Thank you Mr. Chairman and thank you Mrs. Obaid for your opening statement.

We would first of all like to express our unwavering commitment to the ICPD consensus and to the mandate of UNFPA. UNFPA continues to have the full support of the Netherlands and we look forward to effective collaboration with a wide range of partners in order to make progress and improve the lives of people, in particular poor women, children and young people.

UNFPA’s continuing efforts to advocate the Cairo consensus and to promote and enhance the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action are very much appreciated. During Mrs.Obaid recent visit to the Netherlands we witnessed UNFPA’s efforts to inspire and promote action. Last year these efforts led to an important result: the General Assembly adopted four additional targets to the ones included in the Millennium Declaration. We welcome in particular the inclusion of the target to achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health. Further more, the African Union adopted a solid Plan of Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. We hope that the African leaders will continue their leadership and we are willing to support them where needed. The challenge is now is to implement the plans.

The United Nations and its member states are halfway in their endeavour to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). For us, MDG 5, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, are a priority area. We note however with great concern that the MDG on maternal health (MDG 5) is seriously lagging behind in comparison with the progress made in the other MDG’s.

By investing in SRHR women can be empowered, maternal and child health will be improved and the fight against HIV and AIDS will become more effective. We will work with UNFPA and others to step up our efforts in this regard.

We welcome UNFPA’s work in humanitarian response and transition. Fragile states should be higher on the international agenda. Our new Minister for Development Cooperation is moving in that direction. Clearly, gender based violence is often a major issue in situations of fragility and will therefore also receive more attention in Dutch Development Cooperation policies.

Mr. Chairman,

A word on the Strategic Plan:

We appreciated the consultations UNFPA has had with member states. This process of exchanging ideas has, in our view, contributed to strengthen the Plan and the Organizational Review. The Strategic Plan for 2008-2011 has a clear structure with apt inclusion of lessons learned. We agree with its strategic directions. We wish that the final document incorporate a more results based approach, which shows the output level of UNFPA’s work.

The Netherlands strongly supports strengthening UNFPA at the country level, the level at which concrete results to improve people’s lives can and must be achieved.

We appreciate UNFPA’s elaboration on different options regarding the Organisational Review and the inclusion of a stronger emphasis on strengthening its role at country level. The Netherlands expresses its preference for scenario three. We look forward to hear UNFPA’s response to the ACABQ report and the queries countries still might have during the coming debate on this agenda item. And we call upon UNFPA to take these comments into consideration when further elaborating the scenario preferred by the executive board.

Finally a few comments on UN reform.

We value the active participation of UNFPA in “Delivering as One”. The Netherlands attaches great importance to achieve System Wide Coherence. In our view the proposals on the table can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the UN, in particular – but not exclusively - at country level. Coherent and integrated UN country programmes will be the most important instruments to bring about the needed reform.

In the first place, “ Delivering as One” should increase the involvement of government and other national stakeholders in setting priorities and formulating UN activities.

In the second place, “Delivering as One” will enable recipient countries to make the maximum use of the wealth of specific expertise and pooled resources of all the different UN organisations.

And finally, “Delivering as One” will enable individual organisations like UNFPA to better integrate the Cairo consensus into wider development programmes.

Thank you.