UN Economic and Social Council
June 30 - July 25, 2003

Agenda Item 6(b): Review and Coordination of the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade of 2001 through 2010

Statement by
Claudia Serwer

Acting United States Representative to the
Economic and Social Council

Geneva, Switzerland

July 16, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My delegation would like to thank the Office of the High Representative for the report on this agenda item. The United States is carrying out its commitments made at the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, and we strongly support coordinated implementation of the Brussels Program of Action.

The government of the United States believes that implementation of the Brussels Program of Action depends first and foremost on robust poverty reduction strategies, which are developed in consultation with all stakeholders and reflect best practices tailored to meet the specific needs and capacities of each country. The main focus of the Office of the High Representative should be to serve as an advocate for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Development States. A critical task for the Office of the High Representative is to oversee the mainstreaming of the Brussels Program of Action within the work of the UN system.

The Brussels Program of Action complements other international development plans, and its implementation should include the principles of national responsibility, good governance, and aid effectiveness, and should emphasize trade and the role of private investment and the private sector in promoting development, as emphasized in Monterrey and Doha.

The Secretary General's report highlights several forward-looking initiatives that are underway to help countries implement the Brussels Program of Action and achieve the internationally agreed development goals.

As we look toward implementation of the Brussels Program of Action, and data collection, we continue to believe it would be more effective to work with existing tools and data that monitor progress. These would include the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers; the indicators developed for the internationally agreed development goals, including those in the Millennium Declaration; and multilateral development bank publications of economic and social indicators.

When the Office of the High Representatives was established, the United States expressed concern over possible confusion of mandates between the new Office, and the work of DESA and the LDC office at UNCTAD. The Secretary-General's recent proposal for a special office for Africa raises this concern again. We are concerned that the Office of the High Representative has proposed a unit that would work on "policy development" along with coordination and implementation of the Program of Action. Policy development should take place in other UN organizations. We challenge the entities dealing with LDC issues to work to strengthen coordination, to avoid duplication of effort, and to ensure that the programs are mutually supportive.

We are pleased that the High Representative has established working relations with other multilateral organizations, and for promoting linkages with civil society--including non-governmental organizations, the private sector, academia, and foundations.