General Assembly Session 61 meeting 8

The President

I give the floor to Mr. Juma Ngasongwa, Minister for Planning, Economy and Empowerment of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Mr. Ngasongwa (Tanzania)

Madam President, my delegation joins other delegations in congratulating you and other members of the Bureau on your well-deserved election to spearhead the deliberations of this very important meeting. I also commend the Secretary-General for his report contained in document A/61/173. I would like to associate this statement with the statements made by the President of the Republic of Benin, Mr. Thomas Yayi Boni, and the Minister of the Republic of South Africa, speaking on behalf of the least developed countries and the Group of 77 and China, respectively.

At the end of our meeting, we will adopt a ministerial declaration in which, among other things, we recommit to and reaffirm our shared responsibility in lifting millions of anguished people out of poverty in the least developed countries through the full implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action. Some progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go if we are fully to realize the objectives contained in the Programme of Action.

We have now reached the halfway point in the implementation of the Programme, but in reality we are very far behind in achieving half of the commitments and targets set out in the Programme. That is in itself an urgent challenge to all of us who signed the Brussels Programme of Action in 2001 to reassess our individual and collective shortfalls and to intensify our efforts to meet the targets within the remaining period.

Today's meeting is the culmination of an intensive preparatory process at the national, regional and global levels. The outcomes of those preparatory meetings revealed that some least developed countries are making headway but that the majority are still lagging behind. One of the outcomes of the preparatory meetings is the Cotonou Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Brussels Programme, adopted at Benin by the ministers of the least developed countries. The Cotonou Strategy outlined the progress made, but, most importantly, it identified gaps and made recommendations for the way forward. My delegation trusts that those recommendations will be taken seriously by the development partners of the least developed countries in the five years that remain to meet the targets of the Programme by 2010.

The preparatory meetings reaffirmed that the primary responsibility for the development of the least developed countries lies with their peoples and Governments. The commitments of the peoples and Governments of the least developed countries to the principle of primary responsibility and ownership are reflected in their efforts to undertake economic, social, political and institutional reforms. There has never before been a period when the least developed countries have introduced and implemented so many successful reforms as in the last five years.

During that period, there has been substantial improvement in the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate. Six least developed countries achieved and even surpassed the target of a 7 per cent GDP growth rate, whereas 11 were on track. Most of the least developed countries had an average GDP growth rate of between 3 and 5 per cent. Other achievements recorded during the same period include increased participation in global trade, an increase in domestic resource mobilization, and the implementation of good governance practices and human rights principles.

The intensification of the combat against corruption, the holding of transparent and democratic elections, the increase in the participation of women in decision- and policymaking institutions, and the resolution and decrease in the number of internal conflicts are among such far-reaching reforms.

In order for the least developed countries to sustain their momentum, their efforts should be supported, in a timely and genuine manner, by a conducive international development environment.

In its fourth phase of action, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, under President Jakaya Kikwete, is committed to maintaining and accelerating the momentum generated by his predecessor, Benjamin Mkapa, so as to achieve the full realization of the goals and targets of the Brussels Programme of Action. Far-reaching reforms have been introduced, including in the areas of governance, education, human rights, democracy, the rule of law and fiscal reforms. The privatization of trade and commerce, agriculture, mining and the tourism and industrial sectors is yielding positive results in terms of the country's gross national product. The joint publication of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation entitled "Doing Business 2007: How to Reform" named Tanzania as among the top 10 reformers in the world in 2005-2006 and as the second-ranked reformer in Africa, after Ghana.

In the period under review, 2001-2006, the GDP growth rate registered an increase of between 5 and 7 per cent, the inflation rate decreased from 5.1 to 4.2 per cent, and foreign direct investment increased, financing approximately 20 per cent of Tanzania's investments. Between 2004 and 2005, per capita income increased by 12.9 per cent.

The outcome of the elections clearly indicated the Government's will and determination to increase the participation of women in decision- and policymaking. It was in these elections that the country managed to achieve the goal of 30 per cent women parliamentarians, as required by the Southern African Development Community. The current Cabinet includes 16 women, of whom 6 are full ministers and 10 are deputy ministers.

The Government has fruitfully completed the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. That has resulted in, among other things, completion of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative and qualification for total debt relief from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank. Tanzania has already benefited from 100 per cent debt cancellation under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative. We encourage other multilateral institutions and bilateral donors to follow suit.

We are now implementing the second phase of our Poverty Reduction Strategy, called the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty, which is our national framework for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as internationally agreed targets for reducing, by 2015, poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women. Unlike the first generation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers -- which focused on social sectors -- the National Strategy focuses on three clusters: economic growth and the reduction of income poverty; quality of life and social well-being; and good governance and accountability.

The Government has realized that without sustained economic growth, it would be very difficult -- if not impossible -- to achieve the goals of the Brussels Programme of Action, the MDGs and other internationally agreed development goals. We are grateful to our development partners for their confidence in our Strategy and for their predictable assistance -- including budget support -- for our development plans. Through this partnership, we have realized the importance of timely and predictable assistance for achieving time-bound targets.

Despite those achievements, there are a number of challenges that the country must meet to ensure the full implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action. They include natural calamities such as droughts; the high cost of energy; and external debt, which continues to use up much of the country's revenue. In addition, the agricultural sector is not performing well, as a result of poor technology, dependence on natural rainfall, inadequate extension services and limited resources for research. Other challenges include increasing financing for higher education and research and to ensure better performance in high education, science and technology; and the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

In order to sustain the achievements that Tanzania has registered so far and to adequately address those challenges, the support of the international community -- particularly of the developed countries -- is imperative. The importance of achieving the official development assistance target of 0.15 to 0.2 per cent cannot be overemphasized. Addressing the global governance deficit -- including by reforming the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization to make them open, non-discriminatory, transparent, democratic and inclusive -- would greatly benefit Tanzania in particular and the least developed countries in general. It would facilitate an increase in resources and reduce dependence on external assistance. The recent cancellation of multilateral and bilateral debts, because it addressed the debt problem, was an unprecedented initiative in the development partnership that was needed by the least developed countries. It gives us space to reorganize our development plans and priorities while avoiding the pitfalls of another debt trap.

The President

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Antonio Fernando, Minister of Industry and Trade of Mozambique.

Mr. Fernando (Mozambique)

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Mozambique and on my own behalf, I would like to congratulate you, Madam, on your election to preside over the General Assembly at its sixty-first session.

Allow me to express our appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, the United Nations Development Programme and other relevant United Nations agencies in advancing the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010. I also commend the bureau of the least developed countries for its leadership during this review process and for representing the interests and concerns of the least developed countries in the United Nations system and in all relevant international and multilateral forums.

My delegation associates itself with the statement delivered this morning by the delegation of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Let me touch briefly on some of the crucial issues addressed in Mozambique, some of our experiences and some of the progress we have made so far.

With regard to good governance, we have succeeded in promoting gender balance in our institutions at all levels. As a result of the last general elections, in 2004, the number of women in parliament rose to 35.5 per cent of the total number of representatives -- 250 -- while in the Government, 24 per cent of ministers are women, with the figure rising to 26.6 per cent among deputy ministers. Our Prime Minister is a woman.

In 2004, we adopted an anti-corruption law. The Government's priorities in the area of education have been expanding access, improving quality and strengthening institutional capacity in various areas of educational administration. With regard to strengthening administration capacities and the management of the educational system, we have been training school directors and managers of the system at the provincial and district levels.

In the area of health, our priority has been to increase access to, and improve the quality of the provision of, primary health care. Efforts are also being made to reverse the negative impact of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The Government has long defined agriculture as the basis of the country's economy. Approximately 80 per cent of the labour force is engaged in agricultural and other rural activities. Rehabilitation of the existing agriculture-related infrastructure -- including roads, railway lines, ports, irrigation systems and water and power supply systems -- has been a Government priority.

Trade is an essential element for sustainable development and poverty reduction, contributing to the Millennium Development Goals. During the past few years, Mozambique has undertaken trade reforms, including a progressive reduction of taxes on international trade and a reduction of barriers to imports and exports of goods and services. The Mozambique Customs Office is in the process of harmonizing documentation within the region and improving its infrastructure with the goal of facilitating trade and reducing delays in the clearing process.

We recently introduced the concept of the "One-Stop Shop" in order to facilitate business. Mozambique's external trade policies are designed to create an environment conducive to promoting its products in international markets, especially those of the developed countries of Europe, America and Asia, without prejudice to the promotion of intra-African trade.

While important progress has been made in our country's efforts to tackle the fight against poverty, it is very disappointing to notice that many of the least developed countries (LDCs) are unlikely to realize the internationally agreed economic development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

We would be very much encouraged if this review presents successful and fruitful deliberations to reverse that trend. To meet that objective, the strengthening of our shared responsibility and partnerships involving all relevant stakeholders, Governments, civil society and the private sector is needed.

The President

I give the floor to His Excellency The Honourable Anand Sharma, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of India.

Mr. Sharma (India)

On behalf of the Government of India, I would like to congratulate you, Madam, on your election as the President of the General Assembly and on the successful organization of this important High-level Meeting to review the progress made in the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). It is a privilege to participate in this meeting.

At the outset, I would like to note that the LDCs themselves have been making major efforts for their economic development, including achievement of the goals set out in the Brussels Programme of Action. The Cotonou Strategy is a testimony to their commitment and determination.

Recent studies have highlighted that many LDCs have achieved relatively high rates of economic growth, though the sustainability of the accelerated growth has a significant element of being contingent on commodity prices. The key to achieving sustained economic growth in LDCs is developing productive capacities. For this, the development partners need to move vigorously in supporting the efforts of LDCs. International organizations can also play an important role by providing replicable models and information, which would help LDCs to build national capacity for domestic resource mobilization.

The issue of debt is a critical one for many LDCs. We welcome the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative and look forward to the G-8's political intentions being fully converted into unqualified commitment. India, on its part, has demonstrated its commitment to help LDCs, which are in a particularly difficult position, to reduce their external debt burden by writing off the debt owed by seven heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) which had reached their "decision points".

Debt relief through HIPC initiatives or the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative alone is not sufficient unless accompanied by efforts to improve debt management capacity and a proactive approach to the achievement of higher growth, enhanced exports performance and revenue mobilization through better market access and enhanced trade-related opportunities. Official development assistance (ODA) disbursements to LDCs are more than a third short of the agreed target. There is an urgent need for new and additional commitments to fulfil the commitment by the developed countries to meet the 0.15-0.20 per cent target for ODA to LDCs. This needs to happen without prescription of development modes or policy actions, either directly or through conditions attached to their support, as has been noted by the Secretary-General. Moreover, wherever appropriate, aid should help promote greater foreign and domestic private investments consistent with national priorities for sustainable development.

The issue of good governance has been very much in focus in the context of development in developing countries as a whole and LDCS in particular. We believe that good governance at the international level is as essential as at the national level. Efforts at domestic resource mobilization need a supportive international environment that is stable, predictable and characterized by non-discriminatory trading, monetary and financial systems. LDCs and other developing economies also need to be assisted in capacity-building, particularly in setting up the requisite institutional framework to help prioritize sources and destinations and to attract, evaluate and facilitate foreign investment inflows.

India has been a strong votary of South-South cooperation. Indian technical and economic cooperation has, since 1964, provided technical assistance of over US$ 2.5 billion; more than 5,000 representatives of developing countries receive training in over 250 institutions in India every year. We have constantly tried to increase mutually beneficial economic cooperation with LDCs in general and with those in our extended neighbourhood in particular.

We are partnering with Afghanistan in a significant manner for infrastructure and capacity-building projects. We are cooperating in infrastructure upgrading projects with Myanmar, while our endeavours with Maldives include specialty health care and assistance for rehabilitation projects after the tsunami disaster. We have special relationships with Nepal and Bhutan and a deep interest in their development. In the context of recent developments in Nepal, we have offered a significant and immediate package of assistance. India is the largest development cooperation partner of Bhutan.

Africa has always been a high priority for India and we are strengthening our cooperation through the New Partnership for Africa's Development and through other efforts such as Team 9 for Western Africa. Our commitment in terms of lines of credit and other concessional financial assistance add up to almost US$ 1 billion. We are also working on a Pan-African Network which would be a major satellite and fibre-optic connectivity mission covering the entire continent of Africa. The would help to bridge the digital divide, while enabling a network linking learning centres, universities, hospitals in every country in Africa with counterpart institutions in India with a proven expertise in these fields.