IN MESSAGE TO SEOUL MEETING, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS UNITED NATIONS CAN BE CATALYST FOR NEW IDEAS IN DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT

Following is Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for the Third Plenary Meeting of the Leading Group on Solidarity Levies to Fund Development in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 3 September:

I am happy to address this Third Plenary Meeting of the Leading Group on Solidarity Levies to Fund Development -- even if I do so long-distance.

This meeting is being held in my native country.  During my tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Republic of Korea decided to join the Leading Group.  Today, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, I continue to strongly support the exploration of innovative mechanisms for financing for development.

Since the establishment of the Leading Group in 2006, several creative projects in the area of financing for development have already been launched –- the air ticket solidarity levy, the international finance facility for immunization, and the advanced market commitments pilot programme.

Your meeting provides a unique opportunity to take stock of the progress made to date in these and other initiatives.  It also allows you to exchange experiences and lessons learned as we move forward in achieving the internationally agreed development goals.

As you know, this year marks the mid-point in our global pursuit to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.  Yet the funding gap we are facing reminds us all of the crucial need for additional flows of development finance.  Closing this gap is essential if we are to alleviate extreme poverty, fight diseases and achieve the other development targets.

It is vital that the momentum be maintained and that new funding initiatives be encouraged.  This is all the more important as we prepare for the follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Doha in 2008. 

The United Nations system has an important role to play in the area of innovative financing for development.  The United Nations is a catalyst for new ideas.  It is a forum for consensus-building.  And it is an agent for implementation. 

In that spirit, I wish to reiterate the firm support of the United Nations to the Leading Group.

I thank every one of you for your commitment and wish you a most productive meeting.