(Please check against delivery)
STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE MR.GOBALAKRISHNAN NAGAPAN, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT AND REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA, AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE SIXTY-SIXTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ON AGENDA ITEM 24(b) OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT – SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT, NEW YORK, 12 OCTOBER 2011
Mr. Chairman,
Malaysia associates itself with the statement delivered by Argentina on behalf of G77 and China, and Indonesia on behalf of ASEAN.
2. My delegation would like to thank the Secretary General for his comprehensive report on The state of South-South cooperation which highlights the changing nature in the state of South-South interactions and its impact on development opportunities across the global South.
3. In this regard, Malaysia welcomes the report that contains important observations, analysisas well as ways and means to sustain the current momentum and scaling up the impact and contributions of South-South and triangular cooperation.
Mr. Chairman,
4. The positive developments taking place in South-South cooperation as reflected in the report prove that South-South cooperation has gone beyond words and moved into the realm of practical achievement. On this note, my delegation would like to share some key points of Malaysia’s experience in promoting South-South cooperation:
First, Malaysia joins the rest of the delegations before us in reaffirming the importance of South-South cooperation as a vital vehicle of international cooperation for development. Malaysia also wishes to express its renewed commitment to the future enhancement of South-South cooperation;
Second, while we welcome the report reflecting the strong acceleration of economic growth across the global South that has been spurred by South-South interactions, my delegation is also concerned on the rising inequality with the possibility that many South countries fail to meet the MDG targets by 2015;
Third, Malaysia believes that one of the cornerstones in enhancing South-South cooperation, at the practical level, is the sharing of expertise and experiences. With this in mind, the Malaysian Government has established the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme or MTCP, which offers technical cooperation programs in areas in which Malaysia has experience and expertise. Currently, 138 countries have benefitted from the MTCP, which has been a modest, but meaningful contribution to South-South cooperation;
Fourth, to further promote South-South cooperation, Malaysia has, since 1995, organized the Langkawi International Dialogue or LID that forges smart partnership between the governments and private sectors of the South. The success of the LID has prompted some African countries to organize a similar dialogue in Southern Africa. The last LID held this year successfully showcased Malaysia’s new drive towards achieving its vision to become a fully developed nation by the year 2020;
Fifth, as a demonstration of Malaysia’s commitment to South-South cooperation, it has played a constructive role in intergovernmental bodies such as the Group of Fifteen and the D-8 that promotes development cooperation among developing countries. At these fora, Malaysia has made significant contributions to the groups’ programs and activities including sharing its development experience and success stories.
Sixth, Malaysia will continue to be creative in formulating our South-South cooperation programs. For example, in addition to MTCP, Malaysia has also instituted capacity building program for OIC countries. It is aimed at providing the least developed OIC countries with the capacity to better manage and improve the performance of their economies, reduce poverty and promote sustainable growth, leveraging on the funds made available by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB);
Seventh, Malaysia welcomes and views positively the increasing importance of triangular cooperation as part of the South-South cooperation framework. Malaysia therefore welcomes the opportunities to cooperate with the developed countries and other development agencies in providing technical assistance to third parties; and
Finally, Malaysia believes that programs conducted under the South-South cooperation should be more driven by demand rather than supply; integrate more fully the evaluation aspect; and should be more result-oriented.
Mr. Chairman,
5. In closing, Malaysia will continue to work with other countries, the United Nations system and other stakeholders in order to further exploit the potential benefits of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation, with a view of achieving the MDG targets by 2015 and other internationally agreed development goals beyond 2015.
I thank you, Mr. Chairman.