Speech by
Mr. Luc Stevens
UN Resident Coordinator
On the occasion of UN Day celebration
24 October, 2007, Amman - Jordan
Your Royal Highnesses
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
UN Staff and Colleagues,
It is my pleasure to welcome you all today to our yearly celebration of United Nations Day. This is a worldwide event to highlight the work of an institution conceived as a global body promoting peace and security; economic and social development and human rights and justice.
The UN belongs to all of us. As in the words of Shashi Tharoor, former UN Undersecretary for Communication and Public Information: "The UN at its best is a mirror of the world. It reflects our divisions and disagreements as well as our hopes and convictions."
The United Nations is a multilateral organisation that encourages countries to work together on many regional and even global issues, one of which is the environment. It is, as Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described it, a natural forum for building consensus on pressing issues, such as the recent event on climate change held a month ago on the margins of the General Assembly.
Dear friends, the United Nations has maintained a strong presence in Jordan since 1952. Amman currently houses a large number of UN agencies, some of which have regional offices and some with responsibilities in neighbouring countries. They work in complimentarity with each other as well as with a wide range of Jordanian partners in government, civil society, business, academia and the media in different parts of the Kingdom. They all work towards the economic and social advancement of people, promoting human rights, with an ultimate goal of improving the lives of the most marginalized.
Today’s celebration provides the UN Family with the opportunity to express its gratitude and appreciation for the strong support from the Hashemite Royal Family who continuously advocates for our messages, the Government of Jordan with whom we work directly, donors and international partners without whom we would not be able to function, and the Jordanian civil society at large which implements most of our work, being the engine for its implementation.
The theme of our celebration today is: “Jordanian Youth for Development”. A theme that is at the forefront of UN priorities focusing on creating a better world for present and future generations to come.
The United Nations has long recognised that the world’s youth are a resource for the advancement of societies. Viewing young people as valuable assets and resources in their own communities will produce positive outcomes for the whole society. Youth development policies should be viewed not so much as a means of addressing challenges associated with young people, but rather as a means of ensuring their participation in building their communities and societies.
In Jordan, 74% of the entire population is under the age of 30; therefore the youth are the single largest population group in the country. Empowering them and ensuring their effective participation in building their communities is a high priority for Jordan and its leadership.
The world today has many challenges. Nations should work together to overcome these hurdles, which impede further development. By strengthening the UN’s ability to play its role to the fullest extent in conflict prevention, peace making, peacekeeping and peace building, we can be a force in accelerating that process. Let us focus on the steps necessary to fulfil the commitments made, and hopefully in 2015 the rising expectations of young people will be met with opportunity and greater hope. This is also when the needs of the world’s poorest will be met since the world’s countries and leading development institutions agreed to commit to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education.
In spite that our organization is in its 62nd year which is the age of retirement in most countries of the world, the UN is looking for renewal in order, as in the words of the Secretary General: “to meet the new needs and ensure the highest standards of ethics, integrity and accountability, so as to demonstrate that we are fully answerable to all Member States and to people around the world”. An effective instrument for achieving this and for improving the UN’s effectiveness in delivering its mandate is a reformed UN which will Deliver as One.
By Delivering as One, we will attempt, with the support of the government and donors, to have a consolidated UN Country Programme, to ensure policy and system-wide coherence and coordination. As a strong UN we will attempt to avoid duplication and work together as one team towards sustainable development in partnership and serving the needs of Jordan in its efforts to achieve the MDGs. Worldwide, a more united System, reconfigured to use its assets and expertise in support of country needs and demands, will strengthen the voice and action of the UN in development, humanitarian assistance and environment.
Given the above, the UN's support to Jordan within the next five years will address Poverty Reduction and Social Services; Good Governance and Sustainable Management of natural resources and the environment. We will implement this through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), which is part of the Secretary General’s reform programme, and is an instrument to better focus our UN operational activities. The UN framework for cooperation between Jordan and the United Nations system for the period 2008-2012, is based on national priorities as identified in the National Agenda and the “We Are All Jordan” initiative as well as the MDGs. It is expected to further strengthen the cooperation links between the UN system and national partners to maximize the impact of the programmes.
The UN Country Team in Jordan would like to take this opportunity to thank all our development partners, the Government and UN staff members who participated in the preparation of this process. Thank you for all your efforts, dedication and commitment and for giving the chance to all of us to work together as One towards the country's development.
As we celebrate UN Day today, the UN Family in Jordan is proud to reaffirm its support and commitment to the government and people of Jordan.
"Happy UN Day" to you all