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Welcome remarks by Mr. Cheick Sidi Diarra, Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser on Africa and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States at the Follow-up meeting to the Istanbul Conference on Globalization, New York 28 March 2008.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distinguished participants,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this follow-up meeting on the Ministerial Conference on “Making Globalisation Work for the Least Developed Countries” that was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 9 to 11 July 2007.
As you know, the purpose of this special event today, which my Office has organized in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the UN, is to share the outcome of the Istanbul Conference with a broader audience as well as to brief you on the Government of Turkey’s cooperation with LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, particularly on the Trust Funds for the three groups of countries announced by the government during last July’s conference.
I especially want to acknowledge the presence in our midst today of the following senior officials from the Turkish Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Mr Hasan Gögüs, Director-General for Multilateral Political Organizations, Mr Kenan Tepedelen, LDC Coordinator, and Mr. Musa Kulaklikaya, President of the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA). Their presence here today is yet further testimony to the Government of Turkey’s commitment and support of continuing cooperation with LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.
Of course, all these efforts could not have become the reality of the meeting we are witnessing today without the invaluable and tireless efforts of H.E. Mr. Baki İlkin, the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations and his hard-working staff. To him, I also extend my grateful thanks.
During today’s meeting, as you can see from the Programme, we will also launch the publication “Making Globalization Work for LDCs”. UNDP Administrator Mr. Kemal Dervis is here with us this morning to preside over that part of our programme and will tell us a little bit more about it.
I also wish to acknowledge the presence of and thank the chair persons of the three groups of vulnerable countries, including H.E. Ms Ismat Jahan, the Chair of the LDC Group and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, from whom we will also hear at the close of this programme.
With these few remarks, I once again welcome you all to what I hope to be a fruitful exchange of ideas. I now have the honour and privilege to invite Mr. Hasan Gögüs, Director-General for Multilateral Political Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to address the meeting.
Thank you.
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