Press Release.............................. UNESCAP News Services

24 October 2003
Press Release No: L/38/2003
United Nations Day, Friday, 24 October 2003

Statement by Mr Kim Hak-Su, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations, and Executive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

Your Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister
President of the United Nations Association of Thailand
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the United Nations Day. I should like to express our deep gratitude to His Excellency Mr Korn Dabbaransi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Royal Thai Government, for his presence on this occasion.

We are celebrating the 58th anniversary of the United Nations today at a time when this great august institution is undergoing some serious challenges.

As the Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan said at the opening of the General Assembly last month, "The United Nations is at a fork in the road. This may be a moment no less decisive than 1945 itself, when the UN was founded."

Member nations are called on to strengthen the United Nations and to make it more relevant to the times we live in. And we hope the nations will heed the Secretary-General's call to address problems effectively through collective action.

Indeed, the UN family in the Asia and Pacific region is working hard to ensure that people live in dignity and freedom which is why, today, we are focusing on the peoples' efforts in poverty alleviation. We honour these efforts, and promise to work alongside them to fulfill their dreams.

As we celebrate the United Nations Day, I should recall that at the Millennium Summit held in September 2000, member States of the United Nations made commitments to achieve certain goals, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

It is gratifying to note that the UNESCAP region has made good progress in reducing poverty. More than 200 million people in the region were taken out of poverty during the 1990s. However, poverty reduction continues to be a major challenge for the region. Achieving the MDG target of halving poverty by 2015 will require sustained efforts by all stakeholders.

Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On this special day, let us rededicate our efforts to the pursuit of the noble principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and to the promotion of equitable economic and social progress in our region.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.

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