Statement by
H.E. MR. HARRI HOLKERI
President of the General Assembly
At the Inaugural Ceremony
of the Third United Nations Conference
on the Least Developed Countries
14 May 2001
I am deeply honored to
address, in my capacity as President of the Millennium Assembly, the opening
of the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries. This
Conference has been convened by the General Assembly, the chief policy-making
and representative organ of the United Nations. It is the first major UN conference
after last September's Millennium Summit, where our Heads of State and Government
adopted the Millennium Declaration and reaffirmed its ambitious development
goals.
The Millennium Declaration is one of the most important UN documents of recent
time. It brings together the global development agenda of the 1990's. It reflects
a unique consensus on the values and principles of the international community.
It represents the political will of Member States. That political will must
now prevail.
This week's Conference is the first test whether Member States are truly committed
to the implementation of the Declaration. Perhaps the most important goal was
to halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world's people who live in
extreme poverty. Our Heads of State and Government also addressed the special
needs of the least developed countries. They took upon themselves to ensure
the success of this Conference. They called on the industrialized countries
to provide improved market access, debt relief and development assistance to
the LDCs.
The Programme of Action that you will adopt is extremely important for the United
Nations. If it reflects a determination to implement the goals of the Millennium
Declaration, the Programme's significance goes beyond the LDC context. It will
strengthen the credibility of the Declaration. It will encourage other major
events to follow suit. In the course of the next four months, five more special
sessions or major conferences will follow the LDC Conference. Their themes cover
human settlements, HIV/AIDS, small arms, racism and children. Next year, we
will have international conferences on financing for development and on sustainable
development. They all have been requested by the General Assembly to contribute
to the implementation of the Millennium Declaration. You can set an example
of how our common political will can prevail.
Adoption of an ambitious Programme is not, however, enough. Its adoption must
be followed by action by LDC's and development partners alike. It is ultimately
the Member States themselves who bear the main responsibility for the implementation
of the Millennium Declaration.
In particular, the Programme of Action must be followed by a cohesive response
by the industrialized countries. Most of the Ministers in this Hall representing
donor countries are responsible for development cooperation and trade. Ministers
of finance are conspicuously absent. As Delegations return home, many of them
will face one more hurdle, this time with their fellow cabinet members. I hope
those present here will prevail. It would also bode well for next year's International
Conference on Financing for Development. Mr. President,
Action by the North must have first priority also because the LDC's themselves
have in so many cases already walked the extra mile. They have gone by the book
prescribed by the North, too often without tangible rewards. We must maintain
the faith of the LDCs and their citizens in the promise of open trade, free
markets and fiscal restraint.
To conclude, let me once again emphasize the central role of the United Nations
General Assembly in the follow-up to the Millennium Summit. To this end, the
Assemly has asked to be kept informed about how each major event and conference
contributes to the implementation of the Millennium Declaration. The Assembly,
for its part, is ready to endorse the Programme of Action as soon as so requested
by the Member States.