CLOSING REMARKS BY
MR KIM HAK-SU
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE
UNITED NATIONS AND
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF ESCAP

Fifty-eighth session, 16-22 May 2002, Bangkok

(Wednesday, 22 May 2002)

Mr Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Representative,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the 58th session of the Commission draws to a close, may I first of all, express my deep appreciation to you, Mr Chairman, for the very skillful manner in which you have guided our deliberations. My sincere thanks also go to all the Vice-Chairpersons; the Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of the three Committees of the Whole, as well as Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons of the Working Group on Draft Resolutions for the very significant contributions they have made to the work of the Commission over the past few days.

I also wish to express my deep appreciation to the Royal Thai Government for its assistance towards the holding of this session. As the host country, Thailand has consistently provided its generous support to the Commission and the secretariat.

I should also like to express my deep appreciation to all the distinguished representatives for upholding the traditional spirit of harmony and consensus during this session.

Mr Chairman,

In all candor, I feel truly uplifted by the outcome of our deliberations. The full support expressed by the member states for the revitalization efforts of ESCAP is a source of much encouragement for me and my staff. In a sense, it has served as a validation of the reform measures I had initiated nearly two years ago when I assumed office as Executive Secretary.

I wish to assure the Commission that in designing our future programmes and activities, we will make sure that these are needs-based and demand-driven. We will also ensure that our work is focussed around the thematic areas of poverty reduction, managing globalization, and addressing emerging social issues. Above all, we will remain transparent.

Mr Chairman,

Let me also reiterate that ESCAP remains committed to searching for new areas and avenues of cooperation, together with our development partners, that would benefit the developing countries of this region - in particular the neediest among them. In that context, we intend to pay special attention to the outcome and follow-up of such important events as the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference, the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Second World Assembly on Ageing, as well as the forthcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

My colleagues in the secretariat and I will exert our best efforts to implement in the most efficient manner possible the Commission's directives and recommendations as well as the resolutions adopted. In that regard, a matter of considerable importance for the secretariat in the coming months will be the preparations for convening the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference, to be held in Bangkok in December this year. We look forward to that important event.

Mr Chairman,

While I intend to persist with the resource mobilization efforts I had initiated last year, I would appeal to both traditional and non-traditional donors to enhance their funding support to ESCAP so as to enable us to carry out our work in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

Finally, we look forward to East Timor's admission to the United Nations and ESCAP in the months to come.

Mr Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Representatives,

I thank you all for your participation at this session and look forward to meeting you again at the Fifty-ninth session next year.

Thank you

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