Information Bulletin

Transcription

1 Ambassador joins Quarterly Publication Volume 2, Issue 1; (January March 2014) South-South Cooperation and North South Dialogue the G-15 family in Geneva as the new Permanent Representative of Egypt Technical Support Facility, Group of Fifteen The Summit Level Group of Developing Countries G-15 set to hold its XV Summit in Sri Lanka November 2014 Working Luncheon of G-15 Personal Representatives, InterContinental Hotel, Geneva; 6 Feb 2014 The XVth Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Group of Fifteen (G-15) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 10 and 14 November After leading the Group for over four years as its Chair, Sri Lanka will formally handover the Group s Chairmanship at the Summit to Kenya. The last G- 15 Summit of the Heads of State and Government was held in Tehran from 14 May through 17 May G-15 Personal Representatives met for a working luncheon at the InterContinental Hotel in Geneva on 6 February 2014, to initiate dialogue on the various aspects preparatory to the Summit. The Personal Representatives, while reviewing the progress on on-going initiatives, gave added impulse to the implementation of the Group s on-going activities, including in Intellectual Property, Information Communication Technologies, Migration and Renewable Energy, as new thematic areas identified by the Group s Foreign Ministers at their meeting in New York last year. The luncheon meeting was hosted by the Chairperson of the Personal Representatives of G-15, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva. Thanking member states for their unstinted support and valuable contribution, the Ambassador also called for renewed impetus on the Group s on-going initiatives vis-à-vis Joint Business Council and Africa Cooperation Fund. The G-15 Personal Representatives discussed and agreed on improved coordination on Group s Joint Statements as well as on strengthening Group s liaison and engagement with Geneva-based Organizations and influencing the rapidly unfolding Post-2015 Development Agenda. GROUP OF FIFTEEN

2 Ambassador joins the G-15 family in Geneva as the new Permanent Representative of Egypt Ambassador Walid Mahmoud Abdelnasser (left) New Permanent Representative of Egypt Ambassador Walid Mahmoud Abdelnasser, the new Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations Office at Geneva, presented his credentials to Mr. Micheal Møller, the Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva on 17 January The Group welcomed the Ambassador to the G-15 family. Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Ambassador Abdelnasser had served as Director General of Policy Planning and Crisis Management at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo since He was Egypt s Ambassador to Tokyo, Japan from 2007 to He served as Director of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies and the Cairo Regional Centre for Training in Peacekeeping and Dispute Settlement in Africa from 2006 to He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington D.C. from 2002 to A career diplomat since 1984, Ambassador Abdelnasser was Chief of Cabinet of the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2001 to He was seconded to the United Nations Security Council Secretariat from 1992 to 1999 to serve as Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Compensation Commission dealing with the Gulf war reparations. Mr. Abdelnasser has a B.A. in Political Science from the American University in Cairo, Egypt (1983); a M.A. in Political Science from the American University in Cairo, Egypt (1985); a Diploma in Diplomatic Studies from the Graduate Institute in Geneva; a Ph.D. in Political Science from Geneva University, Switzerland (1991); and a Bachelor of Law from the Faculty of Law in Cairo, Egypt (1997). He has published 25 books, lectured in many universities and taught political science at the American University in Cairo. He was born in 1962 and is married with two sons. News Excerpt Source: G-15 Chair s Special Tribute in Honour of Dr. Gamani Corea L to R: Mr. M. Khor (South Centre); H.E. B. W Mkapa (South Centre); H.E. R. Aryasinha (Sri Lanka and Chair of G-15); H.E. R. Ricupero (Former UNCTAD SG) A half-day special Tribute seminar, organized by the South Centre with support from the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka, in commemoration of the life and intellectual legacy of Dr. Gamani Corea (Former UNCTAD Secretary-General and South Centre Board Chair), was held on Thursday, 20 March 2014 at the United Nations in Geneva. The Chair of the Personal Representatives of G-15 and the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha joined the eminent panellists and the officials of the South Centre 2

3 to pay a tribute to the life and intellectual legacy of Dr. Corea. The special tribute seminar was aimed not only to pay respect and tribute to this eminent South thinker but also to debate the intellectual thinking transcending beyond Gamani Corea s legacy as many of his ideas are a timely element for debates in search for alternatives to the current developmental challenges the Global South is facing today. Recalling the active role played by Dr. Corea in reinforcing unity among nations of the Global South and their position in multilateral negotiations, Ambassador Aryasinha noted that Dr. Corea s legacy and intellectual prophecy continues to inspire international institutions such as the South Centre, as well as cross regional groups of nations such as G-15, to continue to strive and work tirelessly for a more equitable and just world order. OTHER G-15 MEETINGS G-15 s Working Group on Sectoral Cooperation provides impulse to G-15 activities. The Working Group on Sectoral Cooperation (WGSC), comprising experts from G-15 member states, led by Mr. Mohamed I. Nasr, Counselor, Permanent Mission of Egypt to UNOG, held two rounds of meetings this quarter in 2014 to provide impulse to the expeditious implementation of planned and ongoing initiatives and activities of the Group. Further to their regular body of work, the WGSC agreed to explore and consider possibility of delivering Joint Statements at the upcoming international events in Geneva, namely the UN - ITU Council from 6-15 May 2014; the 67 th World Health Assembly at WHO from May 2014: and WIPO s 13 th Session of Committee on Development and Intellectual Property from May Discussions are also underway for possible Joint Statements at 103 rd ILO Conference from 28 May to 12 June 2014 and IOM s 104 th Special Session of Council on 19 June In preparation for the upcoming Summit in November, the WGSC also endorsed the formation of a dedicated Joint Communique Drafting Committee of interested G-15 experts to work under the leadership of the Sri Lankan and Kenyan experts, to guide the preparation of the draft Joint Communique. Further expertlevel discussions are planned in the coming weeks to finalize the timelines and to mobilize Group s effort to ensure timely preparation of the first draft for member states consultations. Troika s newly established Budget, Finance and Investment Committee commences its work The Group s Budget, Finance and Investment Committee (BFICT) has been formally established following a recommendation by the Troika Board of Supervisors at their last meeting on 25th October It comprises experts from G-15 Troika Board of Supervisors and interested member states, namely, Algeria, 3

4 Mexico and Senegal. The Committee is led by Mr. Nalinda Wijerathna, First Secretary (Commercial), Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka. Since its establishment, the Committee has successfully finalized its Terms of Reference and engaged in discussions with the Group s Official Bankers on Investments. It will also offer oversight on Group s Budgetary and Financial Matters. Under the overall supervision of the Troika Board of Supervisors, the Committee is tasked to take a stock of the current financial, budgetary and investment situation of the Group and to technically advise and guide the Troika Board of Supervisors on the possible measures and mechanisms to employ to help address these issues. POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA EVENT Second Geneva Dialogue on Post-2015 Development Agenda : 4 April 2014 The theme of the Second Geneva Dialogue is "The Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda: The Road from Bali'. The First Geneva Dialogue (28 November 2013) acknowledged the need for the "Geneva Trade Hub" to mobilize its expertise with a view to enriching the narratives towards formulation of the Post-2015 development agenda. Featuring special addresses by Mr. Robert Azevêdo, Director-General of World Trade Organization (WTO) and Mr. Tofail Ahmad, Minister of Commerce of Bangladesh among other panelists, the Second Geneva Dialogue will discuss the role of trade as an "enabler" of achieving inclusive and sustainable development; and how we can coherently address international trade as a developmentenabler in the two important processes, i.e. (i) formulation of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda; and (ii) the on-going WTO post-bali process that is defining work program addressing the remaining Doha Development Agenda issues. Source: UNCTAD Website First High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnerships in Mexico: April 2014 On 4 April 2014, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi is convening the Second Geneva Dialogue on Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda in continuation of the informal and open multistakeholder dialogue on post-2015 development agenda with member States, international organizations, private sector and civil society. Group of Fifteen member state, Mexico will be hosting the first High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation from April 2014 marking a major milestone in the global fights against poverty. 4

5 Over 1300 development leaders will join H.E. Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and OECD Secretary-General Gurría in Mexico City to review global progress in making development co-operation more effective; agree on actions to boost progress; and, anchor effective development co-operation in the post-2015 global development agenda. The leaders who will come together in Mexico City include heads of state and government, ministers, parliamentarians and leaders from international organisations, business, civil society and foundations. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline of 2015 is fast approaching. Phenomenal gains have been made, yet poverty still afflicts one in seven people around the world and one in eight still go to bed hungry. The first Global Partnership High-Level Meeting will reaffirm the importance of effective development co-operation in meeting the MDGs and as a key part of the how of the next global development framework. Delivering development effectively in middle-income countries. In this session leaders will exchange practical ideas on targeted and differentiated strategies of development co-operation that can deliver poverty reduction and inclusive growth in middle-income countries in an effective, sustainable way. Knowledge sharing, South-South and triangular co-operation. In this session, leaders will showcase and discuss ways to scale up country-led development cooperation including with a view to implement the post-2015 development agenda. Improving the role of business in development. In this final but critical session, leaders will share some of the most innovative and dynamic examples of how this positive impact is being delivered, and take action to do more. News Excerpt Source: Happiness is a fundamental human goal! The two-day forum includes five plenary sessions and 28 focus sessions on a range of critical themes for development: Progress on implementing key principles of effective development cooperation. This session will review progress and take new steps to boost impact of the commitments made at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in The session will also look at ways to promote inclusive development. Tax and development. In this session, leaders will agree on ways to step up and support existing development co-operation to boost tax collection, cut illicit financial flows and strengthen policies that support inclusive development, building on recent progress on these issues. On 20 March 2014, the world marked the International Day of Happiness with calls to promote social inclusion and intercultural harmony. Happiness is neither a frivolity nor a luxury. It is a deep-seated yearning shared by all members of the human family. It should be denied to no one and available to all, declared 5

6 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message for the Day. He further noted that this aspiration is implicit in the pledge of the United Nations Charter to promote peace, justice, human rights, social progress and improved standards of life, and now is the time to convert this promise into concrete international and national action to eradicate poverty, promote social inclusion and intercultural harmony, ensure decent livelihoods, protect the environment and build institutions for good governance As per the 2013 World Happiness Report, two of the Group of Fifteen Member States: Mexico and Venezuela appear among the top 20 in the overall ranking of happiness ( ). This was followed by Brazil (24); Chile (28); Argentina (29); Malaysia (56); Algeria (73); Jamaica (75); Indonesia (76); Nigeria (82); Zimbabwe (103); India (111); Islamic Republic of Iran (115); Kenya (123); Egypt (130); Sri Lanka (137) and Senegal (147). THIS INFORMATION BULLETIN The Technical Support Facility of the Group of Fifteen (G-15 Secretariat) wishes to avail of this opportunity to invite news, information, articles and or related inputs from G-15 members for inclusion in this regular publication. Contributions may be sent via regular mail or electronically to the following address: Information Bulletin Disclaimer This information bulletin contains collection and compilation of South-South news, opinions, statements and excerpts from various information providers on the web. G-15 or TSF cannot vouch for veracity or the accuracy of news / analysis. It is compiled purely for internal information purposes and it does not necessarily represent or endorse in any way the position or the views of TSF or the Group of Fifteen. G-15 or the TSF shall not be liable for any error, exclusion, omission or oversight with respect to the information contained there-in. Some information snapshots or excerpts may have been slightly adjusted or revised in language to better serve the needs of the G-15 membership. All efforts are made to duly reference the news/information/photo source, where and when applicable. An omission, if any, is regretted. Forthcoming Meetings 2 nd week of April 2014: 25 th Working Group on Sectoral Cooperation, Geneva; May 6-15, 2014: ITU Council, Geneva; May 20 21, 2014: UNGA High-Level Event on South- South Cooperation / Post Development Agenda May 19-24, 2014: 67 th WHO World Health Assembly, Geneva; May 28 June 12, 2014: ILO Labour Conference, Geneva; June 19: 104 th Session of IOM Council July/August 2014 (tbc): G- 15 Expo in Kenya; 6