Top UN Official Urges Donor Countries to Fulfill Commitments

UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said on Wednesday that with the "difficult environment" in the continued economic crisis and uncertainty, it is more critical than ever for donor countries to fulfill their commitments to official development assistance.

"We are meeting at a time of continued crisis and uncertainty, not only for the world's poorest and most vulnerable, but also in most donor countries," Migiro said at the UN General Assembly's 5th High Level Dialogue on Financing for Development.

With the recovery remaining "fragile and uneven," unemployment and vulnerable employment persist as poverty is on the rise due to high food and energy prices, she said.

"As a result, many developing countries need additional assistance to cope with the impact of the crisis and to expand their social safety nets," Migiro said. "Yet most donor countries, faced with mounting debts, are tightening their budgets... they face a vicious circle of low growth, low revenue and high debt."

She said that even "in this difficult environment, it is critical that donor countries fulfill their commitments to official development assistance."

"We cannot allow the economic crisis to deflect us from our commitment to the world's poorest people," Migiro said. " Development cooperation is not charity; it is smart investment in security and prosperity."

Poverty eradication and productive employment opportunities must remain priorities on national development agendas.

"A successful conclusion to the Doha Round of trade negotiations remains essential," she said. "I urge the states involved to achieve an 'early harvest' that provides duty-free and quota-free access for all exports from the least developed countries."

Looking at the post-2015 development framework, Migiro said the international community should start by building on the lessons offered by a decade of experience with the UN anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

"We also need to recognize new development challenges that have come to the fore since the MDGs were first articulated: issues such as inequality, climate change and food and energy security," she said.

Migiro said that the high-level dialogue can help to advance the discussion about the global partnership, which she said is "at the heart of our efforts to protect the future well-being of our planet and its people."