General Assembly
Informal consultations
25 April, 2005
CLUSTER I – FREEDOM FROM WANT
Statement by H.E. Mr John Dauth
Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Australian Mission to the United Nations
(Check against delivery)
Mr Facilitator
Freedom from want is a critical element of the Summit outcome. We realize that this goal requires actions and commitments from both developed and developing countries. A genuine partnership is necessary if we are to succeed. It is like rowing a boat. If one side rows harder, or in a different direction, the boat will just circle, or worse, capsize. If both sides row together with a shared sense of direction and purpose, the greatest progress is achieved.
Our shared direction and purpose must be to achieve sustainable, broad-based economic growth. Without this there can be no durable solution to poverty. Australia therefore looks to support regional partners to create, participate in, and benefit from such growth. We must also remember the important contribution to development efforts of private financial flows and a country’s own resources. The efforts on this side of the boat must be just as strong and are critical if progress towards the MDGs and freedom from want are truly to be accelerated.
In respect of financing for development, we remain committed to the Consensus agreed at Monterrey and want to see it reaffirmed in September. In particular, Australia is a staunch and unashamed advocate of the importance of trade liberalization in assisting countries to mobilize the resources to achieve freedom from want. We support the Secretary General’s recommendation that the WTO Doha Round should be finalized by 2006. A successful and ambitious conclusion must be a priority, given the enormous benefits this will deliver directly to developing countries and to the global economy. As agreed in the Millennium Declaration, Australia has responded to the special needs of Least Developed Countries. Our LDC market access scheme is one of the most generous in the world – allowing LDC products tariff and duty free entry to Australia with no exceptions and no phase-ins.
Australia also recognises the important role of non-market-based financing for development. The estimated A$2.133 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA) the Australian Government will provide in 2004-05 represents a real increase of 9.9 per cent over the 2003-04 Budget. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Government has delivered real growth in ODA.
We also support debt relief measures - where they would be appropriate and effective. We note the recent statement by the World Bank/IMF Development Committee that ‘further debt relief beyond HIPC is needed in specific cases to secure long term debt sustainability and support progress towards the MDGs’ and we would emphasise that any such relief should be consistent with the debt sustainability framework developed by the World Bank and IMF.
Mr Facilitator, financing is important, but dollars alone will not guarantee freedom from want.
Also, while the MDGs are important and the main focus of our discussions, achieving freedom from want requires much more than just the achievement of the MDGs. Equally important is law and order, good governance, sound economic management, tackling corruption and promoting human rights. These must be priorities alongside, and sometimes as a pre-requisite to, achieving the MDGs.
The environment is also an important aspect of the MDGs. We support the Secretary General’s recommendation on climate change. A more comprehensive global response to climate change, which encompasses all major emitters, is necessary. Developing countries already account for almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions. For a framework to be sustainable it must engage all major emitters while balancing the adaptation needs of small developing states.
Australia is also acutely aware of the devastating impact of natural disasters, seen most recently with the December 26 Asian tsunami. We are interested in the Secretary General’s recommendation to establish a worldwide warning system for natural disasters, and look forward to further discussion on costings and structure. .
Mr Facilitator, like all member states, Australia is deeply concerned about the plight of Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. But the 2005 Summit must have a global focus if it is going to gain global support. We cannot forget the needs in other regions or amongst other groups of countries. For example, while Asia as a region has demonstrated great development gains in recent years, it is still home to some two-thirds of the world’s poor. Small Island Developing States also face many difficult challenges in their efforts to develop. We note, in particular, that after Sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific is the region that has made least progress towards the MDGs. We are keen to see recognition of the “special needs” of SIDS and the challenges facing the Asia Pacific in the Summit outcome.
Mr Facilitator, we are very pleased that the Secretary General’s report recognizes HIV/AIDS for the true crisis it is. We agree that we must increase our efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and are backing up that call with action and resources. Treatment is important, but prevention is even more critical. Again, while we recognize the devastating impacts the epidemic is having in Africa, if we are to avoid this in other parts of the world, we cannot ignore the similar increases in infection rates that are now being experienced in places such as Asia and PNG.
I would like to conclude by highlighting an issue the Secretary General does not focus on in his report, but which is fundamental to the Summit outcome – the economic, social and security challenges facing fragile states. These are often post-conflict countries, but not always. Fragile states, and the challenges they face, epitomize the security-development- human rights nexus. They require carefully calibrated, innovative and robust approaches to help them achieve long-term stability and development. We believe strongly that if we are to address freedom as a whole– freedom from want, freedom from fear and freedom to live in dignity – we must explicitly recognize and help address the challenges and vulnerabilities of fragile states.
Thank you.