Nr. 102, 30. október 1998:Í umræðum um málefni Háskóla Sameinuðu þjóðanna í 2. nefnd allsherjarþings S.þ. upplýsti Þorsteinn Ingólfsson, fastafulltrúi Íslands hjá S.þ., um starfsemi Háskóla S.þ. á Ís

Í umræðum um málefni Háskóla Sameinuðu þjóðanna í 2. nefnd allsherjarþings Sameinuðu þjóðanna upplýsti Þorsteinn Ingólfsson, fastafulltrúi Íslands hjá S.þ., um starfsemi Háskóla S.þ. á Íslandi.
Hann kvað starfsemi Jarðhitaskólans hafa verið mikilvægan þátt í þróunaraðstoð Íslands. Jarðhitaskólinn hefði nú starfað í 20 ár hér á landi og á þriðja hundruð vísindamenn komið til náms á hans vegum frá 35 ríkjum.
Fastafulltrúinn upplýsti um að hinn nýi Sjávarútvegsskóli Háskóla Sameinuðu þjóðanna hefði hafið starfsemi sína í haust með nemendum frá þremur Afríkulöndum.
Ávarpið er meðfylgjandi.

Mr. Chairman,

It is with great pleasure that my delegation notes the success of the work of the United Nations University as demonstrated in the reports under this item.

My Goverment has for a long time attached a considerable importance to the cooperation with the UNU and considers its work an important aspect of our development cooperation.

For twenty years the Icelandic National Energy Authority and the UNU have operated a Geothermal Training Programme in Iceland. More than two hundred scientists and civil engineers from energy agencies and research organizations of thirty five developing countries have attended courses in highly specialized studies and on-the-job training. The main emphasis of the training is to provide the participants with sufficient understanding and practical experience to execute independent projects in their home countries. It is our hope that the Programme will benefit our efforts to promote an understanding for the importence of utilizing clean and renewable energy.

Mr. Chairman

The success of the geothermal programme encouraged my Government to seek to establish a programme in the field of fisheries in cooperation with the UNU. The new Fisheries Training Programme was inaugurated this fall with participants from three African countries, the Gambia, Mozambique and Uganda, under the auspieces of the Marine Research Institute of Iceland. Participants will be trained in various fields of the fishing industry, including policy and planning, marine and inland waters resource assessment and monitoring, management of companies, processing of fish products and marketing. It was a special pleasure for us to be able to inaugurate this programme this year, the International year of the Ocean.

It is our hope that the Fisheries Programme will benefit our efforts in promoting a sustainable utilization of living marine resources, as well contributing to both well managed and profitable fisheries sectors in the developing countries, and thus enhance the food security in the world.

Allow me to recall the visit of the Rector of the UNU, Dr. van Ginkel to my country this fall to attend a Geothermal Workshop held to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Geothermal Programme. We consider ourselves fortunate to have Dr. van Ginkel at the helm of the University. During his visit valuable exchange of information took place and the Icelandic Foreign Minister expressed his wish to explore further possiblities in cooperation with the UNU.


Thank you Mr. Chairman