Madame President,

The Netherlands aligns itself with the statement made by Finland on behalf of the European Union.

The Netherlands was and is strongly committed to achieving the MDG’s. The MDG’s and the outcome of the 2005 World Summit guide our development cooperation policy. We don’t need a new consensus on development. What we need now is implementation in order to meet the commitments we have already made.

Many recent reports have made it clear that progress towards achieving the MDG’s has been disappointing and uneven, despite many initiatives by developing countries themselves and the support provided by from the international community. Especially for many of the LDCs, the likelihood of attaining the MDG’s by 2015 seems to become more remote every year.

Although the responsibility for development lies first and foremost with the developing countries themselves, meeting the MDG's is a shared responsibility of the entire international community. It requires a genuine partnership by developing and developed countries.

Developed countries have a special responsibility for achieving MDG 8. Recently we reported on our efforts in our second MDG 8 report, and we will continue to do so on a regular basis. Last year we also published our first report on the development results achieved in our 36 partner countries. It is important that all countries draw up MDG reports. It would account in a transparent way for national and international efforts.

An important aspect of MDG 8 is strengthening policy coherence at the national and international levels in support of the MDG’s. We cannot give with one hand and take away with the other. It is particularly important in areas like trade, agriculture and the environment to meet the challenge of achieving synergy with development policy objectives. Trade and integration into the regional and the world economy are essential preconditions for economic development and poverty reduction. The Netherlands supports an open, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory trade system, progressive trade liberalisation and elimination of distorting subsidies and non -tariff barriers. We deeply regret the suspension of the Doha negotiations and hope they will resume soon. Developed and developing countries alike must do their utmost to ensure the successful conclusion of the Doha round and for it to become a genuine ‘development round’.

Developed countries must also use debt cancellation to free up resources to realise the MDG’s. The Netherlands supports debt cancellation for countries with an unsustainable debt burden, provided they are applying sound economic policies and good governance.

More efficient and effective use of existing resources is another area where important gains can be made. Implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness is crucial. Improving effectiveness by better co-ordination among donor organisations and by alignment, and by promoting country ownership and leadership has already yielded results in a number of countries. Developing countries also have their own responsibility for making aid effective.

Let me also emphasise the need for better quality funding. More predictable and long term funding and budget support instead of project funding is required. The Netherlands is contributing to this by changing its funding behaviour.

Ultimately the MDG’s have to be achieved at country level through MDG-based national poverty reduction strategies. One of the outcomes of the 2005 Summit was that developing countries should adopt and implement such strategies by the end of 2006. At the moment many developing countries are formulating their MDG-based poverty reduction strategies with the active participation of all actors at the national and local levels, including civil society and the private sector, and with the assistance of the UN and World Bank. However it is clear that much more needs to be done before all developing countries have formulated and implemented their strategies.

Madame President,

The international aid architecture has become more and more complicated because of the proliferation of bilateral and multilateral donors, and of Global Funds and other financial mechanisms. It is placing an ever increasing burden on the capacity of developing countries. The UN occupies a unique place in the aid environment. To achieve the MDG’s we need not only the efforts of developed and developing countries, but also an effective, efficient United Nations. One that works coherently on development, security and human right issues. And one that delivers, in particularly at country level.

However, the UN system as a whole is not fully delivering services in this coherent, effective manner. The system is highly complex and fragmented. This is a major weakness. Its financing is unpredictable, incentives for real teamwork are often lacking and competition for funding leads to high transaction costs.

The Secretary General’s High Level Panel’s report provides a unique opportunity to rethink the way the UN is operating in the changing aid environment, especially at country level. The Netherlands strongly supports One UN for development at country level. We on our part need to reward a better integrated and coordinated multilateral system with greater, more predictable funding. A long term commitment to achieve the MDG’s also needs a long term funding commitment.

Madame President, The Netherlands looks forward to discussing the report of the High-level Panel with our partners here in the UN and at country level.

Thank you.