New Delhi
11 February 2006
India is "on track" for achieving the Millennium Development Goals
but needs to "look seriously" at improving materal healthcare, reducing child mortality
and educating the girl, says a senior United Nations official.
"India also needs to do more about environment and safe drinking water," adds Mr Kim
Hak-Su, Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
During his four-day State visit to India, Mr Kim met with certain ministers and
government officials.
In an interview to this newspaper, Mr Kim said New Delhi had responded positively to
his proposal for the creation of a UNESCAP-India Cooperation Fund. China, Japan and
South Korea have set up similar funds.
"I will write a letter of request [soon] to the government of India for setting up the fund,"
he said. India, he felt, was playing a leadership role and she must now take on
responsibility and contribute to the development of the region as a whole.
On the next UN Secretary General, he said South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade
Minister Ban Ki Moon will declare his candidacy in the next few days. He will join the
other officially declared candidates from Asia, Thailand Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai and Sri Lankan nonproliferation expert Jayantha Dhanapala.
The South Korean economist observed that environment and sustainale development
were a priority for the UNESCAP. Desertification has emerged as a challenge with the
situation becoming "more serious [in Asia] than Africa."
The priorities were managing globalisation, poverty and emerging social issues in
regard to the disabled and the aged besides human trafficking, gender and HIV. The
Asian Highway and trans-Asian railway projects were also making progress.
Mr Kim said he has invited Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and his deputy, Mr
Jairam Ramesh, to the April meeting of UNESCAP in Jakarta where he also intends to
hold bilateral meetings with them.
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