR. SULTAN AL-MAHMOUD, PERMANENT MISSION OF THE STATE OF QATAR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 89: ERADICATION OF POVERTY AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT ISSUES, SECOND COMMITTEE, FIFTY-NINTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 15 November 2004)

Mr. Chairman 

Thank you for given me the opportunity to address on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, on agenda item 89 under the title “ Eradication of poverty and other development issues”.

On Item 89 (a) - Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)

Mr. Chairman, 

The Group of 77 and China reiterates the important potential contribution of the World Solidarity Fund to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular the objective to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people living on less than one dollar a day and the proportion of the people who suffer from hunger and our group welcomes in this regard the preliminary meeting , held on 17 September 2004 in New York, of the High Level Committee of the World Solidarity Fund, and whose task is to define the strategy of the Fund and to mobilize resources to enable it to start its activities in the field of poverty alleviation. We consider that this meeting constitutes the beginning of the operationalization of the World Solidarity Fund and hope that in the near future it will be able to start its activities thus becoming an effective instrument in achieving the MDGs.

The Group of 77 and China would like to recall that in the Millennium Declaration, the world leaders, inter alia, identified solidarity, as one of the fundamental and universal values which should underline relations between peoples in the twenty-first century, and, in that regard, will propose in its draft resolution on this issue, with the kind support of member states, to proclaim 20 December of each year, International Human Solidarity Day.

Mr. Chairman, 

The Group of 77 and China 15 underlines the important role that innovative sources of financing could play in the fight against hunger and poverty and welcomes in that regard the convening of a meeting of world leaders against hunger and poverty, in New York on 20 September 2004, upon the initiative of the president of Brazil, France and Chile and the President of the government of Spain with the support of the Secretary General. 

Mr. Chairman,

The group of 77 and China recognizes the crucial role that micro credit and microfinance could play in the eradication of poverty, the promotion of gender equality, the empowerment of vulnerable groups and the development of rural communities and encourages Governments to undertake policies to facilitate the expansion of micro credit and microfinance institutions in order to service the large unmet demand among poor people for financial services, including the identification and development of mechanisms to promote sustainable access to financial services, the removal of institutional and regulatory obstacles; and the provision of incentives to microfinance institutions that meet established standards for delivering such financial services to the poor.

On Item 89 (b) - Women in Development

Mr. Chairman,

On the agenda item related to women in development, the Reports on the effective mobilization of women in development have been submitted to this Committee for a number of years and provide a unique opportunity to discuss gender perspectives in current and emerging issues and to contribute to the formulation and implementation of gender-sensitive development policies and programmes .

The Group of 77 and China recognizes the importance of addressing the issue of women in development within the framework of the General Assembly's work on economic and financial matters. The advancement of women worldwide, particularly in developing countries, has been impeded by widening economic inequalities, unemployment, and high levels of poverty among women, intensified by globalization and other transformations in the world economy .

Women, unlike men, still do not have access to financial resources such as credit and loans. In some countries, particularly developing countries, they do not have equal property rights, they are segregated in low paying sectors of the economy, and they continue to earn lower wages and salaries than men .

The report of the Secretary on implementation of the Millennium Declaration contained in document (A/59/282) found that wage-employment rates of women have changed little in any region since 1990, and are far below those for men in all regions except Latin America and the Caribbean, where 43 per cent of wage workers are now women, and Eastern Asia, where the proportion is 40 per cent .

Globalization, with its emphasis on communications, trade and investment, has increased knowledge of options within and outside of home countries. It has also opened up a range of new opportunities for women. However, in countries where the effects of globalization have increased poverty and left women with limited economic, social or political rights, international migration has become a viable option for women to attain better social and economic situations. The report of the Secretary-General states, inter alia, that migrant women contribute to the economic development of both their country of destination and origin, through financial contributions from remittances, the improvement of their own skills or their contribution to the improvement of education and skills of the next generation. But female migrant workers are at greater risk of discrimination, exploitation and abuse than male migrants. All of these factors further hinder their full integration into development.

The Group of 77 and China recognizes that international migration is an emerging and very important global issue with multidimensional aspects. With the increasing number of women migrating in search of economic empowerment and autonomy, it is critical that the gender dimensions of migration be considered within the context of integrating women into development.

On Item 89 (c) - Industrial Development Cooperation

Mr. Chairman,

Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals remains important for developing countries. In this context, one important element that could play a critical role in helping to improve growth rates of developing countries is industrial development. It is a major force for applying new technologies to increase production and one of the most important sources and diffusers of technological innovation. Industrial development therefore could facilitate the creation of new and important skills, work attitudes and could play a catalysing role in the necessary institutional change for modern methods of production, as well as the generation of modern entrepreneurship. Successful industrialisation could then play a major role in creating much needed employment, as well as producing higher paid jobs to increase income, ultimately addressing the issue of poverty eradication.

In this regard, the importance of promoting the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including by means of training, education and skill enhancement, with a special focus on agro-industry as a provider of livelihoods for rural communities, remains critical for many developing countries.

However, it is imperative to recognize the importance of the transfer of technologies to developing countries as an effective means of international co-operation in the pursuit of achieving the MDGs. Furthermore, it is important to emphasis the necessity of favorable international and national measures for the industrialization of developing countries, coupled to investment promotion and enhanced market access to enable developing countries to achieve the MDGs. The need for continued development assistance, in a co-ordinated and effective manner for industrial development in developing countries, remains important.

Mr. Chairman,

The United Nations, particularly through UNIDO, also has an important role to play in addressing the industrial development needs of the developing countries. In this regard we wish to reiterate the importance of the co-operation and co-ordination within the UN system in providing effective support for the sustainable industrial development of developing countries. In this regard we welcome efforts by the UNDP and UNIDO to increase their country level co-operation, as well as UNIDO’s efforts to play an active role in the UN co-ordination mechanisms to promote better policy coherence in the field of economic development, which should ultimately contribute to the development of developing countries, in particular to achieve the MDGs.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.