Press release

11 Nov 2010

Beirut

Lebanese Prime Minister, Deputy UN Secretary-General Open Regional Coordination Mechanism Meeting

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Beirut, 11 November 2010 (UN Information Service) — Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Deputy Secretary-general of the United Nations Asha-Rose Migiro and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf today opened at the UN House in Beirut the 14th Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) meeting for UN agencies operating in Arab countries. In addition to opening statements made by Hariri, Migiro and Khalaf, the Assistant Secretary-General for Social Affairs of the League of Arab States (LAS) Sima Bahous also delivered a statement on behalf of the regional organization. The opening session was attended by regional directors and officials of UN agencies and offices, diplomats and UN staff in Lebanon. Hariri said when he was asked by Executive Secretary Khalaf to open this meeting he agreed without hesitation because “it was the perfect opportunity to stress and confirm my support to the work of the United Nations in Lebanon and in the region and to share with you, members of the UN family, my views on the current situation in my country and the role that you can play to safeguard its political and economic stability.” The Lebanese Premier described UN presence in Lebanon as a unique one, since “not many other countries have at the same time a UN political mission, a peacekeeping mission, representation of almost all UN agencies, a UN regional headquarter and also one of the five regional commissions under the UN Economic and Social Council.” He reiterated that ESCWA will always remain welcome in Lebanon. “Much of the work you do, much of the assistance you provide, much of the resources you dispense and the funds you seek to raise are to address the direct or indirect effects of the Arab – Israeli conflict,” he said. “Our participation in this meeting today at the UN House in Beirut aims to confirm Lebanon’s commitment to the international legality and its decisions, and especially to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which is breached daily by Israel.” Hariri stressed that national unity in Lebanon will always remain immune to all pressures and tensions. For her part, Migiro underlined that the RCM is a pillar of the UN and that its clear objectives are achieving policy coherence and creating synergies at the regional and sub-regional levels, thereby enhancing the global impact of the organization work. She praised the role the new ESCWA Executive Secretary will play in this regard, and commended strong ties with LAS, the Bretton Woods Institutions, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the Islamic Development Bank. “The focus of today’s agenda on youth and poverty reduction is very timely,” said the top UN official, noting that the UN General Assembly proclaimed the period from August 2010 to August 2011 to be the International Year of Youth. In her statement, Khalaf said the complex challenges facing the region will invariably impact the way the UN works. “To be effective, we cannot pull ready-made policies from a handy toolkit. We have to be creative and enterprising to remain relevant. And we have to pool our resources by working effectively together to create a critical mass of innovative solutions to address the real needs of the region we serve.” Khalaf called for a change in the work methods to ensure the uniqueness and vitality of the UN role in the region. “It is our duty to prepare our youth for a more dignified and fulfilling life, and create an enabling environment that provides them with better opportunities. Whether the youth bulge will turn out to be a curse or a blessing depends on us,” she said. In her address on behalf of LAS, Bahous highlighted the special importance of the meeting that comes on the heels of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit of last September and before the Second Arab Social and Economic Summit next January in Egypt. She spoke about joint achievements of LAS and the UN, which she said set the pace for developing socio-economic policies in the Arab region. “We urgently need to invest in human development so that our societies turn into ones that produce knowledge and development solutions instead of borrowing them,” she said. The LAS official added that despite major challenges development is possible and essential. The meeting concludes its deliberations Friday afternoon with a press conference. The RCM aims at promoting strategic coordination and information sharing at the regional and sub-regional levels among UN entities and other regional and sub-regional partners. The emphasis of this year’s meeting is enhancing multi-stakeholder engagement both within and between the UN system and strategic regional stakeholders in addressing development challenges of youth.
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