speech by the resident coordinator of the un system in the gamb

STATEMENT BY
MS. FADZAI GWARADZIMBA
RESIDENT COORDINATOR OF THE UN SYSTEM AND
UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GAMBIA
ON THE OCCASION OF FIRST OFFICIAL RECEPTION
14 th JUNE 2006.
VENUE: UNRC RESIDENCE, FAJARA
The Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs. Belinda Bidwell
Your Excellency, Hon. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lamin Kaba Bajo
Your Excellency, Hon. Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mousa
Gibril Bala Gaye,
Honourable Secretaries of State
Honourable National Assembly members
Heads of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps
Senior government officials present
Religious leaders
Members of the UN family
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
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It is my pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to all of you. Let me first of all
extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to your Excellency for gracing this occasion
despite her busy schedule. Your Excellency, your presence here honours us and it is
highly appreciated.
As most of you know, this is my first official reception of this kind since I arrived in
The Gambia a few months ago as the Resident Coordinator of the UN System in The
Gambia and as UNDP Resident Representative.
Your Excellency, I am very honoured to have been selected as the Resident
Coordinator for the UN system in The Republic of The Gambia and the UNDP
Resident Representative. Serving the UN Secretary General and the UNDP
Administrator in the Gambia is a special privilege and I am delighted to join many
committed individuals and development partners in and outside the UN system who
are supporting the government’s vision for a peaceful , stable and democratic
society. I would like to acknowledge and register my deep felt appreciation for the
warm welcome and hospitality accorded me by His Excellency the President and the
Government as well as by people of The Gambia in general, my colleagues in the
UN system and other development partners. The fact that I have had a smooth
takeover from my predecessor, John Kakonge, is not only a demonstration of his
excellent stewardship but also of the strong and fruitful collaboration that has been
forged over the years with Government and the development community. I am
confident that this support and spirit of partnership with the UN system will continue
over the coming years. I intend to work hard at ensuring that this spirit of trust and
partnership continues to grow.
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The Gambia, in my view, is a country that has a lot to be proud of. In a world
increasingly torn by strife, its peace and stability is a beacon of hope. In a world
where many governments ignore the plight of the disadvantage, the government’s
commitment to human development and addressing the needs of the poorest and
most vulnerable segments of society – a fact which is very much in evidence ­ is
exemplary.
Clearly the Government ‘s priorities are audible. To name but a few: expanding
education opportunities for all especially education for girls; adopting MDG­based
planning process and setting clear and specific targets and forging a vision for The
Gambia to become a dynamic middle income country by 2015. All of these speak to
Government’s commitment to a pro­poor development agenda. I and the UN team
are committed to serve The Gambia and to bring the comparative advantage of the
UN system to bear on these needs and priorities of the country to the best of our
ability.
I am mindful of the fact that my tour of duty coincides with a number of critical
initiatives: the UN reform agenda which is rapidly gathering momentum; the
upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in the Gambia and, last but not
least, the AU summit which for the first time is being held in The Gambia. There is
no doubt that this is an honour for The Gambia to host the African Union summit and
we stand ready to support the initiatives that will come from this important meeting.
Your Excellency, please accept my sincere congratulations to The Gambian people
for hosting such an important continental meeting and please convey my best wishes
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to His Excellency the President, the Government and people of The Gambia, for a
successful summit.
Since 1997, after the call by the UN Secretary General for a bold frontier for the UN
and the setting up of the United Nations Development Assistance group, UNDG, UN
agencies have been moving the harmonization and alignment agenda forward. UN
reform is underpinned by several goals – placing national priorities at the center of
development, forging a results driven, coherent and transparent UN response to
development challenges, seeking to achieve greater impact and reducing transaction
costs through common services and premises, to name just a few.
Over the next five years, the United Nations system in The Gambia, intends to
achieve those goals through the United Nations Development Assistance
Framework, UNDAF, which has already been formulated in collaboration with the
Gambia government. The UNDAF is firmly anchored in the country’s Vision 2020 and
Poverty Reduction Strategies, PRS and the Millennium Development Goals with
three broad areas of co­operation ­ Poverty Reduction and Social Protection, Basic
Social Services, Governance and Human Rights. As a team, the UNCT will be
looking at government to set priorities and provide leadership and at NGOs and civil
society organizations, donors, the private sector, regional and sub regional
institutions and the media to partner with us and government.
With such an approach, I am confident that the UN system will be able to bring
added value to its contributions in The Gambia
Your Excellency, let me conclude by underlining that I hope your government’s
unwavering support for the United Nations team in this country and commitment to
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the UN ideals will help me to become an effective Resident Coordinator and UNDP
Resident Representative.
Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your attention and enjoy
the evening.
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