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Thank you very much.
Mr. President,
We join other delegations in thanking you for your able stewardship of the Executive Board.
We take this opportunity to recognize the valuable work being done by the UNDP in Pakistan. We are indeed thankful to the United Nations and all of our partners for their support to our development efforts. We will particularly like to recall the solidarity expressed by our development partners, including the UNDP, with the people and government of Pakistan in the wake of unprecedented floods in 2010 and 2011 in my country.
We thank Ms. Helen Clark for her statement and welcome new UNDP directors. We also thank the Administrator for outlining the contours of evolving development scenerio as well as challenges and opportunities it presents. We have carefully read her report on results and UNDP performance in 2011 and note with appreciation the UNDP’s achievements and contribution to national development efforts. We agree with her that in a fast changing world, sharpening focus and performance shall remain continuing priorities.
We hope that our discussions during this session will help us develop better appreciation of the UNDP achievements. It shall also enable us provide guidance to the Programme to make it more relevant and results focused organization.
Mr. President,
We are living in challenging times. The complexities of the global economic and development landscape are testing our ability to find solutions. At the same time, people everywhere, especially in the developing world, have loudly and courageously announced their determination to no more accept perpetual inequality. We hope that the Rio + 20 Outcome and our discussions on post 2015 development agenda will enable us craft the United Nations development system that can deliver on the aspirations of peoples with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
We cannot stress more that national governments have the primary responsibility for the development of their countries. The development partners, including the UNDP, must therefore, align their support with national development priorities. We will also like to point out that ambitious programme documents with impressive targets and goals can only deliver results if we first formulate practical strategies and secure adequate and predictable resources to realize them.
Furthermore, we also see a proliferation of development partners competing for scarce resources. In this complex development landscape, the UNDP can secure its position and share only if it can deliver better than others. We do not think that trying to deliver on the entire spectrum of development needs is the strategy the UNDP shall pursue. We will urge that along with celebrating its achievement, the UNDP must determine where its comparative advantages are and then focus on those areas. Ideally speaking, the UN, including UNDP shall endeavour to serve those areas which others do not find attractive.
Mr. President,
We would like to see UNDP playing its role in enabling developing countries benefit from the globalisation process. It is important for the UNDP to ensure that its capacity building programmes help developing countries reach a stage where they can do things for themselves, or do things better, without the United Nations having to keep on providing capacity building assistance.
We note with concern the UNDP’s continued inability to attract adequate resources. It is imperative that donors must fulfill their commitments. It is equally important that UNDP delivers in a manner which meets expectations of the recipient countries as well as donors.
Mr. President,
Pakistan supports reform of the UN development system. Pakistan also believes that the goal of reforms should be effective delivery of services and ensuring real impact on ground. The UN system needs to continue striving towards this goal.
Finally, I would like to reiterate Pakistan’s continued support to UNDP’s Administrator, Ms. Helen Clark. Pakistan is fully committed to remain constructively engaged with UNDP’s development efforts.
Thank you.