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

Date 23 May 2007
Press Release No. L/30/2007/CS63/27

MINISTERIAL MEETING
Wednesday, 23 May 2007

Closing Statement
of the Chairperson of the Commission

Mr Executive Secretary,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

               I am truly gratified that the sixty-third Commission session that Kazakhstan has had the privilege of hosting has been so very special and productive.

            We have had intense deliberations and on a range of issues of common concern to our region, stimulated in no small part by the exciting programme of special events ranging from MDGs, to development of health systems in the context of enhancing economic growth and the Asian and Pacific Business Forum.

               Permit me to highlight some of the key outcomes of the sixty-third Commission session.

            The sixty-third session of the Commission has adopted 10 resolutions that provide the secretariat with mandates on regional cooperation in such areas as transit transport cooperation, intercountry energy cooperation, international migration, sustainable financing for universal coverage of health care, and the Regional Action Programme for Transport Development among others.

            Particularly noteworthy was the adoption of the Almaty Declaration which reaffirms the vital role of the Commission in fostering regional and subregional cooperation.

            From the discussions on this year’s theme topic on “Development of health systems in the context of enhancing economic growth towards achieving the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific”, it is clear that the challenges that health systems in the region face as a result of demographic and epidemiological changes are manifold.

            Yesterday’s Ministerial Roundtable agreed that we should work together to strengthen the region’s health systems and develop innovative mechanisms towards that end.

Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

               The keen interest of delegations in this year’s Commission event on Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the Asian and Pacific region, as well as the active participation in the deliberations on the Almaty Declaration underscored our collective political will and commitment to regional cooperation in improving the lives of millions in our region living in poverty.

            I am delighted that many distinguished dignitaries and speakers addressed the Commission this year.  We were particularly honoured by His Excellency Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, who shared with us his vision and insights on the New Kazakhstan in a New World, with the aim of turning Kazakhstan into a “regional locomotive” of economic development.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

               In closing, I should like to express my sincere appreciation to all those who have assisted me in carrying out my duties as Chairperson, particularly Their  Excellencies the Honorable Ministers who also serve as Vice Chairpersons of the Commission.

            I am also grateful to the Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of the Committees of the Whole and the Working Group on Draft Resolutions for their valuable contributions.

               My appreciation would not be complete without special thanks to Mr Kim Hak-Su, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, and his entire team, for their professionalism and dedication to ensuring the success of the Commission session.  As we all know, Mr. Kim will be leaving the service of the Commission shortly and I take this opportunity, on behalf of everyone present here, to wish him the very best of health and happiness in his future endeavour.  We have greatly admired your wise leadership and the tremendous efforts you have made to reform the work of this institution to make it more effective and responsive to the needs of the member states.

               I would like to recognize all those who worked behind the scenes on the Kazakh side and the ESCAP side --- I am very pleased with the close collaboration that made the success of this session possible.

               With that, I bid you all farewell, a safe journey home and look forward to meeting you again at the sixty-fourth session of the Commission.

               I, hereby, declare the sixty-third session of the Commission closed.

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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