STATEMENT BY H.E. ZOLA SKWEYIYA, MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA, TO THE INFORMAL THEMATIC DEBATE ON DEVELOPMENT: “PARTNERSHIP TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE MDGs: TAKING STOCK, MOVING FORWARD”, IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS (New York, 27 November 2006)

Madame President

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China

The Group wishes to thank and congratulate you on your initiative in convening this Informal Debate on Development on the highly important issue of the “Partnership Towards Achieving the MDGs: Taking Stock, Moving Forward”.

This debate takes places at an opportune moment that follows the launching of the Human Development Report 2006 that was launched in Cape Town, South Africa recently.

Madame President

We are only six years into the 21st Century, a third of the way to the MDG 2015 target of reducing poverty and hunger by half and still billions live in degrading poverty. If we are to succeed in fully implementing the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 then full and timely implementation of all commitments made at all the United Nations Summits and Conferences must become a reality.

The United Nations has a vital role to play in the promotion of an equitable global economic, financial and trading regime. In this regard, the United Nations system, and the international organizations and institutions, including the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization, must translate all commitments made at the major United Nations Conferences and Summits in the economic, social and related fields into concrete and specific actions in order to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

We must strengthen coordination within the United Nations system in close cooperation with all other multilateral financial, trade and development institutions to support sustained economic growth, poverty and hunger eradication and sustainable development in developing countries.

The United Nations needs to display an unequivocal political will to operationalize and implement all commitments made to enhancing the global partnership for development that has been undertaken in writing and not just display perfunctory service to the implementation of an equitable and balanced financial, economic and social global order.

This is essential if the United Nations is to fulfil its mandate of achieving an equitable, integrated, coordinated and comprehensive approach to the global partnership for development to create a better life for all those millions of people who so desperately need to be lifted out of dehumanising and degrading poverty and hunger.

Madame President

The Group of 77 and China once again reiterates the call to developed countries for the full and timely implementation of the global partnership for development so as to enable developing countries to achieve the goals and targets of the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs by 2015. In this regard, MDG 8, “to develop a global partnership for development”, and the full implementation thereof is critical to the success of achieving the 2015 target.

The goals and targets of the MDG’s are off track, in particular in Africa. The Doha development round talks have collapsed. The economic development gap between developing countries and developed countries is still increasing. The impact of developed countries monetary policies, trade policies and in particular trade distorting subsidies, non-tariff barriers on developing countries remains unresolved.

Therefore, all economic indications are that globalization has yet to deliver the poor from dehumanizing poverty and hunger. If we are to succeed in delivering the majority of the world’s population from abject poverty and hunger then we must ensure that the global partnership for development is fully implemented.

If 2005 is to be remembered for its commitments to development then 2006 must be about full and timely implementation of the global partnership for development. Now is the time Madame President for the international community to translate their commitments into concrete actions and reality.

Madame President,

The Group of 77 and China cannot over emphasise the need for the United Nations to play a fundamental role in the promotion of international cooperation for development, and the coherence, coordination and implementation of the internationally agreed development goals, including all actions agreed upon by the international community.

In this regard, we call for the full implementation of the Development Follow-up Resolution, which has clearly and succinctly outlined the actions that must be undertaken in the context of the implementation of all the outcomes of all the major United Nations Conferences and Summits in the economic, social and related fields.

The Development Follow-up Resolution emphasized the need to fully implement the global partnership for development including living up to the commitments already made. It further stressed that all countries should promote policies consistent and coherent with the commitments made at the major United Nations conferences and summits, including those systemic in nature, and also decided to strengthen the existing mechanisms, and to consider establishing effective mechanisms to monitor, review, and follow-up to the implementation of the outcomes of all the major United Nations conferences and summits. More importantly, the resolution called for the strengthened co-ordination within the United Nations system in close cooperation with all other multilateral financial, trade and development institutions in order to support sustained economic growth, poverty and hunger eradication and sustainable development.

This is the least the millions who live in daily poverty and hunger can expect from the UN, and indeed from all of us.

I thank you