Fair Multilateral System Essential to Sustained Growth for Developing Countries, Second Committee Hears in Debate on International Trade, Development
“A fair multilateral trading system is essential to ensure sustained growth in global trade and create new market access and opportunities for developing countries,” Malaysia’s representative told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as delegates met to discuss international trade and development.
Thailand’s representative said that a universal, fair, rule-based, open, pro-development, non-discriminatory, inclusive and equitable multilateral trading system could be reached through collective global efforts.
Several delegates called for trade to be part of the post-2015 development agenda. In that context, the representative of the United Arab Emirates noted that the implementation of the sustainable development goals required capacity-building to enable developing countries to set their own trade-boosting policies.
Echoing her view, the representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) said that assisting countries to integrate into the multilateral trading system through trade capacity-building was the “main vehicle for social inclusiveness, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness”.
The Bali Package and Doha Round were frequently mentioned. Ethiopia’s representative called for the development dimension in the Round to be fully realized, and to provide developing countries with the required policy space to achieve their overall development objectives. Jamaica’s representative noted that work remained to be done on the Bali agreement in terms of full implementation and in concluding negotiations in trade in services and the work programme for small vulnerable economies.
Various delegates spoke about the success of their regional trade blocks. Brazil’s representative, on the other hand, warned about the negative aspects of proliferation of bilateral, regional and plurilateral agreements, and called for a recommitment to the multilateral trading systems represented by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its agreements. Similarly, China’s representative highlighted multilateral cooperation as the main channel for promoting growth in trade, reducing poverty and achieving economic development.
The special situation of least developed countries was mentioned by several delegates. Benin’s representative was disappointed that integration of such countries into the international trading system had “not yielded significant results”. Namely, they held only 1.11 per cent of global merchandise trade, which was well short of the 2 per cent target for 2020.
While full access to the markets of developed countries was generally available, he noted, the duty-free and quota-free access stipulated by the Doha Development Agenda was not fully implemented. Moreover, least developed countries remained marginalized in South-South trade and needed preferences there as well. The representative of Bangladesh said that Non-Tariff Barriers and Technical Barriers to Trade hampered the fledgling export markets of those countries.
The importance of finding solutions to the challenges faced by landlocked developing countries in accessing international markets was also stressed. Kazakhstan’s representative noted that exports from those countries were considerably more expensive due to the lack of sea access, and the 2012 Almaty Ministerial Declaration proposed the granting of trade preferences within the WTO.
The Committee also continued its debate on the eradication of poverty, during which delegates reiterated the need for that issue to remain at the centre of the post-2015 development agenda. According to India’s representative “the battle against poverty has not been won”, and the fact that one in every six human beings lived in extreme poverty should be “an affront to our collective imagination”.
Mexico’s representative said that economic growth was important to reducing poverty but inequality undermined its effects and the new development agenda had to deliver on inclusion. Tuvalu’s representative stressed that donor countries must confirm their global commitments and ensure common but differentiated responsibilities. At the same time, recipient countries must ensure good governance, accountable leadership, good planning and fiscal prudence, while squashing corruption and incentivizing trade and investments.
The meeting on international trade and development was opened by Ana Maria Menéndez Pérez, President of the Trade and Development Board, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), who introduced the report on the sixty-first session of the Board. The Secretary-General’s report on international trade and development was introduced by Mina Mashayekhi, Head of the Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch, UNCTAD.
Speaking on international trade and development were representatives of Australia (on behalf of the Cairns Group), Malaysia (on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)), Qatar, Indonesia, India, Morocco, Zambia, Russian Federation and Iran.
Speaking on poverty eradication were representatives of the Sudan, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago, Qatar, Venezuela, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Tanzania, Ukraine, Nepal, Russian Federation, Zambia, Myanmar, Singapore, Mozambique, Thailand, Togo, Libya, Gabon, Japan, Malta, El Salvador, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Tonga and Canada.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m., on 23 October to conclude its discussion of poverty eradication and take up Item 22 of its agenda: Groups of countries in special situations.
Background
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to discuss international trade and development. The Committee had before it several reports (documents A/69/179, A/69/15 (Part I), A/69/15 (Part II), A/69/15 (Part III), A/69/15 (Part IV), and A/C.2/69/2). It also concluded its debate on eradication of poverty.
Introduction of Reports
ANA MARIA MENÉNDEZ PÉREZ, President of the Trade and Development Board, UNCTAD, introduced a four-part report on the sixty-first session of the Board. The high-level segment had taken place between 15 and 26 September under the theme “Tackling inequality through trade and development: a post-2015 challenge”. Discussions had focused on interdependence, development strategies in a globalized world, and the UNCTAD contribution to the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action. Investment in Africa, trends in the international trading system, and the Conference’s assistance to the Palestinian people were also on the agenda. Looking to the sustainable development goals, the Board discussed financing needs.
MINA MASHAYEKHI, Head of the Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch, UNCTAD, introduced the report of the Secretary-General on international trade and development (document A/69/179). She said that UNCTAD would continue to play a key role as an engine of growth. In a context of a significant transformation of international trade and the trading system, trade should be anchored in the post-2015 development agenda and an opportunity existed to establish new and more effective global trade governance that connected trade with inclusive and sustainable development. The connection between the two would be an important topic for the Lima Conference in 2016.
Statements
SHORNA-KAY MARIE RICHARDS (Jamaica), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that the Community remained committed to trade liberalization and had continued to deepen intra-regional trade through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Their openness had made them vulnerable to the vagaries of the global economic crisis. CARICOM Governments had found it necessary to enter into standby agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in part to reduce debt burdens and stimulate medium-term economic growth. Due to their precarious economic situation, it was imperative that any trade agreement include a strong development component.
He said that CARICOM had in 2013 adopted the Regional Aid-for-Trade strategy to strengthen capacity to participate in the multilateral trading system. The Community was convinced that an inclusive and transparent multilateral trade system was fundamental to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and that such a system would enable the effective implementation of the Samoa Pathway outcome document. There remained work to be done on the Bali agreement that came out of the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, in terms of full implementation of the agreements and in concluding negotiations in trade in services and the work programme for small vulnerable economies.
ALAN GRIFFIN, Member of Parliament, Australia, spoke on behalf of the Cairns Group. He addressed the global imbalances and distortions in world agricultural trade, with the aim of creating more effective price signals for farmers. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that the global population would increase to 9 billion people by 2050, when agricultural production would need to grow by 70 per cent, and in a sustainable way. More investment in agriculture was needed including where food security challenges were prevalent.
Yet the imbalances and distortions in agriculture continued to be much greater than those for industrial goods, he said. The Cairns Group wanted the WTO to deliver concretely in agriculture trade reform, particularly for the most vulnerable member States. It would continue to prioritize its efforts on the pending and outstanding elimination of export subsidies which were “extremely damaging for developing countries”. It was unacceptable that those trade distorting measures remained in agriculture more than half a century after their elimination for industrial products.
HUSSEIN HANIFF (Malaysia) spoke on behalf of ASEAN and associated himself with the “Group of 77” developing countries and China. He described recent economic developments in his region and efforts made to deepen regional integration on a range of development matters. Underlining the importance of promoting fiscal soundness for sustainable economic development, he said ASEAN continued to accelerate and deepen economic and structural reforms, promote domestic demand and employment, resist protectionism and promote trade and investment. ASEAN Economics Ministers had met to discuss broad issues related to integration and regional cooperation.
Implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community was progressing, he said, adding that a post-2015 vision had been developed for the Community to follow its formation. Consistent with the region’s intraregional trade, ASEAN States accelerated engagement in regional trade agreements, with the ASEAN-China free trade area emerging as the world’s largest. He reconfirmed commitment to universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trade, which would contribute to global growth and sustainable development. He urged the WTO and UNCTAD to continue monitoring protectionist policies and assessing their impact on developing countries and called for implementation of the Bali Package.
JEAN-FRANCIS ZINSSOU (Benin), speaking on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries and associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said integration of least developed countries into the international trading system had “not yielded significant results”. In 1960, least developed countries held 2.5 per cent of global merchandise trade but now held only 1.11 per cent. The current figure was well short of the 2 per cent target for 2020. While full access to markets of developed countries was generally available, the duty-free, quota-free access stipulated by the Doha Development Agenda was not fully implemented. Market access provisions needed improvement, including the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers and simplifying rules, and developed countries should ensure immediate, predictable, duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis to all products originating from least developed countries.
He said that rules of origin needed to be reformed to reflect the modern commercial world, especially given the failure to implement the Bali decision on preferential rules of origin. The service sector had potential, with exports for least developed countries doubling between 2005 and 2011. Nonetheless, commercial services accounted for just 10 per cent of total exports — half the global average. The erosion of preferences and lost tariff revenue had increased adjustment costs faced by least developed countries. While many exports from least developed countries enjoyed duty-free, quota-free access to developed markets, so did exports from other developing countries, meaning least developed countries did not really receive preference. Least developed countries remained marginalized in South-South trade and needed preferences there, too. It was also important to improve trade capacity-building through aid for trade, and to eliminate trade distorting agricultural subsidies in developed countries. Modern technology was needed, as was a change in the intellectual property regime. The decision by the WTO Council to extend the transition period of Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights was welcome and least developed countries should receive fast-tracking of WTO membership.
HAMAD BIN ABDULAZIZ AL-KUWARI, Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar, said he was proud of what had been accomplished at Doha and since then. While today’s world was very different from that in 1964, flux, change and challenge remained part of the multilateral landscape. While those processes were economic in substance, they were also clearly political in nature. Thus, achieving tangible and sustainable results and agreements would only be possible by arriving at a political consensus. He also highlighted the link between culture and sustainable development, and between economic and cultural development.
The language of multilateralism in recent years had been one of confrontation, he said, calling for a new culture of multilateral relations. “We have to find a new way of doing things that will build bridges even across what may seem to be intractable positions”, he said, as “today’s problems are too vast, and the stakes too high, to content ourselves with the status quo”. In that context, Qatar would support a series of initiatives aimed at changing the negotiating culture in UNCTAD to strengthen its deliverables, “through cooperation rather than confrontation”, and “through understanding and compassion rather than through dogmatism and aggression”.
OTTO RIADI (Indonesia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and with ASEAN, said that unfavourable elements of the 2007-2008 financial crisis had generated pressure on his country’s economy, most notably the trade and financial channels. Regionally, certain factors dampened growth and future trade, including the problem of corruption. Of the region’s developing economies, 40 per cent ranked in the bottom third of Transparency International’s 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index. The Doha Round negotiation of the WTO should continue to be supported, including the full implementation of the Bali Package. At the 2015 International Conference on Financing for Development, financing for South-South trade should be included as one of the issues to be discussed.
TENGKU MOHD DZARAIF KADIR (Malaysia), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, and the ASEAN, said that it was time to ensure that developing countries were able to engage in international trade and that the WTO had an important role in ensuring economic growth through a liberalized, transparent and predictable global trading environment. As of September 2013, his country’s total trade had expanded by 4.2 per cent compared to the same month in 2012. Moreover, its global exports had risen by 5.6 per cent in the same period. He looked forward to an expeditious conclusion of the Doha Round, as it would help to reduce protectionist measures and contribute to more equitable and inclusive growth. International trade was an engine for development and a fair multilateral trading system was “essential to ensure sustained growth in global trade and create new market access and opportunities for developing countries”.
AMIT NARANG (India), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that trade and investment, and an open, rules-based, transparent and non-discriminatory WTO-based trading system could play an important role in restoring global growth. The increasing fragmentation in favour of regional and “plurilateral” processes was a challenge to the centrality and credibility of the multilateral trading system. At the same time, the international trading regime must be made more equitable and development-oriented in order for developing countries to benefit from it. He called for the conclusion of the Doha Round as per its development mandate, which was about “creating new opportunities and economic growth for developing countries in all sectors”. His country remained committed to the Bali decisions. However, food security must be treated with the same urgency as other issues, as it was central to eradicating poverty.
ABDELLAH BEN MELLOUK (Morocco) called for a solution to end the current stagnation and blockage of the implementation of the Bali Package. Trade was a determining factor in growth and development and an essential source of financing for development. As such, it should be the key pillar of the post-2015 agenda. The participation of developing countries in the world trade and South-South trade was increasing, with the latter accounting for one quarter of the world’s goods exports. However, Africa had not benefited from that trade as much as it could have. Therefore, its special needs and a number of obstacles must be addressed, including challenges in the areas of infrastructure and structural transformation.
YOSEPH KASSAYE (Ethiopia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said the development dimension in the Doha Round of negotiations must be fully realized, and provide developing countries the required policy space to achieve their overall development objectives. It was paramount to find solutions to the challenges faced by landlocked developing countries, particularly in accessing international markets. His country focused on increasing the benefits of trade by integrating itself into the multilateral trading system. To achieve that objective, it was raising efficiency and competitiveness of the trading sector, strengthening domestic and foreign investment and trade, establishing a favourable environment for investors, and strengthening the transparency, fairness and accountability of the legal framework for trade activities.
KHAULA ALI KHAMIS OBAID ALSHAMSI (United Arab Emirates) called for reform of international trade to make it more multilateral, calling for more preferential treatment to be given to least developed countries. Trade should be part of the post-2015 agenda and implementation of the sustainable development goals required capacity building to enable developing countries to set their own policies to boost trade. In that regard, official development assistance (ODA) and technology transfer commitments had to be upheld. To boost participation in international trade, more effort was needed to ensure implementation of the post-Bali programme of action. External trade was a major source of her country’s income and she spoke against protectionism, noting her involvement in several international trade instruments. She noted cooperation with African countries, as well as work at home to improve infrastructure for foreign direct investment.
WALUBITA IMAKANDO (Zambia), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, noted the many international trade arrangements his country was part of which increased access to markets. Despite the expanding role of developing countries in international trade and the growth of South-South cooperation, constraints continued to “impede the country’s ability to fully utilize preferential trade arrangements”. Inadequate infrastructure and low productivity hampered the country’s ability to produce in quantities demanded and to the standards set by international trading community. Measures had been implemented to improve the business environment and enhance competitiveness, notably the Private Sector Development Reform Programme. He applauded UNCTAD for implementing the Enhanced Integrated Framework in developing countries and said Zambia conformed to it by mainstreaming trade into national development plans and strategies; ensuring coordinated delivery of trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building; and addressing supply-side constraints.
YAOWALUK SUTHIMANUS (Thailand), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China and ASEAN, said that at the national level, the promotion of free trade remained the cornerstone of trade and development policy. Pleased that the proposed sustainable development goals included trade-related means of implementation, her Government believed that through collective global efforts, a universal, fair, rule-based, open, pro-development, non-discriminatory, inclusive and equitable multilateral trading system was possible. Special and differential provisions as included in all the WTO agreements had to be given to developing countries to enable them to retain adequate policy space for social and economic development.
HONGBO WANG (China) said that as the international development agenda was in a critical period of transition, global economic governance needed to be improved without delay. Some economies were at risk from being excluded from the global value chain through priority in trade negotiations moving from trade in goods to investment protection and from customs measures to domestic regulatory measures. Multilateral cooperation was the main channel for promoting the growth of trade, reducing poverty in the world and achieving economic development. Convinced that the integration of the world economy was the trend in today’s world, her Government was ready to strengthen cooperation with UNCTAD in an effort to promote inclusive growth and sustainable development in the world.
A.K. ABDUL MOMEN (Bangladesh) associated himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Least Developed Countries. He said that though trade provided a lift to an economy, it was an area where least developed countries were most vulnerable. In the last four decades, the total share of least developed countries in global trade had hovered around 1 per cent. “Business as usual” was not going to improve the situation. While most developed countries had fulfilled commitments made at the 2005 WTO Ministerial Meeting to provide duty-free, quota-free market access to the least developed countries, he said that some still had yet to fulfil on their pledges. Non-Tariff Barriers and Technical Barriers to Trade hampered the fledgling export markets of least developed countries.
TATIANA ZVEREVA (Russian Federation) underlined her consistent support for establishing a fair system where all parties complied with international decisions. She supported the Bali Package and reaffirmed her country’s commitment to combat protectionism. In line with support for integration of the global economy, she pointed to the Eurasian Economic Union between the Russian Federation, Belarus and Kazakhstan and welcomed the accession of Armenia to the Union. The Union would remove barriers to trade in goods and create a single market for goods, labour and capital. It was based on WTO rules and principles and turnover in the area had increased in the previous three years. Based on recommendations by UNCTAD, the World Bank and other international institutions, the Russian Federation was working to improve conditions for doing business at home. She trusted that UNCTAD would continue playing the role of coordinator in the international trading system.
Ms. YESHMAGAMBETOVA (Kazakhstan) recalled the tenth Asia-Europe Meeting Summit when her country had stressed the need for a paradigm shift for international cooperation and to take action in eliminating protectionist trade barriers. Kazakhstan was working to become a member of the WTO to maximize the liberal access of local products to world markets. Another State programme of industrial-innovative development was recently adopted with the aim of diversifying the economy and the development of high tech industry. Exports from landlocked developing countries were considerably more expensive due to the lack of sea access, and among its many recommendations, the 2012 Almaty Ministerial Declaration proposed the granting of trade preferences within the WTO.
FERNANDO SARDENBERG ZELNER GONÇALVES (Brazil) said the third Conference on Financing for Development would provide ample opportunities to discuss macroeconomic policies and trade as real drivers of development. With the Open Working Group recognizing trade as means of implementation for sustainable development, he highlighted the need for a stable, transparent and rules-based multilateral trade system. Since the 2008 financial crisis, major trading partners had turned away from the multilateral system and embarked on a “worrisome path” of additional rules specific to large trading blocks. Regionally managed trade could not be compatible with and supportive of a global integrated economy. In view of the proliferation of bilateral, regional and plurilateral agreements, which shut off developing countries, he urged the international community to recommit to the multilateral trading systems represented by the WTO and its agreements.
ALI HAJILARI (Iran) associated with the Group of 77 and China, stressing the importance of an international enabling environment to ensure that envisaged transformative change took place in several areas. Trade had to be addressed as it was a powerful driver and enabler for growth, employment and poverty eradication. Capacity-building was linked closely to enhancing balanced productive development strategies, including through a universal, fair, rules-based, open, pro-development, non-discriminatory, inclusive and equitable multilateral trading system. Accession to the WTO should be facilitated and there should be no political impediments. Trade barriers, trade-distorting subsidies in developed countries and other measures were a matter of concern. The Group of 77 and China had affirmed “their firm rejection of the imposition of laws and regulation with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against [several] developing countries,” and reiterated the urgent need to eliminate them immediately.
RALF BREDEL, UNIDO, said that the integration of countries with small economies into regional and global markets promised expanded demand for their goods, and fostered job creation and income generation. Trade capacity-building, with the development of quality infrastructure as its key element, was crucial, especially for least developed and landlocked developing countries. It remained among the cornerstones of the work of UNIDO, and was an integral feature of virtually all its technical cooperation programmes. “Assisting Member States to integrate into the multilateral trading system through trade capacity-building is a main vehicle for social inclusiveness, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness,” he said.
Poverty Eradication
Mr. OSMAN (Sudan), aligning his delegation with the “Group of 77” and China, the Arab and African Groups and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that climate changes greatly exacerbated the impact of the many challenges developing countries faced, including poverty, food security and unemployment. In pursuit of the goals of the United Nations Second Decade for Poverty Eradication, his Government had invested in public services and had sought to consolidate the role of women. Foreign investment was being encouraged, and access to microcredit expanded. A social support initiative had been launched for the most marginalized groups. Poverty was worsened in Sudan by abandonment of traditional agricultural practices, lack of production capacity and desertification, all of which were worsened by the debt burden. He called for lifting of unilateral economic sanctions to aid efforts to fight poverty.
AMIT NARANG (India), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said “the battle against poverty has not been won”, and the fact that one in every six human beings lived in extreme poverty should be “an affront to our collective imagination”. His Government had launched a National Mission on Financial Inclusion with the objective of covering all households in the country with banking facilities and having a bank account for each household. Through that initiative, it hoped to break the vicious cycle between poverty and debt, and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of people to be able to chart their own destinies. His country also remained committed to the promotion of gender equality, and to utilizing information and communications technology for the empowerment of women.
WILFRIED I. EMVULA (Namibia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, and the African Group, said poverty eradication must remain central in the planning and implementation of the sustainable development goals. The global trade and investment rules must be designed to meet the constraints faced by developing countries. The impasse in the Doha Development Round which had negatively impacted development, the fight against poverty and the “Aid for Trade” initiatives was of concern. The recent financial volatility was a reminder of the need to reform the global financial system and ensure a greater voice and participation by developing countries. He also called for women to be at the centre of development and welcomed the proposals for a stand-alone goal on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the post-2015 agenda.
EDEN CHARLES (Trinidad and Tobago), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, and CARICOM, said that his Government had implemented a number of programmes aimed at eradicating poverty. They included the provision of social assistance to poor and vulnerable groups, the Targeted Conditional Cash Transfer Programme aimed at providing social protection by promoting nutritional and food security among vulnerable households, the National Social Development Programme, the Poverty Reduction Programme, and the Micro Enterprise Training and Development Grant. Also instituted were a number of initiatives in support of advancing women’s role in development, resulting in their strong presence in the non-agriculture sector, accompanied by a diminishing gap in labour force participation between men and women. Also introduced were efforts geared toward addressing the “gendered digital divide”.
Ms. AL-FADALAH (Qatar), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, stressed that, in line with the goals of the Second Decade, the priorities of countries should be to promote productive work, especially for the youth, improving agricultural productivity and improving the livelihoods of the poor. She stressed her country’s commitment to eliminating discrimination against women and pointed to Qatar’s hosting of the third meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement on the advancement of women. In Qatar, policies to enable women focused on the family. Focus on them would help in the fight against poverty. There were advances in improving the status of women, with efforts to provide a higher level of education among measures. Girls outnumbered boys in primary education, with efforts also aimed at the labour market and to reduce practices like early marriage. Qatar ranked thirty-sixth in the human development index and had the tenth highest level of education in the world.
HENRY ALFREDO SUÁREZ MORENO (Venezuela), aligned with the Group of 77 and China, pointed to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report on poverty, which showed some unnerving trends like the vulnerability of 15 per cent of the world’s population to multidimensional poverty. Around half of the world’s labour force held informal or vulnerable employment, in contravention of International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines on safe and decent work. Poverty was complex and tackling it required a multidimensional approach. Poverty should not be defined on the basis of income levels alone and successful strategies for combating it showed the need to go beyond income. Poor people were given free access to health care, cheaper food, lower interest on credit and other benefits to support their daily minimum income. Education was fundamental, as was the provision of productive jobs, and assistance to the vulnerable.
HYDER AL-ALWAN (Iraq) stressed the importance of the industrial sector to his country’s economy. He noted several structural problems that had caused difficulties in the industry and led to the sector’s decline in the country, reducing gross domestic product (GDP). It was important to provide assistance to countries that were making efforts to eradicate poverty. Developed countries had to commit and he welcomed the involvement of UNIDO, while also looking to the potential benefits of South-South cooperation. He described several areas in which efforts to strengthen the economy had been made and described industrial and mining projects. The aim was to promote profitable public enterprises and several policies had also been enacted to make the investment climate in Iraq more business friendly to encourage local and international investment.
FREDERICK M. M. SHAVA (Zimbabwe), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that his Government had adopted policies and programmes aimed at economically empowering its citizens. The most notable was the historic land reform programme which had seen more than 300,000 households being allocated land. Agriculture was critical to lifting countries out of poverty, and it contributed 30 per cent of the GDP during a good season. Trade was another factor that could help poor nations grow their way out of poverty, and the elimination of trade protection policies by developed countries was vital. Zimbabwe’s poverty alleviation initiatives continued to be hampered by the economic sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States, he said, calling for their immediate and unconditional lifting.
ZAKIA EL-MIDAOUI (Morocco), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, the African Group, and the Group of Friends of Financial Inclusion, said the debate on poverty eradication and other development-related issues illustrated that the world must “pull together” to enable all countries take advantage of the opportunities of development and the fruits of globalization. Her country had launched a national human development initiative that, among others things, aimed to combat poverty in rural areas and social exclusion in urban areas. A national human development observatory had been established to assess the impact of public policy on human development indicators. Other initiatives that were contributing to combatting poverty and vulnerability included a medical assistance regime for the poorest populations that were not covered by mandatory health insurance.
TUVAKO N. MANONGI (United Republic of Tanzania), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, and the African States, said poverty eradication should remain at the centre of the United Nations deliberations. It was unacceptable for children under five and pregnant women to continue to die due to poverty related causes, as it was incomprehensible that the world had over one billion people who could not read and write, and who practiced open defecation. Commitments made towards developing countries including the least developed countries, would have to be fulfilled. Three of four people in rural areas lived in extreme poverty, which deserved our amplified attention in the post-2015 development agenda. It was estimated that one billion people lived in slum conditions in urban areas.
SARA LUNA CAMACHO (Mexico), aligning herself with the Group for Financial Inclusion, called for a rethink on the way poverty was approached. In the context of the Open Working Group, Mexico had pushed for a multidimensional vision of poverty that looked beyond measurements of per capita income. Economic growth was important to reducing poverty but inequality undermined its effects. The new goals and development agenda had to deliver on inclusion. She would continue promoting disaggregation in monitoring the goals with a view to reducing inequality and ensuring that the agenda served everyone. The type of policies that were needed included income protection programmes, as well as provision of greater access to social services, particularly health care, education and nutrition. The Open Working Group’s report pointed in the right direction and the post-2015 agenda had to promote inclusive growth.
YAROSLAV GOLITSYN (Ukraine) welcomed national initiatives to speed up progress toward the Millennium Development Goals and to push for full employment and decent work for all. To be effective, international programmes for poverty eradication had to be mirrored by national efforts, policies and strategies. Poverty eradication was at the centre of Ukraine’s development agenda and the Government had joined with national and international stakeholders to foster pro-poor growth through employment and opportunities for the most vulnerable. Women and youth were the focus of the State poverty eradication programme. As well, Ukraine had launched projects to support social sector reform. European standards of gender equality had been adopted, with women’s leadership promoted and discrimination combated.
SEWA LAMSAL ADHIKARI (Nepal), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that poverty eradication should be at the top of the post-2015 development agenda. Best use should be made of lessons learned from implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and the impacts of the global economic and financial crisis. Least developed countries like Nepal needed modern technology to transform socioeconomic development, as well as enhanced and sustained financial support. Noting that ODA to her country had risen to a record high, she nonetheless called on partners who had not done so to meet their target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income. Her country placed value on debt relief, market access, capacity building and technical support, including transfer of technology with supportive and fair financial architecture and an international trading system for sustainable development.
PAVEL A. FONDUKOV (Russian Federation) said that poverty eradication remained a priority and a precondition for achieving sustainable development. Moreover, progress in achieving that goal must be made more equal across countries and regions. His country was consistently stepping up its efforts aimed at poverty eradication, and saw industrial development as a key factor in those endeavours. In that context, it was implementing, together with UNIDO, a number of projects, such as creating agro-industrial parks and improving industrial statistics. He called on all parties to expand cooperation within UNIDO, and to share best practices in the field of sustainable development.
WALUBITA IMAKANDO (Zambia), associating himself with the “Group of 77” and China, said his Government had implemented multiple poverty interventions, among them a scaling up of the Social Cash transfer Scheme this year to over 145,000 individuals being supported, 80 per cent of them women. His country remained committed to other social safety nets, including the Women Empowerment Programme, the Food Security Pack, and the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme. Financial lending institutions had been engaged to provide women entrepreneurs access to affordable financing. Aimed at significantly boosting economic growth, rural industrialization, and employment creation, Zambia had focused on micro, small and medium scale enterprises. The Industrialization and Job Creation Strategy was aimed at facilitating the creation of 1 million formal jobs over the next five years in the agricultural, construction, manufacturing and tourism sectors.
YIN PO MYAT (Myanmar), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, ASEAN and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that rural development was vital to achieving her country’s poverty reduction objective of 16 per cent by 2015. Furthermore, to achieve the goals of the Istanbul Programme of Action for least developed countries, Myanmar had begun the internal process for graduation from that category. She called on development partners to assist by fulfilling their commitments. She also called upon the United Nations to strengthen system-wide policy coherence on poverty and employment issues within the framework of the second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty and stressed the importance of regional cooperation in such areas as sharing best practices, technology transfer and economic integration and liberalization as a means to raise people out of poverty.
AUNESE MAKOI SIMATI (Tuvalu), associating himself with the Group of Least Developed Countries, said the economic gaps between rich and poor countries and inequalities within nations must be thoroughly addressed. That would aim to remedy the situation where 10 per cent of the population owned 75 per cent of the global wealth. Poverty eradication was best tackled cooperatively between donors and recipients. Donor countries must confirm their global commitments and ensure common but differentiated responsibilities, whilst recipient countries must ensure good governance, accountable leadership, good planning and fiscal prudence, while squashing corruption and incentivizing trade and investments. Science, research and entrepreneurial development were key drivers of poverty alleviation and sustainable development, and research results and information must be shared and made accessible and affordable to the poor.
ONG KOK WEE (Singapore), aligning his statement with the Group of 77 and China, and the ASEAN, said that while much had been achieved in fighting poverty, progress had been uneven and there remained a sense that inequality was widening around the world. His Government’s approach to poverty eradication was to create good quality jobs through economic growth. Equal educational opportunities sought to ensure that all children were given the opportunities, skills, and training to pursue their aspirations. Through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, his country trained thousands of Government officials from other countries, and through other collaboration, technical assistance was provided.
ANTÓNIO GUMENDE (Mozambique) associated himself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group. He said that his country had enjoyed eight consecutive years of growth in GDP above 6 per cent as a result of having adopted a national development approach that gave priority to poverty reduction through economic growth, improved social safety nets, ensuring sustainable growth and strengthening good governance. In addition, a District Development Fund aimed at promoting initiatives to boost food production and job creation, including vocational training and entrepreneurship for young people was in place. The decentralization of decision-making on such issues as human and financial resources provided by that Fund had led to an increase in agricultural production, the diversification of local diets and a growing number of artisanal industries. Thus decentralization and empowerment of local communities had proved to be an efficient and effective approach to poverty eradication.
RATHANAND VICHAIDIT (Thailand), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and ASEAN, said that it was important to remain focused on the final push for the Millennium Development Goals, in particular the unrealized Goals. There were several underlying, cross-cutting issues fundamental to poverty eradication. Empowering the most vulnerable could ensure sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth. While all countries had to do their utmost to eradicate poverty and fulfil their development objectives, those efforts could and should be further advanced through global partnerships and assistance.
KOUMÉALO ANATE BALLI (Togo), aligning her delegation with the Group of 77 and China, the African Group and the Group of Least Developed Countries, pointed out that women were more active in the Togolese workforce than men. However, they tended to occupy marginal positions, lacking access to means of production and to social redistribution. The Government was working hard to ensure women their rightful place in nation-building efforts. There was a particular focus on women in rural areas, and the Government supported projects to ensure women had tools. About 45,000 women were being assisted with tools like power tillers, maize husking machines and mills. Around 100 women’s groups had been fitted out with agricultural material and processing material. Women were also being given training in cooperatives, animal and plant production techniques, managing loans and savings and other important skills.
OMAR A. A. ANNAKOU (Libya), associating his delegation with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, stressed that African countries suffered particularly from poverty even though the population living in extreme poverty had declined greatly between 1990 and 2010. Inequality had grown, however, while ODA continued to drop and negotiations on a multilateral trade system stalled. The international community had to respond to lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals and the economic and financial crisis, making efforts commensurate with the challenges. Women’s roles in development differed between countries and they assumed many tasks despite facing many obstacles. There was unequal progress on the Millennium Development Goal related to women. In Libya, women’s participation in politics had improved, with them holding 32 seats out of 200 in Parliament, as well as six seats on the body drafting the new Constitution.
MARIANNE ODETTE BIBALOU (Gabon), aligning with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, said a billion people lived in poverty, with women and children particularly affected. Many more were on the very threshold of poverty. The international community had to step up efforts to eradicate poverty in all forms. Job creation, especially for young people, was vital. Youth unemployment was at heart of socio-political upheavals and it often fuelled extremism. Work and employment were vital, but sustained economic growth remained important. Industrialization was a critical tool for growth and structural reform also vital in moving towards a service economy. A focus on women was needed because they were especially affected by poverty, particularly because of cultural and religious reasons that intensified their marginalization.
NOBORU SEKIGUCHI (Japan) said his country aimed to create “a society in which women shine” and had recently hosted the World Assembly for Women to promote their full and dynamic participation. Globally, many “abhorrent circumstances” persisted, with women lacking access to basic services like water and energy. That disproportionately increased their workload for no other reason than they were born a woman. Human rights violations against women should no longer occur in the twenty-first century and fundamental rights should be ensured everywhere. Action was needed by the United Nations and the international community to ensure equal participation of girls and boys in school, medical care for expectant mothers, and that no woman or girl lived in fear of violence. Japan was promoting universal health coverage worldwide, believing it was “never too early” to aim for its achievement. He cited a fivefold increase in contributions to UN-Women and looked forward to the establishment of UN-Women’s Tokyo office.
CHRISTOPHER GRIMA (Malta) said that any reference, recommendation or commitment to rights and services in connection with reproductive health care should not in any way create an obligation on any party to consider abortion as a legitimate form of reproductive health or rights or commodities. Committed to having more women in decision-making positions, his Government had adopted the strategy of gender mainstreaming to develop a holistic approach towards equality. The economic independence of women and their increased participation in the labour market was a priority, and tax credits, subsidized childcare, and an increase in the number of weeks of paid maternity leave were among a number of family-friendly measures undertaken to facilitate women’s economic independence.
RUBEN ZAMORA (El Salvador), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, said the last effects of the economic crisis had led to slow growth and more restrictions on international financing, affecting developing countries in particular. His country had been promoting sustainable development, as well as tackling poverty, reducing inequality, and advocating an agenda that focused on human rights. By 2013 the percentage of homes facing poverty in El Salvador was 28.9 percent which represented an 11.6 per cent reduction from 2011. Recently the country had approved the Law of Development and Social Protection, which for the first time included a network of policies and strategies focused on the most vulnerable of the population. Despite national efforts, more needed to be done, he said, reiterating the importance of adequate and effective implementation measures, and a global partnership to promote jobs and decent work for all. Full employment and decent work for all were critical elements in the post-2015 development goals.
LU YUHUI (China), associated himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that poverty, one of the most daunting challenges today, was the common responsibility of the international community as a whole. The situation around the globe did not warrant optimism. Efforts would have to focus on making poverty eradication the core of the post-2015 development agenda. It would be necessary to implement inclusive and economic social policies, such as social security and health systems, compulsory education, and equal rights for women, children, older persons and people with disabilities. It would also be necessary to provide concrete assistance to developing countries who faced the greatest challenges in fighting poverty. Industrial development cooperation played a crucial role in raising the productivity of a country. China would work closely with Member States to pursue a path to industrialization. His country had already achieved seven Millennium Development Goals, and had overcome various difficulties, including lifting the living standard of its people.
A.K. ABDUL MOMEN (Bangladesh), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and with the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that of the two poorest regions in the world, South Asia had, “however unevenly”, moved forward in reducing the number of poor people and was expected to meet Millennium Development Goal One. The global community would have to work closely to ensure that the projection would meet reality. Unemployment, which could be addressed through education, was a major obstacle to eradicating poverty. Climate change was another key factor as it was estimated that environmental degradation would lead to 1.9 billion more people entering into extreme poverty by 2050. A strong industrial base could go a long way towards helping a country eradicate poverty, particularly a least developed country. Bangladesh had attached great importance to the vital role of women in development and since 2009, the number of women entrepreneurs in the country had quadrupled.
NANZEGUELA KONE-FOFANA (Côte d’Ivoire), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, noted that several developing countries would not achieve the Millennium Development Goals. With poverty eradication a serious concern, the Government had been determined to achieve the Goals and adopted a national development plan in 2012. The plan included a national employment policy, as well as significant efforts to improve education and health care. In the latter field, mothers and children had access to free health care and children received free malaria treatment up to the age of five. Efforts under the plan had improved the lives of tens of thousands, particularly in rural areas. Women’s empowerment was also important and policies were in place on their economic integration and to uphold their rights. She stressed the importance of subregional and regional integration and noted energy connections with Mali, Guinea and Liberia, as well as international transport connections that boosted trade, industrialization and access to markets.
TEVITA SUKA MANGISI (Tonga), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Pacific Small Island Developing States, said that the Millennium Development Goals had been the most successful anti-poverty initiative in history. The term “hardship” more accurately conveyed the situation in his country than the word “poverty”, as the population generally had access to food and shelter. The negative effects of climate change posed a threat to poverty reduction efforts. Ecosystem losses could translate directly into economic losses, and poverty eradication could thus not be decoupled from the climate change issue, a problem which disproportionately affected his country.
Ms. MCKENZIE (Canada), stating that she would keep it to the point, associated her delegation with the Group of Friends on Financial Inclusion.