Ministerial Segment

Opening statement by
Mr Kim Hak-Su
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
and Executive Secretary of UN/ESCAP
(Monday, 20 May 2002)

Mr Chairman, Honourable Prime Minister,
Excellencies, Distinguished Representatives,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me much pleasure to extend to all of you a very warm welcome to the 58th session of the Commission.

I should like at the outset to express our warm welcome to His Excellency Mr Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand. On behalf of everybody present here, I wish to express our deep gratitude to His Excellency the Prime Minister for graciously consenting to inaugurate the session, despite his many pressing duties.

Excellency, your presence here today reaffirms Thailand's dedication and commitment to the aims and ideals of the United Nations Charter and to the role of ESCAP in bringing together the countries of this vast and diverse region.

Since the last session of the Commission, the incidents of September 11 and the situation in Afghanistan have cast a pall over the region's growth performance. Uncertainties continue to cloud the growth prospects for the U.S. and the Japanese economies, although there are hopeful signs of recovery on the horizon. These, coupled with the continued scourge of terrorism, pose serious challenges for Governments of the ESCAP region.

For its part, a revitalized ESCAP remains committed to assisting the region's developing countries, in particular the least developed among them, in building their capacities to cope with the numerous challenges that lie ahead. In this effort, we look forward to the continued support and cooperation of the member states.

Thank you

-- End --