I know it was a long day so I want to change the place in order to be more energetic.
My dear colleague honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal and the chairman of this forum,
Honorable Secretary-General Prof. İhsanoğlu,
Honorable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very pleased to address you on this occasion of our joint Forum with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on “Building Productive Capacities for Poverty Eradication” within the framework of Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.
I would like to warmly welcome all of you, my colleagues from brotherly member countries of the OIC, here in Istanbul. We have gathered in Istanbul for a unique opportunity to draw up the parameters of a renewed and invigorated partnership to the benefit of the LDCs for the next decade. We should put all our efforts together to agree on a tangible set of commitments and deliverables for LDCs.
Excellencies,
I would also like to express my sincere pleasure to organize this Forum together with the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). OIC, the second largest international organization after the United Nations, has taken on a formidable task of reform and restructuring to be more equipped to meet the demands and challenges of the 21st Century. The crowning achievement of this process, guided by the Secretary-General İhsanoğlu, was the adoption of the 10 Year Action Plan and the new OIC Charter. I feel privileged to have been personally involved as a member of the Eminent Persons Group, in drafting of the 10-Year Action Plan, which is an integral part of these efforts aimed at the overall development of its Members in all fields including the political, economic, social infrastructure, science and technology, human rights, good governance and particularly poverty eradication.
To this end, the OIC has become today a more visible, effective, prestigious and credible player on the international scene. It has become more vocal on important issues dominating the international agenda and its cooperation has become more essential and sought for in addressing a wide range of global issues.
Against this backdrop, I have full confidence that our deliberations in this Forum will be translated as a significant input to the development agenda of LDCs.
Excellencies,
In today’s world, solidarity between our countries is needed more than ever to address the global challenges with a view to devising sustainable development paths for the poor.
The LDCs represent the weakest and the poorest segment of the international community. But, here I want to make a correction on this terminology of LDCs. When we decided to host this conference, in our first meeting I said “maybe we should firstly change the term of LDC”. Since many of these countries, almost all of them, politically and economically, civilizational centers in the history, I thought “Least Developed Countries” was not a proper name. Maybe we should say “Future Developing Countries” or “Potential Developing Countries”. I told this to UNSG Mr. Ban Ki Moon. For example, 3 examples, just names: Bangladesh was the center of economic activity until colonial era in the 19th century on the Silk Road. The basic center of textile industry was in Bengal. Similarly, Nepal the center of Buddhism and old historic tradition. Mali was the center of gold. When I saw Timbuktu as a city, it is a miracle. If a society has built such a city, you cannot call it as LDC. Senegal and many other countries had a very bright history. They will have even a more brighter future. I believe in this like I believe in the potential of Turkey. Because we feel that all these countries are our country and the destiny of these countries is our destiny. We are not just hosting the UN conference for LDCs meeting but we are feeling that we are part of this community, family and I am sure the future will be brighter. If I had a chance or authority to change the term, I would offer this to the UN, that we have to use a new name such as “Potential Developing Countries” or “Future Developing Countries”. But we will find a good positive name, not a name undermining the potential and history of these great nations. Although most of the LDCs; again I have to say this is the existing terminology, sorry for using it, but we hope we will change it in next 10 years; are bestowed with rich resources. They are characterized by massive poverty and under-development, poor infrastructure, weak supply capacities, lack of institutional and technological capacities, low labour productivity, brain drain, low levels of savings and lack of domestic resources for development. But at the same time, the same countries have a great potential as the His Excellency Secretary General mentioned regarding the natural resources.
The increasing marginalization of the LDCs is creating a future that we, as a global community, cannot afford.
Excellencies,
OIC as half of its member states being in the LDC status cannot remain indifferent to the call to embark on a structural transformation to stop this vicious circle. Again here, I want to underline just one issue. When we decided to host this conference, I said Turkey will be the voice for economic justice, social justice in global economic order. This is the intention what we are trying to do. But now to make a self-criticism, we have to be the voice of economic justice inside the OIC as well. Some of the richest countries of the world are in OIC as well as the poorest ones. Something is missing here. We need to work together to change this and to create an economic justice in the world and economic justice in the Muslim world. We can achieve that goal with this great potential.
LDCs’ productive capacity is limited and they have severe infrastructure deficits. Similarly, LDCs continue to struggle with improving human and social development. Some LDCs lack adequate governance capacities and institutions including those emerging from conflict.
We need to focus on helping LDCs to significantly and rapidly improve their physical, human and institutional infrastructure, improve agricultural productivity and expand their export capacities. To enable them to achieve these goals, the first step would be to support them to build their productive capacities.
So far, we have undertaken many programs, action plans and cooperation activities within OIC family with a view to enabling wealth creation and sustainable development path for our people. 10 Year Strategy Plan of Action to strengthen economic and commercial cooperation among our members states, cooperation in the areas of tourism and transportation, executive program to enhance intra-OIC trade, economic and technical assistance for poverty alleviation including; establishment of Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, OIC Cotton Program that was extended for another 5 years until 2016, OIC Development Cooperation Forum, Task Force on Food Security, OIC Vocational and Technical Training Program (OIC-VET), these are programs that we had before, which aims to allow free movement of professional know-how and skills between our countries are signs of our dedication to build productive capacities aiming at creating substantial change in the lives of our people. But we have to also assess the results of these programs and action plans.
Although we have already taken bold steps towards reaching sustainable development path, poverty remains to be one of the most crippling challenges of the OIC family. The number of people living under the poverty threshold in the world exceeded the level of 1 billion in 2009. Looking into the situation in Islamic countries, the 2009 Global Hunger Index reveals that nearly half of the 57 Islamic countries are listed as “serious”, “alarming” or “extremely alarming” categories. In this sense, Prophet said “whoever sleeps when his neighbor is hungry is not from us”. So it means if there is an extremely alarming situation in one Muslim country, we cannot sleep in our bed as those who can contribute to this. This is our belief and now we have to transfer this belief into action. In other words, hundreds of millions of people in Islamic territories are suffering from famine. In this regard, the Islamic Solidarity Fund is instrumental for implementing more programs.
Furthermore, I would also like to emphasize the fact that rural development and food security are crucial issues of development and sustainable poverty eradication in countries where a substantial segment of population lives in rural areas. Given that, more than 50 percent of the total population of the OIC lives in the rural areas, it is obligatory that we attach utmost importance to agriculture and rural development projects and programs. So I wish to reiterate our call for enhancement of cooperation in investments in the area of agriculture and support to the Task Force on Food Security.
Excellencies,
Any program we agree on will only be effective if OIC countries including our LDC members can take up this challenge as a national emergency. Success will critically require the support and enabling environment provided by the international community. This is the time for global solidarity in order to achieve progress even in the poorest countries in the world which will go a long way in advancing global prosperity and security.
In this context, Turkey will continue to support all efforts and initiatives of the OIC in developing effective responses to the multiple regional and global challenges that humanity faces today. The economic growth and sustainable development is not a zero-sum game but rather a win-win game. Now it is time to take strategic decisions and we hope OIC countries will take the strategic decisions to create a new, just economic order in the world starting from the Muslim world first.
Thank you