Summary: 6 June 2007, New York - Statement by Ambassador Thomas Matussek, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations, in the informal consultations of the plenary on United Nations system-wide coherence
Excellencies,
I have the honor to speak today on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Montenegro, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.
1. Please allow me to congratulate the two Co-Chairs, the ambassador of Barbados, Christopher Hackett, and the ambassador of Luxemburg, Jean-Marc Hoscheit, on their appointment to guide a process on the consideration of the High Level Panel´s report on United Nations System-wide Coherence and the report of the Secretary General on these recommendations. Please be assured of our wholehearted support to you on this challenging task.
2. Reform is a natural part of any healthy and well functioning organisation, both in the private and the public sector. The reform of UN operational activities, for instance, is almost as old as the institutions themselves. To deliver well we constantly have to adapt to a changing context, new challenges and needs. This was recognised by the Panelists, who drew upon the on-going reform discussions at the United Nations in formulating their proposals. They incorporated many existing policies
into their recommendations, so our work can be simplified if we focus on the elements of the proposals that member states have not previously considered.
3. The SG after carefully analysing the recommendations within the context of the UN reform agenda has outlined in his report: - quote - "I believe that the proposals in the report should be pursued as an integrated and coherent whole, as the report was crafted as such with many of the recommendations connected to one another. Arrangements for its review should ensure that the different proposals in the report are addressed on their own merits, with outcomes that reinforce each other and
advance, together, the overall objectives set by the Panel. The report should be considered within the context of a number of ongoing reform processes. […] Many of its recommendations are consistent with existing mandates for reform. In those cases, the United Nations system should move ahead to improve coherence without unnecessary delays so as to avoid duplication of effort. Other areas will require fuller discussions and deliberations." We support this wise line.
4. The EU very much welcomes this opportunity to engage in an open, inclusive and transparent dialogue, together with other Members. We suggest regular meetings to explore the themes in the report, under the umbrella and authority of the GA and see this dialogue as an ongoing process of stocktaking. In the beginning of the process, such dialogue might also contribute to better understanding particularly of those panel recommendations which are new.
5. As the Secretary General has suggested, making full use of the already existing processes must be a basic principle for the consideration of the panel report. This will help with consistency and take into account the situation of smaller Missions. We simply can´t afford to duplicate already functioning fora of the UN system or reinventing the wheel while facing such urgent matters like the fight against poverty, climate change or humanitarian disaster.
As a matter of illustration: The TCPR has well established procedures for consultation and negotiation and is highly esteemed among the UN membership. Many of the panel´s recommendations reiterate and build upon what was decided upon previous TCPR resolutions. It would make good sense to consider what new ideas from the Panel could be included in the new TCPR we will negotiate this year. Another example is the process facilitated by the Mexican and Swiss Ambassadors to achieve progress in the
field of international environmental governance. Where, if not there, should we consider the panels proposals?
6. On other themes of the report such as governance and gender no process has been started so far. On these themes we still need clarification. In this spirit, the EU underlines the importance that the UN gender architecture needs to be strengthened and we are more than willing to contribute to swift progress. As a consequence, we are looking forward to proposals from the Co-Chairs and other member states on how to start in a very pragmatic way.
7. The EU is committed to a strong and coherent United Nations at the heart of an effective multilateralism, which is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century such as poverty eradication, sustainable development and humanitarian relief. The UN´s universal membership, neutrality and political independence enable it to play a unique role. We are seeking a United Nations better able to support developing countries in achieving the MDGs and other internationally agreed development goals
by truly country-owned approaches. Let´s not miss this important opportunity and ensure a more coherent way of working together.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
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