Minister OTI Welcomes Upgrading Of UNDP Office

Minister OTI Welcomes Upgrading Of UNDP Office In Honiara

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Patteson Oti has welcomed United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) plan to upgrade its office to deputy resident level by May 2007.

In a meeting in New York between UNDP’s administrator Kamal David and Pacific Ambassaors, UNDP informed Solomon Islands Ambassador on UNDP’s regional proposal of stepping up their presence in various parts of the Pacific including Solomon Islands.

Minister Oti said one of the Government’s foreign policies was to seek closer engagement with the United Nations.

Upgrading of UNDP’s office is commendable and brings the multilateral organization closer to Solomon Islands. It is done within the spirit of having the UN more responsive to the needs of the country and ensuring Solomon Islands takes ownership of all national and regional programmes.

This has been an outcome of consultation in New York by the country’s Prime Minister last September in New York, the excellent working relationship between the Ministry and UNDP’s resident representative in Suva and its Ambassador in New York working with other Pacific Ambassadors.

Minister Oti also congratulated UNDP for increasing its programme to the region. The Pacific Regional Programmes accounts for 15% of the UNDP’s global regional programmes – a significant amount given its growth from a mere 5% over the years.

The minister said he was looking forward to working with the incoming resident representative.

ENDS

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