Statement by Mr. Raza Bashir Tarar, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the 66th UNGA General Debate of the Second Committee (New York, 3 October 2011)

Mr. Chairman,

The Pakistan delegation felicitates you and other members of the Second Committee Bureau on your election.

  1. Kudos and gratitude, also, are due to the outgoing Bureau for the able manner in which they conducted the work of this Committee during the previous Session.
  2. Pakistan associates itself with the statement made by the distinguished representative of Argentina on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
  3. We also note with interest the statement made by the distinguished representative of Nepal on behalf of the Least Developed Countries.

Mr. Chairman,

  1. The global economic hierarchy is being shaken in a manner that is both historic and unprecedented. Interestingly the epicenter of this upheaval is in the rich and developed countries. Sovereign debt crisis and declining creditworthiness of the traditional Euro-Atlantic economic powerhouses are not only decelerating the feeble recovery but are also foreshadowing possible double dip recession.
  2. At the same time – as the UN Secretary General presciently puts it – the birth of the seven billionth inhabitant of our planet would provide another important sign that meeting the needs of global population has exacerbated pressure on the ecological resources. Two competing concerns are taking center stage in the global discourse i.e. accelerating the pace of productive economic expansion and decelerating the pace of exploitation of the natural capital of the globe.
  3. Changes in the global economic order are also giving rise to new challenges both natural and man-made such as volatility in energy prices and currency, steep rise in the food prices, accentuated by the threat of climate change.
  4. Barring a few fast growing economies in the South, the frontier economies continue to suffer from this volatility and incoherent global economic governance architecture. Some like Pakistan have opted to reconfigure their development pathway amid a host of internal and external challenges.
  5. In simple terms, the scope of transformation is much deeper and the canvas much larger. This is the scenario that would define deliberations at the Second Committee. Pakistan’s approach to the work of the Second Committee would, therefore, be based on the following main elements:

Mr. Chairman,

  1. Faced with the ongoing unfavorable global economic situation, domestic security and damages caused by consecutive massive floods during the past two years, the Government of Pakistan is reviewing the development paradigm with several important considerations.
  2. First, the government wants to bring about a qualitative change in the life of an ordinary Pakistani.
  3. Second, we need a model that relies on domestic economic strengths and removes the attenuating reliance on development aid and an international economic environment that is characterized by turbulence.
  4. Third, we need to forge an economic growth strategy that would spur domestic growth and remove bottlenecks in internal markets, cities and communities, to foster productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Mr. Chairman,

  1. The new approach to economic growth that we are considering puts the private sector as the growth-driver in an open market environment and positions the government as facilitator and protector of public interests and rights, public goods and laws.
  2. Following the creation of a conceptual framework involving all stakeholders, we are now forging ahead with key internal reform in urban land management, land use, taxes, legislation and a strong and enforceable regulatory environment for property rights as well as intellectual property rights.

Mr. Chairman,

  1. As such, in Pakistan, we are shifting the narrative of growth that regarded development of physical infrastructure as central to our development paradigm towards innovation, entrepreneurship and markets. We aim to unlock the true potential of the private sector and investment both domestic and foreign as driver of economic growth through introduction of market reforms and competitiveness. Some of the key reforms being contemplated include:

Mr. Chairman,

  1. Our new strategy may not be unique but it is endogenous. It may not be revolutionary but it is rooted in the economic experience we have gained over the past several years. It may not be audacious but it takes firm step in the direction of a fundamental economic shift.
  2. Obstacles in our path are difficult but not insurmountable. A myriad of challenges notwithstanding, we are confident that by incorporating lessons from our own economic experience as well as from the international economic conditions, our new growth strategy would deliver. However, as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan said in her address to the UN General Assembly last week, we do not expect to be doing all this alone. We look forward to working very closely here and in Islamabad with United Nations and its agencies in formulating a sustained and sustainable path to economic growth and development.

Mr. Chairman,

  1. At the global level, transformation in the existing economic paradigm necessitates enhanced use of sustainable sources of energy. Sooner the world embarks on this course, better the chances are to handle the challenges and the risks of rotten economic growth.
  2. Pakistan, therefore, would like to extend its support to the Secretary General’s initiative to bring the agenda of “sustainable energy for all” to the centre of the UN discourse. Secretary General’s emphasis is, indeed, timely.
  1. Despite resource constraints, the UN system continues to play an important role in achieving the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals. We have made some progress whereby “lives have been saved and changed for the better”.
  2. However, the challenge which has become more daunting is how to maintain the trajectory and consolidate the gains amid declining availability of resources. Our deliberations this year should aim at meeting challenges aggressively and ensuring maximum progress towards achieving the MDGs.
  3. The global economic attenuation should encourage greater collaboration and cooperation. Ironically, the opposite is true. The Doha Development Round is facing paralysis. Efforts to bury the Kyoto Protocol are on the rise. Industrialized countries –historically responsible for anthropogenic impact on climate – are simply refusing to give up their life style and to undertake deeper emission cuts. In addition, financing for development is a virtual trickle. Our development partners are increasingly citing domestic constraints in fulfilling their multilateral obligations and their inability to support developing countries.

Mr. Chairman,

  1. Let me now highlight Pakistan perspective on some important issues such as climate change and sustainable development which we will be facing collectively during this session.
  2. Pakistan supported the decisions adopted at Cancun during the 16th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). An agreed outcome can, however, only come about if we focus negotiations on not only operationalizing the Cancun Decisions but also addressing the unresolved issues such as flow of finance, deeper mitigation commitments from the industrialized world and most importantly, the future of the Kyoto Protocol.
  3. Pakistan is particularly concerned at the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Kyoto Protocol, which is destabilizing the carbon market and the Clean Development Mechanism process as well as the future or even the very existence of the Adaptation Fund. We should not postpone addressing these critical issues any further and reach agreed decisions during the 17th Conference of Parties at Durban in December this year.
  4. We look forward to strengthening our dialogue with South Africa on the nature and shape of the outcome at Durban.

Mr. Chairman,

  1. The forthcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+ 20) is another major opportunity for all of us to forge a collective response to the development challenges that a majority of the developing countries are facing amid economic uncertainty and ecological fragility.
  2. As member of the preparatory bureau of the Conference, we have continued to voice concern over the absence of positive movement on both defining the green economy and reconfiguring institutional arrangements for sustainable development.
  3. Pakistan remains open to defining “Green Economy”. However, we believe that the pace and extent of greening economies must be voluntary and based on national circumstances.
  4. Green economy can only be articulated in full conformity with the Rio principles particularly the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
  5. National actions such as allocation of development finance, changes in market incentives, internalization of social and environmental externalities as well as evolving new regulations, policies, and incentives would be vital but insufficient unless supported by enabling conditions at the international level. Such conducive conditions are key to generating economic space for actions at the national level. They also entail evolving and reconfiguring international rules and mechanisms in:
  1. access and diffusion of technology;
  2. access to sustainable energy for all and;
  3. provision of financial and technical resources and support;
  1. In the above context, we propose an agreement on “green policy space” as a part of green economy articulation – for necessary adjustments in the international economic arrangements and regimes that are essential to achieve green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. These include: