SPEECH BY MS. CHRISTINE MCNAB
UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR
UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE
ON THE OCCASION OF THE UNITED NATIONS DAY 2004
Sunday, 24 October 2004
Al-Hussein Cultural Centre, Ras Al-Ain
Your Excellency Dr. Bassem Awadallah,
Excellencies,
Colleagues and partners,
Ladies and gentlemen
United Nations Day is always a very special day, not only for those of us who work directly for the United Nations, but also for the Member States and for all who believe that there should be and can be a collaborative effort to improve human security, in the widest sense of that word.
Security is a word which all too often in the recent past, now, and probably for a long time in the future, is linked to the security of citizens against acts of war and terrorism. Watching the television and reading the newspapers, it is all too easy to forget that for the vast majority of people, it is the security of everyday existence that is of uttermost importance. Such security includes access to clean water and nutritious food, to a sustainable environment, to health (particularly for mothers and children), to education and to decent work.
These elements of security are captured in the Millennium Development Goals, and it is therefore a great pleasure for me to participate, on the occasion of the United Nations Day, in the launch of Jordan’s first Millennium Development Goals Report. This report reflects many aspects of the continuous cooperation between the United Nations and the Government of Jordan.
This cooperation dates back over 50 years. There are fifteen United Nations Agencies in Jordan. each one with its own mandate but all with the ultimate goal to continue providing the best support to the people of Jordan. Increasingly, the cooperation is not just with the Government but also with the growing and vibrant civil society and private sector.
This widening of alliances and partnerships is well reflected in Jordan’s Millennium Development Goal Report. If, when you read it, you think it a little too long, remember that it grew in length as representatives of civil society and the private sector met to discuss the first draft and brainstorm on what more could be done to ensure not only that the MDGs are met in Jordan, but are met in such a way as to improve the quality of life for all citizens.
As a universally agreed agenda, the MDGs bring unprecedented clarity to the shared responsibilities and objectives of all development parties: Governments, International and Civil Society Organizations, Parliamentarians, Foundations and the private sector. Global targets, however valid, cannot be imposed on countries, regardless of their current situation and recent history. To be meaningful, they must be adapted to national circumstances and incorporated into national medium term goals and strategies.
In Jordan, the process of MDG monitoring and reporting has been undertaken by the Government under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, and through the active participation of all stakeholders.
Jordan's nationally owned report will serve as a catalyst for public mobilization aimed at a more vigorous national debate on how the MDGs apply to Jordan's situation and how to use the MDGs as a key input to discussion of development priorities and ultimately the policy choices of the Government. The report can serve as a baseline, to help the country to measure its achievements and indicate what more should be done in order to achieve the Development Goals by 2015.
A critical core issue is to ensure that the data are constantly updated. To that end, the UN country office in Jordan supported the development of a specific MDG database, prepared by the Royal Scientific Society, and this data base will be available and accessible to the public through the web site of the Department of Statistics.
It is vital that the report is not seen as an end in itself. The MDG debate needs to continue. As one input to the continued debate, the UN Country Team through the UN Volunteers programme is carrying out a project named "Taking MDGs to the People". With this project, which brought 4 UNVs to 63 local communities, Jordan is breaking new ground in engaging its population in the realization of the MDGs and initiating a genuine community based debate on development issues. If successful, this project in Jordan will demonstrate to other countries how the MDG process can be energized by public participation at community level. We are joined today by a group of young people from who have been stimulated by this project to take action in their community, Kufranja.
Finally, allow me to thank all of you for joining us on the occasion of the United Nations Day, a day that belongs to each and every individual in the world and allow me to thank all my UN colleagues in this Country for accomplishing the UN mission so effectively.