Statement by

the Right Honourable Hage G. Geingob

Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia

 

Geneva, Switzerland

26 June 2000

Let me begin by paying tribute to my compatriot and friend, Honourable Theo Ben Gurirab, the President of the 54th Session of the General-Assembly; the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations, His Excellency Kofi Annan; and the Chairperson of the Preparatory Committee, His Excellency Christian Maquiera (Makeral for the commendable efforts in the preparation of this very important Special Session.

Let me also take this opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Juan Somavia, who is the brain behind the initiative for the holding of the Summit on Social Development.

Mr. President, given the nature and the broad scope of many of the goals and targets expressed in the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, Namibia recognizes that achieving the agreed goals would require much stronger and more comprehensive action, political will and adequate financial resources.

Because of the inter-linkages among the ten commitments on social development, Namibia has identified poverty eradication, employment creation and social integration as core issues for immediate remedial action. And within the first ten years of independence, we have embarked upon the task of addressing these core issues through establishing the required national actions.

Mr. President, we have put in place and maintained well-functioning physical infrastructure, strong institutional underpinnings for market development, sound economic policies, and a well-organized apparatus of public administration. Since 1998, per capita income in Namibia has amounted to US$1,748 and the real growth rate has averaged over 3 percent annually, while the budget deficit has been kept well below 5 per cent and inflation relatively low in single digits. We believe that effective poverty reduction will require sustained and higher per capita GDP growth, with strong commitment to expand opportunities and services for the poor.

Mr. President, poverty in Namibia is concentrated among the historically disadvantaged groups, and is disproportionately found among rural people. A recent Survey concluded that 47 percent of Namibian households are relatively poor and 13 per cent live in abject poverty. Furthermore, 41 per cent of femaleheaded households are living in poverty, compared to 36 per cent male-headed households.
In partnership with multilateral actors, Namibia has established an Integrated Strategy for Sustainable Poverty Reduction in Namibia. The Strategy focuses on three areas that are considered key to progress in poverty reduction and highlights the need to:

foster - in the context of Namibia's commitment to regional decentralization - more equitable and efficient delivery of public services for poverty reduction countrywide;

accelerate equitable agricultural expansion, including consideration of food security and other crop development options; and ·

identify options for non-agricultural economic empowerment, including an emphasis on the informal sector and self-employment options.

Mr. President, while we continue to make strenuous efforts to implement our strategies and action programmes, I wish to emphasise that the classification of Namibia as a "Middle Income" country by some Financial Institutions will jeopardize our chances of accessing financial resources required in the effective implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Mr. President, the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in Namibia is threatening the social and economic gains we have made to date. Hence, HIV/AIDS is a serious developmental challenge for us. We, therefore, reiterate our call for affordable drugs for HIV/AIDS and other related diseases. Furthermore, the international community should join hands in complementing the efforts of African countries in their fight against malaria.

In the area of employment creation, we have established labour-intensive programmes, which have shown substantial promise as remedies for expanding employment, stabilizing incomes during periods of drought, and building infrastructure.

With regard to social protection, we have been able to establish both grant-based and contributory schemes. Social pension for the elderly is by far the most important grant-based formal transfer safety net, and accounts for more than 2 percent of the GDP. In addition to social pensions, the disability grants, and selective child and family allowances are important parts of the safety net. In order to widen the area of coverage, we have recently passed new legislation -the War Veterans Subvention Act - which makes provision for establishing a Trust Fund for the War Veterans.

In addition to these programmes, we have also established a compulsory maternity protection scheme and an employee's compensation fund, both of which are funded from the contributions from employers and employees.

However, a central challenge for us remains the need to ensure better coverage in the previously underserviced regions and to keep these social protection schemes financially sustainable.

Mr. President, in our quest to fostering social and economic integration, Namibia recognizes that globalization has stimulated growth and prosperity and expanded possibilities for millions of people all over the world. At the same time, globalization has diminished prospects for poorer nations and reinforced inequalities within and across nations. As developing nations, we continue to be faced with formidable challenges to bridge social inequalities. We believe that sound economic policies, transparency and accountability are crucial ingredients for effective social development. However, partnerships with multilateral and bilateral actors are required to successfully promote sustainable development.

Mr. President, our aim is to create a "society for all", where every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, has an active role to play. Namibia recognizes the need for an inclusive society in which the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and persons enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms, equality of opportunity and full participation in economic activity. Gender mainstreaming is regarded as a priority in this regard.

Mr. President, we call upon the international community to support the developing nations in our efforts to creating critical infrastructure services. And serious attention should be given to the systemic biases and asymmetries in the workings of the international trading system, which limit the growth prospects of poorer nations. It is no longer realistic to expect developing countries to meaningfully promote economic and social development in their countries, while at the same time continuing to service the debt. Therefore, the debt of developing countries needs to be cancelled.

Today's problems affect the entire global community of nations. As we search for collective solutions, we must create alliances for mutual action involving all peoples and nations. We must develop global responses to global problems.

Mr. President, let us, together, ensure that the 21St century becomes a new era of progress, solidarity and hope.

I thank you!