UN Statement on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary

Statement Delivered by the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Alvaro Rodriguez, on the occasion of the 70^th Anniversary of the UN

Zanzibar - 15 October 2015

·       Your Excellency, Guest of Honor ………………..

·       Senior government Officials of the Revolutionary Gov of Zanzibar

·       Religious Leaders and Civil Society Representatives,

·       Dear UN Colleagues,

·       Members of the Media,

·       Young women and men, girls and boys,

·       Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Asalaam Aleikhum

On behalf of the UN Country Team, I feel honoured and privileged to be addressing you today, the 70^th Anniversary of the United Nations. 70 years ago, almost to the day, the small community of members states coming out of the horrors of World War II that saw genocide, atomic weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, and human displacement of an unimaginable scale, joined together to promote peace and form the United Nations. And in the start of the preamble of their noble endeavor used three important words “we the people”.

As the UN marks 70 years, the global theme is “Strong UN. Better World.” In Tanzania we have chosen the theme “One World, 7 Billion people, Environmental Conservation is our responsibility” to mark this anniversary. As “we the people” prepare for the post-2015 development agenda, the magnitude of the task before us will require decisive action, but the goal is noble indeed: To be the last generation to deal with uncontrolled climate change, but equally importantly, to be the first generation free of absolute poverty.

In Tanzania the UN at 70 celebrations started in early July at the Saba Saba exhibition where we initiated our dialogue with Tanzanian men and women to learn about their views of the UN. And today, we are reaching the climax of the UN Day in Zanzibar. The objective of these efforts has been to highlight that it is “we the people”, organized as government and donor community, as civil society organizations and community groups, as youth groups or UN civil servants, have the power and capacity to shape the development process in our countries. The activities are symbolic of the highest aspirations we all hold.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. We are also keenly aware of the success of the government and people of Tanzania in building a democratic society that has been able to transition regularly from one president to the other peacefully. And we expect this to be the case yet again later this month. Indeed, we wish Tanzania a peaceful, inclusive and fair election later this month.

As we look into the future we must be aware of new threats and challenges facing us all, for example those brought about by climate change. In early December, the 2015 Paris Climate Conference will aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement with the goal of keeping global warming below 2°C. We believe the country will be well represented and address the needs of countries facing the challenge of climate change adaptation.

As you are aware, our current five year programme of cooperation, the UN Development Assistance Plan or UNDAP I is coming to an end in June 2016. In these final few months of implementation, we shall be regularly sharing with you the results of our partnerships with government and development actors across a range of sectors in Zanzibar. And we must show how we have benefited both men and women. This has been the goal of the One UN efforts.

Next July the UN we shall be launching the second UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP II). The planned goals build upon the results of our first UNDAP and its lessons learnt. Their formulation was guided by two principal concerns:

i.                   The concept of ‘leaving no-one behind’ as defined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and central to the UN mandate of promoting the realization of human rights; and

ii.                 Contextualization of the SDGs in terms of the national priorities in Zanzibar and the mainland

The 12 Programme Outcomes are grouped in four inter-related themes; Inclusive Growth which requires a Healthy Nation, which is Resilient to shocks (both natural and man-made) within a context of transparent and Accountable Governance which supports the people’s needs. Progress on these four thematic results areas will advance realization of a National Vision which is people-centred and human-rights based.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

We are meeting at a time of immense challenges to sustainable development. Billions of our people continue to live in poverty and are denied a life of dignity. There are rising inequalities within and among countries. There are enormous disparities of opportunity, wealth and power. Gender inequality remains a key challenge.

The SDGs will take effect in January 2016 and will build upon the achievements of the MDGs and address the challenges I have just mentioned. The SDG Declaration has a laudable set of objectives: to end poverty and hunger everywhere; to combat inequalities within and among countries; to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies; to protect human rights and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; and to ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources. It also resolved to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all, taking into account different levels of national development and capacities. This evening as we celebrate UN Day in Zanzibar we also wish to highlight the SDGs and while launched already, we affirm as UN to work closely with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and all Zanzibaris to ensure their success!

Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen

Let me conclude now, and on behalf of the United Nations, thank the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and all development partners for continued support and close partnership with the United Nations system globally and in Zanzibar. We call on all women, men and youth to respect the principles of the United Nations Charter as well as the development and humanitarian objectives we are pursuing jointly.

Asanteni Sana!