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

Date 23 May 2007
Press Release No. L/29/2007/CS63/26

MINISTERIAL MEETING
Wednesday, 23 May 2007

Closing Statement by
Mr. Kim Hak-Su
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and
Executive Secretary, ESCAP

Mr Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

As the sixty-third Commission session draws to a close, may I, first of all, express my deep appreciation to you, Mr Chairman, for your able steering of our deliberations.

My sincere thanks also go to all the Vice-Chairpersons, as well as the Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of the three Committees of the Whole.

I am sure that you will all agree with me that the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Working Group on Draft Resolutions deserve our special appreciation for their outstanding commitment to completing their onerous task.

Distinguished Delegates,
I should also like to reiterate my deep appreciation to the Government of Kazakhstan for its warm hospitality and the full support provided to the ESCAP secretariat in the organization of this Commission session.

I thank the distinguished delegates who participated in the Panel on Achieving the MDGs in the Asian and Pacific region. 

Not least, I express my deep appreciation to all distinguished delegates -- your active participation has made this session an especially memorable one.

Mr Chairman,

For the first time in its history, the Commission is meeting in Central Asia.

This is specially noteworthy as we observe this year the 60th anniversary of ESCAP.  I am confident that all of us have gained immeasurably from being in this great country, Kazakhstan, and experiencing first-hand the greatly economic  and social strides you have made.  Clearly, there are lessons to be learned.

Today’s adoption of the Almaty Declaration marks a milestone in reaffirming the central role of ESCAP in fostering regional and subregional cooperation.

We are pleased to see that, during the Ministerial Roundtable, delegates explored a range of options for strengthening the region’s health systems in the wake of uneven economic growth patterns.

It is heartening to note that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been prominently featured in most country statements.

The endeavour to achieve the MDGs weaves together the three themes of ESCAP’s work on poverty reduction, tackling emerging social issues, and managing globalization.  Synergizing our efforts on all three themes ensures a coherent and holistic approach to supporting progress towards achieving the MDGs.

Of the three side events, let me highlight the Asian and Pacific Business Forum 2007, which brought together about 250 participants from government, the business community, civil society, international organizations and academia from across the region.

I believe that the Forum contributed to a much better understanding of what Central Asia can offer to the rest of the region and vice-versa.

 

Mr. Chairman,

I welcome the Commission’s decision on the theme topic for the sixty-fourth session on “Energy security and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific”, with the inclusion of elements of “innovation and competitiveness” as the theme topic for the sixty-fourth session.”

Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates

As I take leave of the Commission, after seven years, let me say how privileged I feel to have been of service to the member States.  I sincerely hope that the reform agenda that I have consistently espoused since I assumed office as Executive Secretary has yielded tangible dividends, leading to a more effective, efficient and responsive ESCAP.

On behalf of the ESCAP secretariat, I wish to thank you all for your participation in this session.

Thank you.

 

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Headquartered in Bangkok, UNESCAP is the largest of the UN's five Regional Commissions in terms of its membership, population served and area covered. The only inter-governmental forum covering the entire Asia-Pacific region, UNESCAP aims to promote economic and social progress. More information on UNESCAP is available from www.unescap.org