Statement by the UN General Secretary March 17, 2006:
Despite some progress, making the transition to sustainable development has not yet taken on the urgency it needs. I am pleased to know that Madagascar is a party to the Kyoto Protocol. And I hope not only that your efforts will continue, but also that Madagascar will help others facing similar challenges.
The United Nations, for its part, will continue to be your close partner. Our system has had a presence here since you gained independence nearly half a century ago. Our agencies are here in full force, working as an integrated country team to help you in areas ranging from governance and education to AIDS and disaster prevention. I am pleased to note that the first annual review of the UN Development Assistance Framework for Madagascar took place this week, and that important gains have been achieved.
To help the United Nations work more coherently here in Madagascar, and indeed everywhere, I have just named a panel to explore how the work of the United Nations system in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment can be made more coherent and more effective. World leaders called for such a study at last September's World Summit in New York. It is intended to lay the groundwork for a fundamental restructuring of the work done by different UN funds, programmes and agencies.
We are also pressing ahead with other follow-up to the Summit. Member States have created a new Peace-building Commission and a new Central Emergency Response Fund for humanitarian relief. We have launched a Democracy Fund to strengthen institutions and ensure that people are able to exercise their democratic rights. And just two days ago, the General Assembly took the historic step of creating a new Human Rights Council, which would enable us to make a fresh start in this area and restore the Organization's credibility.
Also as requested by the Summit, I have given the membership a new set of reform proposals, calling for a radical overhaul of our management systems. Previous rounds of reform have made the Organization more efficient and more effective than it was 10 years ago.
But the current effort will focus on the operational nature of our activities, be it in peacekeeping, development assistance, human rights monitoring, emergency relief, criminal justice and much more. We are an Organization in the midst of change. I very much look forward to an even deeper partnership between a renewed United Nations and the people of Madagascar.
