NEW York/QNA/ 6 February 2010/ H.E. Qatar's Permanent Representative to the U.N. Nassir Abdulaziz Al Nasser who is also the President of the U.N. High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation, has said that all delegations of the U.N. High-Level Committee on South -South Cooperation have appreciated the distinguished performance and the important accomplishments achieved during Qatar's chairmanship of such a committee. This came in the statement H.E. Al Nasser delivered before the said committee here on Saturday on the occasion of the handover of the presidency of the committee to H.E. Muburi-Muita, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, on his assumption of the 16th session of the UN High Level Committee on South-South Cooperation. Throughout my term as President or Over the last two years, I have witnessed a significant increase in the recognition of South-South cooperation's contribution to development among member states and throughout the United Nations system. This encouraging trend is a reminder that the value of Southern solutions is recognized. It also reassures us that there is an even brighter future ahead for those countries of the South that are active participants in South-South initiatives, H.E. Al Nassir said. Allow me to begin by congratulating my colleague, H.E. Muburi-Muita, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, on his assumption of the 16th session of the UN High Level Committee on South-South Cooperation. I am confident that, under his (Muburi-Muita) stewardship, this Committee will continue to be instrumental in monitoring the progress achieved in South-South Cooperation, including the implementation of the Nairobi Outcome Document, he said. It has been my great honor to serve as the President of the General Assembly High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation since 2007, I assumed the Presidency at a moment in history when cooperation among countries of the South as well as between countries of the South and North was greatly increasing while simultaneously the world financial and economic crisis was starting to emerge. H.E. Qatar's Permanent Representative to the U.N. Abdulaziz Al Nasser further said,'' In 2008, as my country (Qatar) hosted the UN follow-up Conference on Financing for Development, we also organized, in cooperation with the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and its partners, a High-level Meeting to assist new and existing oil and gas producing countries of the South to share experiences, particularly with regard to management and policy challenges that result from the fluctuations in global oil-market prices. This meeting was so successful in identifying joint activities and business opportunities for established and emerging oil and gas producing countries that the participants requested a follow-up meeting. To meet this request, last year a second South-South High-level Meeting on Oil and Gas was successfully held. Additionally, towards the end of last year our efforts were largely focused on the preparations for the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation in Nairobi. This conference resulted in the Nairobi Outcome Document, which was endorsed by the General Assembly and highlighted the increasing importance placed on South-South cooperation for development. I would particularly like to draw this Committee and member States'' attention to the 4th Framework for South-South Cooperation (2009-2011). This work plan which is both visionary and full of implementable ideas, offers innovative South-South structures to facilitate the cooperative work of developing countries. I would like to mention a few examples of the achievements made during my tenure as President of the High level Committee on South-South Cooperation: - The convening of the UN High Level Conference on South-South Cooperation, which resulted in the Nairobi outcome document. - The establishment the SS-GATE system, which is going into operation to facilitate South-South technology transfer and other exchanges. - The launching of the Global South-South Development EXPO which has become a recognized brand for showcasing Southern solutions. - The launching of the South Report which will be an important contribution to the South-South Development Academy. - The annual celebration of the UN Day for South-South Cooperation which has become an important part of the United Nations calendar of events. With the full institutionalization of these platforms, there is no doubt that South-South cooperation as a process will continue to strengthen its capacities and broaden its impact on development. I hope that the High Level Committee will seize this opportunity to pay serious attention to supporting the Special Unit in order to enable it to reach its full potential and meet its many obligations. Looking back over the past 30 years of South-South cooperation, it is reassuring to learn of the many development gains achieved by countries that have joined together in regional and sub-regional communities to accelerate economic growth which, in turn, has led to an increase in the flow of South-South trade and investment. As developing countries have shared their expertise in science and technology and provided scholarships and training to less developed nations, we have seen possibilities open up for greater capacities among countries of the South; turning self-reliance into an imperative in the development process for the international community. At the negotiation table, we have seen the South gain a greater voice and standing, H.E. Qatar's Permanent Representative told the UN High-Level Committee members. The success of South-South cooperation have been tremendous and are due in part to the tireless efforts of Southern countries. Our next steps should focus on ways to materialize the provisions of the Nairobi Outcome Document. Furthermore, it is my hope that the revised new directions strategy for South-South cooperation called for at previous sessions of this Committee will be formulated on the basis of the deliberations of the Nairobi Conference in order to help form a new policy framework for South-South cooperation that reflects the changing realities of the 21st century and the new decade ahead of us, he added. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Secretary General who has been very supportive of South-South Cooperation, the President of the General Assembly who entrusted me with the responsibilities of coordinating the consultations on the UN Conference on South-South Cooperation as well the UNDP Administrator who supported my endeavors. My thanks also go to the colleagues who have served with me on the Bureau of the High-level Committee and to Mr. Yiping Zhou, Director of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and his staff all of whom have so graciously assisted me over these past years with their dedication and tireless efforts, H.E. Al Nasser said in conclusion.
