ECOSOC 5TH JULY 2007

HIGH LEVEL SEGMENT

SUBSTANTIVE SESSION (morning session)

Official launch of the Development Cooperation Forum

1. Opening remarks by the President of the Economic and Social Council
The President of the Economic and Social Council started his speech by assuring that the development cooperation forum (DCF) was an important factor for the enhancement of the development’s impact and welcomed everybody for its official launch. He thanked Austria for its welcome of a preparatory seminary last April and reminded the assembly of the next one, in order to prepare the forum of 2008, which will take place under the aegis of Egypt.

2. Statements by different delegations
The delegation of Pakistan, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, broke the news of its pleasure to see the strengthening of the ECOSOC. According to him, the DCF should enable the ECOSOC to size up and develop political answers and recommendations in order to improve the efforts done as regards development. This DCF associated to the AMR should be a great way to resolve problems. So the link between both must be established. Then he gave the vision of its delegation about the forum’s organization. First, the DCF would ensure that the cooperation for development fulfils to the need of developing countries. Secondly, ensures that the quality and the quantity offered by developed countries correspond to the developing countries. Thirdly, ensures that the cooperation for development reaches the results expected. Fourthly, ensures that the cooperation is well coordinated at the national, regional and local plan.
Portugal, on behalf of the EU, reminded the assembly that EU, as a significant contributor of ODA and committed to reaching the target of 0.7 % of the GDI for ODA by 2015, welcomes the DCF. EU is looking forward to the upcoming High Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, which will take place in New York on 22 and 23 October. EU also fully expects that the DCF will become an important part of the international discussion on the development cooperation agenda and that these discussions will help countries take forward the implementation of all of the MDGs.
The delegation of China highlighted the fact that a properly definition of the goals, direction, priorities and modality of the DCT is necessary to its success. In this connection, China thinks the DCF should always focus on promoting development. Two issues should set priorities: financing for development and the Doha Round of trade talks. On the financial issue, the DCF should urge developed countries to honor their commitment of earmarking 0.7% of their GNI as ODA. Secondly, the DCF should work for putting in place an MDG assessment and monitoring mechanism. China believes that problems concerning the means of implementation like funding, technology, capacity-building and market access are the biggest obstacles to achieving the MDGs. Thirdly, in the areas of energy security and climate change, the DCF should study and respond to new trends and issues in international development cooperation. Fourthly, the role of the stakeholders should be given full play to.
The delegation of USA broke the news of their pleasure to actively participate to the launch of the DCF.
The delegation of Switzerland qualified the DCF as a “unique opportunity to engage all the relevant stakeholders in a dialogue on critical issues affecting the quality and the relevance of the international system”. But Switzerland insisted on the urgency to readjust the global development architecture, which is, currently dysfunctional. According to Switzerland, the DCF is offering the opportunity to take stock of the global trends in strategies and policies in development cooperation and it will help to promote a common understanding of the conceptual framework for effective aid delivery.
The federation of Russia emphasized the importance of the actual themes which are going to be chosen for the next forums. Efforts should be done to improve the practical effects of the DCF. To be successful the DCF will have to incorporate itself into the current architecture. Russia reminded the fully engagement of Poutine, its President, in the process of the international cooperation for development.

3. Statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations started his speech recognizing the difficulty of the harmonization of the different national systems. He insisted on the importance of the triangle-shaped cooperation and the South-South one. According to him, the DCF must have a main role but it would work only if all the relevant stakeholders participate. He believes that the implementation of the MDGs is still possible in the majority of the States by 2015 if an important focus is done at this time. He called the developed States to increase their assistance to developing countries and also called the relevant States of Doha Round to cooperate in order to obtain results which would be advantageous for the developing countries. To finish, he reasserted his confidence in the members of the Council.