Speeches
27 Feb 2013The voices of the 1.5 billion people for whom the Development for All conference was convened, must be heard in the process to shape the next phase of international development. Few are more qualified to inform the review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) than those who have benefited least from them – our fragile economies and small island developing states.
26 Feb 2013Pacific concerns about the collective management of the ocean economy, as a global and regional common good must be incorporated into our regional and global development planning and strategies about resilience, climate change, and sustainability.
1 Feb 2013I am convinced that we have entered an era in which South-South Cooperation will play an increasingly important global role. While regional economic cooperation has already become an important trend , it is time to unlock the potential of interregional cooperation. It is here that the UN’s five Regional Commissions are working together to facilitate interregional cooperation.
31 Jan 2013The fundamental challenge for the Asia-Pacific economies, in the medium-term, will be to find alternative engines for sustaining growth in the aftermath of the financial crisis, as the advanced economies are not able to play the role of engines of growth. Focusing on inclusive development, and deepening regional cooperation, will be critical in realizing the Asian Century, while leading to a more balanced and sustainable pattern of development.
19 Jan 2013Democracy is a journey of transformation towards inclusive, people-centered, and sustainable development, guided by the principles of human rights, freedom from want, from fear, and from all forms of discrimination – as articulated by the Charter of the United Nations. In practice, democracy, national harmony, and reconciliation are best achieved when poverty and inequality are urgently addressed, when prosperity is shared, and when communities are empowered and engaged to have a voice and representation in decision-making and public life.
18 Dec 2012Space technologies and GIS applications are more advanced and affordable than ever before, but we have yet to experience the full potential that they can present to our whole region. The challenge we face, therefore, is to deepen and broaden the use and reach of these applications to enable more vulnerable and poorer people in Asia and the Pacific to derive benefits from them.
10 Dec 2012All people have the right, from birth, to basic freedoms and protections, we access these rights once our births are officially registered and we become citizens. Attending school, receiving healthcare, being insured, voting, owning property, or even opening a bank account – these are functions of legal identity, and dysfunctional civil registration and vital statistics systems mean that the lives of many of our people, especially women, children and vulnerable groups, are not counted, not protected and remain essentially invisible to policy-makers.
22 Nov 2012Accelerated action is needed if we are to achieve the MDG targets by 2015. South-East Asian countries still need to address large development gaps in critical areas, which are widening in some cases, especially in relation to: hunger and nutrition, child mortality, maternal health, basic sanitation, and CO2 emissions. This requires not only a redoubling of our efforts in the time remaining until 2015, but as the Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon has pointed out, it also needs innovative and smart public policies.
20 Nov 2012The spread of connected sensors and wireless networks can lead to smarter and more resilient cities, opening up tremendous possibilities for improved and more efficient traffic, water and energy management systems. The flood of data that is created by the interaction of vast networks of mobile phones, computers and sensors – known as Big Data – creates opportunities to save lives, reduce poverty and enhance inclusive and sustainable development.
