Vaxandi þáttur í starfi SÞ

Yfirlýsing háttsettra fulltrúa aðildarríkja SÞ á ráðstefnu þeirra í Nairóbí 1. - 3. desember 2009 er til vitnis um að mikill árangur hafi náðst í innbyrðis samstarfi þróunarríkja og þríhliða samstarfi þróunarríkja við iðnríkin á síðustu þrjátíu árum, að því er fram kom í ávarpi Dr. Gunnars Pálssonar, fastafulltrúa, annars tveggja verkefnisstjóra sem stýrðu samningaviðræðum um yfirlýsingu ráðstefnunnar. Ráðstefnan er haldin í tilefni af því að meira en þrjátíu ár eru liðin frá því ráðstefna aðildarríkja um suður-suður samstarf fór fram í Buenos Aires árið 1978.

High-Level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, Nairobi, Kenya

Statement by the Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations

Dr. Gunnar Palsson, Co-facilitator

3 December 2009

The Right Honorable Raila Amolo Odinga, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya,
Dr. Asha Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary General,
Mr. Cliff, Minister of Planning and President of the Conference,
Ms. Helen Clark, UNDP  Administrator,
Mr. Nassir Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly´s High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me first of all to congratulate Prime Minister Odinga and the Government of Kenya for hosting this successful high-level conference on South-South cooperation. Without a doubt, this conference will come to be seen as a significant milestone in the continuing evolution of South-South cooperation from its inception more than thirty years ago.

For my country – and for me personally – it has been an honor to be associated with the South-South process as a Co-facilitator of the Outcome Document. The mere fact that a representative of one of the Northernmost countries in the world – actually the only country that has all of its territory inside the Arctic region – is invited to co-facilitate in this process is a testimony to the relevance of South-South cooperation for all of us at the United Nations, wherever we hail from.

The comprehensive Outcome Document that Member States are about to adopt, serves as a reminder of the impressive gains that have been made in the area of South-South and triangular cooperation since the Buenos Aires conference. As such, the document reinforces the standing of South-South cooperation as an ever more important strand in the work of the United Nations.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many who have made it possible for us to obtain a consensus document. The outcome is the result of a hard-won compromise and was accepted by all parties involved in the negotiation. Therefore, I wish to thank, in the first instance, the delegates of Member States for engaging in earnest in the drafting process and for demonstrating the flexibility necessary to come together, look past their differences and unite in a common position for the benefit of all.

I am grateful to the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, for his leadership, his personal involvement and for the confidence he placed in the two Co-facilitators. The role played by the President of the General Assembly’s High-level Committee on South-South cooperation, H.E. Mr. Al-Nasser, Ambassador of Qatar to the United Nations, in the run-up to this conference also deserves special mention. Furthermore, let me acknowledge the valuable support of UNDP´s Special Unit for South-South cooperation throughout this entire process.

Finally, a word appreciation is due to my Co-facilitator, H.E. Mr. Abdullah Alsaidi, Ambassador of Yemen to the United Nations, for the cooperation he has so generously extended to me in this joint effort over the past few weeks.

Thank you, Mr. President.