UN official urges action on international pledges for small developing States

The international community must live up to global commitments to meet the needs of small island developing States, a senior United Nations official has told the General Assembly.

Anwarul Chowdhury, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, called for priority attention to the issue in an address to the Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee on Monday.

Looking ahead to the 10-year review of the Programme of Action adopted in 1994 at a UN conference on small island developing States held in Barbados, he said it must "agree on specific measures to assist developing States in attaining sustainable development."

For his part, Ambassador Chowdhury pledged to "coordinate, advocate and mobilize international support measures and resources in favour of these vulnerable countries."

He reviewed activities toward that end undertaken by his Office so far this year, including providing crucial input to the World Summit for Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg.

"My Office is determined to spare no efforts to forge the needed global partnership and to secure commitments to a resurgence of political will matched by adequate technical and financial resources," he said.