October 24, 2012
2012 UN Day Celebration to mark a 67th Anniversary of a United Nations
Opening Address by Mr. Kamal Malhotra
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Malaysia
Salutations.
On behalf of a United Nations Country Team in Malaysia, it is my great pleasure as good as privilege to acquire all of we to this year's commemoration of United Nations Day. we would generally identical to to appreciate Yg Berhormat Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, a Honourable Senator Mr. A. Kohilan Pillay, for taking a time from his bustling report to beauty this event with his presence.
Today, in Kuala Lumpur, we join Malaysia as good as alternative UN part of states in commemorating as good as celebrating a 67th anniversary of a initial of a United Nations. On twenty-four October 1945, a tellurian village pledged, by a United Nations Charter, to work together to encourage unity as good as maintain assent as good as confidence between all nations.
Security, development, as good as tellurian rights have been a 3 main pillars of a work of a United Nations. Because a universe is obviously most some-more formidable as good as interdependent currently than in 1945, a values of a United Nations Charter as good as a Organization itself have been even some-more applicable currently than they were 67 years ago.
The tellurian hurdles of currently respect no borders, as good as no country, abounding or poor, weak or powerful, can resolve these hurdles in isolation. If a UN did not exist, it would have to be invented, as good as it is distant from clear which a UN combined in a geo- domestic being of 2012 would be some-more undiluted than a vital though imperfect establishment! combine d in 1945 which my colleagues as good as we represent.
As we know, a United Nations Conference upon Sustainable Development (UNCSD) good known as Rio+20, was held in Brazil in June 2012. It was attended by some-more than 40,000 people together with Heads of State as good as Government, parliamentarians, mayors, UN officials, private zone as good as civil multitude leaders to secure renewed joining during a top domestic turn for tolerable expansion as good as to residence brand brand new as good as rising hurdles in this area.
UN Secretary General BAN Ki-Moon has settled which the Rio+20 result document, entitled 'The Future We Want,' is "an critical victory for multilateralism after months of formidable negotiations." Through this document, countries renewed their domestic joining to tolerable development, agreed to settle a set of tolerable expansion goals (SDGs), as good as determined a high-level UN domestic forum upon tolerable development. More than 700 commitments were registered during a Conference, a conspicuous testament to bottom-up, grassroots commitment.
Mr. BAN additionally said. "The universe is watching as good as will reason us all under obligation to a commitments done in Rio. Implementation is imperative if we have been to grasp a destiny we want."
Looking over 2015 as good as Rio+20, a UN is in a routine of crafting "sustainable expansion goals" which should set up upon a significant success of a MDGs in focusing expansion efforts as good as mobilizing diverse actors around a usual cause. These will fully simulate all 3 strands of tolerable development, i.e. economic, amicable as good as environmental; as good as serve to lift a turn of tellurian end to exterminate extreme poverty in a long- tenure tolerable manner.
The post-2015 Development Agenda discussion is already underway globally as good as a UN in Malaysia has motionless to assemble inhabitant turn consultations early in 2013 to brainstorm! as good as come up with proposals which will serve as inputs in to a ongoing informal as good as tellurian discussions to safeguard which Malaysian ideas as good as voices can influence a tellurian process. The National Consultation will include part of from all stakeholder groups in a country.
The universe is still grappling with both a short-term goods as good as a long-term implications of a monetary as good as mercantile crises namely, a Eurozone crisis, a sluggish US economy as good as China as good as India's slowing growth.
The economic, monetary as good as amicable implications for a Asia-Pacific region, as good as generally for traffic as good as investment dependent economies such as Malaysia, have been profound. Both a universe village as good as Malaysia mount currently during multiple, coexisting crossroads.
The extent to which leaders will provide courageous, bold, positive, as good as reform-oriented domestic care to navigate a economic, domestic as good as socio-cultural crossroads which we collectively face, will determine a peculiarity of a future.
Here we would identical to to say a couple of words upon a implications for Malaysia, generally in light of Budget 2013. While a combination of a abounding full of illness resource endowments of oil as good as palm oil as good as a supervision or supervision related association (GLC) stimulus for a Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), will safeguard respectable GDP expansion for Malaysia in 2012, this is doubtful to be postulated in a medium-term or even in 2013, when GDP expansion is expected to be distant some-more somber than what a supervision has projected in a Budget 2013, unless there have been early as good as significant reforms.
Given a downgraded mercantile expansion forecasts during a IMF-World Bank Annual meetings in Tokyo progressing this mon! th, Budget 2013 needs larger as good as renewed critical scrutiny. Sadly, most Malaysian economists as good as commentators have so distant failed to provide this. When we was asked to comment upon Budget 2013 by Bernama final week, we started by observant which this year's bill cannot be noticed upon a stand- alone basis.
It contingency be placed in a cumulative context of a final 3 budgets as good as their probable middle to long-term impact upon a destiny competitiveness of a Malaysian economy. The inhabitant domestic context over this duration has, unfortunately, significantly constrained what has been voiced in any bill in a final 3 years, as good as serious constructional remodel initiatives which a UN in Malaysia feels have been required have depressed casualty to this.
While acknowledging a formidable domestic context for such constructional reforms, quite in a duration with elections around a corner, 3 unbroken budgets of a identical inlet in an increasingly rival informal as good as tellurian sourroundings have meant 3 mislaid opportunities for Malaysia to make serious mercantile as good as funding reforms to enable a widening of a income bottom as good as a reduction of an scarcely tall coherence of a inhabitant bill upon oil revenue.
This puts Malaysia during an augmenting waste with her neighbours in an rising informal context of larger mercantile space as good as flourishing competitiveness of most alternative ASEAN part of states.
Budget 2013 has additionally been a smallest budget, as a percentage of GDP, since a tellurian mercantile predicament in 2009 it has reduced to 24.9% of GDP from 27% of GDP for 2012. Development output has further reduced to reduction than 20% while operating output is right away almost 81% to maintain civil service emoluments as good as supervision operations. A smaller expansion bill means a reduced abi! lity for Malaysia to rise brand brand new capacities, brand brand new initiatives as good as brand brand new potential.
Moreover, a projected revoke mercantile necessity is not due to augmenting income or brand brand new mercantile strategies together with funding reforms, though partly because a size of a overall bill is smaller while GDP expansion projections have been some-more optimistic than stream tellurian as good as informal mercantile expansion forecasts suggest.
Equally important, a bill necessity projections for 2013 have been revoke because amicable services, which include education, training, illness as good as housing, had really vast cuts an 18.5% diminution from a previous budget, with socially vulnerable groups expected to be a most negatively impacted.
To sustainably revoke as good as indeed eliminate 15 consecutive years of mercantile deficits since 1998, a supervision will need to urgently demeanour in to relating a cyclical as good as constructional components of a income with a expenditures by office building a some-more extensive as good as awake counter-cyclical mercantile strategy, going forward.
The coercion of this cannot be overstated. As a Institute of Strategic as good as International Studies (ISIS) as good as others have not long ago noted, Malaysia's open sector-wide bill necessity stands during a most larger 10.5% of GDP for 2011. This includes a sovereign government's bill necessity of 4.5% though additionally a debts accumulated by non-financial open enterprises (NFPEs).
The money handouts in a final 3 budgets have been not tolerable in this context, nor do they set up prolific capacity. Their profitable goods have been additionally not a surrogate for a broader, some-more extensive as good as awake amicable insurance plan which a UN, by a ILO as good as UNDP would be really willing to assistance a supervision rise as good as design, generally in! a conte xt of larger mercantile decentralization which will require significantly larger grants to state governments than a minimal 3% in Budget 2013.
Another plea for destiny mercantile routine as good as inhabitant budgets in Malaysia lies in a efficacy of a origination incentives which a supervision provides for aloft worth added production in wiring as good as alternative products. Such incentives have been largely absent in Budget 2013.
Malaysia will not be able to grasp a 2020 developed republic end without a colourful as good as energetic tall worth added production sector. UNDP Malaysia has regularly advocated for mercantile incentives for knowledge creation, innovation, technological upgrading, as good as R&D in a production sector.
In partnership with a government, UNDP has started preparing Malaysia's initial ever National Human Development Report (NHDR) which will concentration upon Inclusive Growth in which all these as good as alternative pass issues will be explored as good as elaborated with routine recommendations in 2013 when it is published.
Despite a expected grave tellurian as good as informal mercantile opinion for 2013, a UN will continue to advocate measures which will assistance Malaysia accelerate a feat of a UN's Millennium Development Goals, generally those it is not expected to grasp by 2015, such as MDG5 upon motherly mankind as good as passionate as good as reproductive health, as good as presumably MDG 6 upon HIV as good as AIDS.
Moving upon to Malaysia's democratization process, we contingency begin by applauding a Government as good as Election Commission for their brand new decision to implement 26 out of a 32 recommendations done by a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) upon Electoral Reform prior to a subsequent General Election. The UN Secretary General, in his open lecture during IDFR in Mar this year when he visited Malaysia, indicated which a UN is rebuilt to share a vast experience! as good as technical expertise in this area.
I have additionally indicated this to a Government, a Opposition as good as a Election Commission. The UN has long determined a repute for being globally a most experienced neutral as good as credible classification upon such issues worldwide. Indeed, since 1991, we have provided electoral assistance to some-more than 100 UN Member States as good as 4 territories, together with Indonesia, a Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Afghanistan, Iraq, as good as most not long ago Tunisia, Egypt as good as Libya, in further to a longer-term ongoing await for electoral establishment genius office building as good as a revision of electoral laws.
The need for integrity as good as clarity in a electoral routine has been not long ago emphasized by former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, as Chair of a Global Commission upon Elections, Democracy as good as Security.
In a foreword to a Commission's belligerent violation report, released final month, he says, "The report presents a plan to enlarge a likelihood which obligatory politicians as good as governments will lower democracy as good as urge a integrity of inhabitant elections.
In doing so, we goal which a Report will assistance to dilate bargain of a requirements for strong, approved as good as cohesive societies. From my experience, we have schooled which full of illness societies have been built upon 3 pillars: assent as good as security; mercantile development; as good as a order of law as good as respect for tellurian rights. For too long, we have since priority to a initial two pillars as good as not asked a third. In looking ahead to a hurdles facing a general community, we believe a time is ripe to underscore a order of law, approved governance as good as adult empowerment as integral elements to achieving tolerable development, confidence as good as a permanent peace."
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The UN in Malaysia urges a Government as good as a Election Commission to use a recommendations of this recent, state- of-the- art, belligerent violation report to enhance Malaysia's electoral remodel efforts prior to a 13th General Election.
We additionally acquire a Prime Minister's proclamation repealing a Internal Security Act (1960) in Apr 2012 in further to a repeal of alternative outdated laws which include a Restricted Residence Act (1933) as good as a Banishment Act (1959) in line with a recommendations of a 2010 report of a UN Working Group upon Arbitrary Detention.
Nevertheless, a Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill, 2012 which transposed a ISA in Apr this year continues to have undesirable surety detention elements in further to another pass surety detention legislation which needs legislative addition so as to absolved Malaysia's statute books of all arbitrary detention laws. we speak of a Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985. In this context, we was heartened by journal reports final weekend which a Attorney General's Chambers was deliberation amendments to this Act, most notably stealing a mandatory genocide chastisement proviso for drug related offenses, following brand new moves in Singapore.
We would additionally urge which a recently-introduced territory 114A of a Evidence Act of 1950 which came in to force upon 31 Jul 2012 be amended or scrapped together with a Printing Presses as good as Publications Act. Section 114A creates a presumption which any registered user of network services is a publisher of a announcement sent from a mechanism which is related to which network service, unless a discordant is proved.
Overall, however, a UN commends as good as supports a Prime Minister in continuing upon a trail of law remodel by a Political Transformation Programme which is compatible with general tellurian rights norms as good as standards. We know which a supervision as good as people of Malaysia have been committed to republic office ! building as good as approved consolidation.
As a result, a UN in Malaysia would identical to to benefaction this year's UN award to an classification which by a cumulative work over 3 as good as a half decades most appropriate exemplifies a longstanding as good as consistent joining to democracy in a country. We would additionally identical to to benefaction a posthumous award to an exceptional Malaysian adult in appreciation of his lifetime of outstanding achievement. We will formally recognize a awardees after in a programme.
Before we conclude today, concede me to prominence a couple of of a most applicable responses of a UN in Malaysia to a hurdles we have just outlined.
UNDP's brand brand new republic programme (2013-2015) approved by a Executive Board final month will prioritize await for Malaysia's efforts to shun a "middle income trap", as good as await inhabitant efforts to eliminate a superfluous deep rooted pockets of poverty as good as residence inequalities as good as a pass meridian change, appetite confidence as good as governance hurdles facing a country. A prominence will be a ancestral initial National Human Development Report upon Inclusive Growth to be launched in 2013.
Together with a Government of Sabah, UNICEF not long ago embarked upon a extensive Situation Analysis of Children in a State which has a little of a most deprived children in a country. In a quintessentially in effect way of ensuring their right to authentic participation, UNICEF is ancillary a preparation of an alternative report by children to a Convention upon a Rights of a Child (CRC) this year.
The UN Populaton Fund's brand brand new Country Programme Action Plan (2013-2017) will prioritize a formidable as good as supportive issues surrounding a interface between religion, culture as good as passionate as good as reproductive health. The ILO determined a earthy presence in Malaysia in 2012 to protect migrants from labour exploitation.
It is additionally working with conceptu! alizing a possible stagnation insurance scheme for amicable insurance as good as office building policies for a transition to immature jobs. UNHCR will continue to pretence first responsibility for compelling solutions for a situation of some-more than 100,000 refugees in Malaysia; additionally upon condition which await as good as protection, together with from arrest, as good as engaging in advocacy with a Government for their entrance to education as good as a right to work as good as for a inhabitant authorised as good as administrative horizon for interloper management.
In conclusion,I would identical to to say which UN Day is an arise for us to simulate upon how distant we, as an general community, have succeeded in a efforts to grasp durability assent as good as confidence as good as in upon condition which a poor as good as vulnerable with a some-more secure substructure for a improved future. It is additionally an arise to concentration attention upon a crucial relationship between democracy, tellurian rights as good as development, which have been inexorably linked.
I would identical to to emphasize which ratification of as good as adherence to all of a UN's core tellurian rights covenants as good as conventions, as good as good governance which leads to assent as good as confidence have been critical pre- requisites both for tolerable expansion as good as for achieving developed republic status.
In this context we would identical to to assure we which a United Nations Country Team as good as approximately 700 UN staff in Malaysia sojourn committed to further strengthening a long-standing partnership with a Government of Malaysia as good as additionally with civil multitude as good as a alternative partners for a feat of a expansion aspirations of Malaysia as good as a people.
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