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Thank you Madam Chairperson
As this is the first time that New Zealand has taken the floor in the Second Committee during this session of the General Assembly, let me begin by congratulating you and members of the Bureau on your election, and also the Secretariat for the quality of their reports. We warmly welcome the opportunity to participate in this important discussion.
Madam Chairperson
New Zealand, as a strong supporter of the UN development system is highly committed to improved development effectiveness. We believe that the UN must strive to maintain its relevance through consistent adaptation to a rapidly changing world, while continuing to deliver tangible results on the ground. We would like to see a UN system that “adds-value”, and has a clear sense of its purpose and role.
Eliminating poverty is the fundamental principle on which New Zealand development assistance is founded, and it has never been higher on the international agenda. We are now at the half way mark to MDG achievement with much more needing to be done to better the lives of poor people. The UN must play its part.
While there are many significant issues, New Zealand would like to see the following emerge from the current TCPR process:
First, that national ownership is the keystone to all development activities. To this end, we urge UN funds, programmes and specialised agencies to increasingly align to the national priorities and plans of developing countries, and to work through national execution using national expertise where possible, such that countries own and control their development processes.
We believe that the UN is well positioned with technical expertise and knowledge systems to support the capacity development needs of developing countries, and that these needs should be identified and requested by developing country partners.
The overall effectiveness of development interventions can only be achieved through heightened coordination efforts. New Zealand would like to see a UN development system that better coordinates with itself, and with development partners including Bretton Woods Institutions, donors, the private sector and civil society. In this way, we encourage UN country teams to continue their work towards ‘delivering as one’ when appropriate, and where real economies of scale can be realised.
Yet leadership is crucial. New Zealand would like to see a strengthened Resident Coordinator system with appropriate authority, accountability, resources, monitoring framework and dispute resolution mechanism.
As a signatory to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, we fully subscribe to the need for improvement in the quality of aid along with its impact on development. Like others, we also want an operational system that delivers, and a UN that works effectively on the ground in providing ‘value for money’. Greater predictability and dependability of financing is essential, and we are concerned over the continuing imbalance between ‘core” and “non-core” resources. We support flexible, un-earmarked multi-year contributions.
Madam Chairperson
Human rights are at the core of all development policy. Where there is poverty, fundamental rights and freedoms are at risk. Development assistance needs to address fundamental freedoms and human rights for all, but in particular the rights of the poorest and most vulnerable. Let me stress that New Zealand is firmly committed to the integration of human rights and gender equality in all aspects of the UN’s work, and we would like to see these principles increasingly mainstreamed within the operational activities of all UN agencies.
In closing, I would like stress the importance we attach to concluding deliberations on the TCPR in this session. To this end, we stand ready to work constructively with you during this session.
Madam Chairperson, I thank you.
