..Press Release................................ UNESCAP News Services

Date: 16 May 2005
Press Release No: G/CS61/06/2005

Opening statement at the Ministerial Segment of the 61st Commission Session
by Mr Kim Hak-Su,
Under-Secretary-General
of the United Nations,
and Executive Secretary of ESCAP

Monday, 16 May 2005

Mr Chairman, Honourable Deputy Prime Minister,
Excellencies, Distinguished Representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me much pleasure to extend to all of you a very warm welcome to the 61st session of the Commission.

I should like at the outset to express our warm welcome to His Excellency Mr Chaturon Chaisang, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand. On behalf of everyone present here, I wish to express our deep gratitude to His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister for graciously consenting to inaugurate the session, despite his many pressing duties.

Excellency, your presence here today underscores Thailand’s dedication and commitment to the aims and ideals of the United Nations Charter and to the role of ESCAP in bringing together the countries of this vast and diverse region.

Since the Commission last met, which was on the historic occasion of the 60th Commission, in Shanghai, China, the tsunami of December 2004 and its horrific consequences have added another urgent item to our financing-for--development agenda for the Asia-Pacific region. We have succeeded sufficiently in the immediate post-tsunami humanitarian and emergency response. But the long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation, which we have just begun to undertake has increased the challenges facing Governments of the ESCAP region.

The focus of our discussions, therefore, during this Ministerial segment is precisely on the Post Tsunami Recovery Development and the larger issue of Financing for Development.

Let me assure this august assembly that ESCAP remains committed to assisting the Tsunami-affected countries and peoples, without forgetting our on-going commitment to all the region's developing countries, in particular the least developed among them as well as the countries in transition, in building their capacities to cope with the numerous challenges that lie ahead. In this effort, we look forward to the continued support and cooperation of the member states.

Thank you.

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