During her official visit to Australia, the Administrator Miss Helen Clark visited Canberra on the 11 February, 2010.
As part of her busy programme, Miss Clark delivered a public talk titled Development Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century. The event was held in the public theatre at Parliament House Canberra, hosted by UNIC Canberra.
The Director of the United Nations Information Centre, Mr Christopher Woodthorpe, introduced Ms Clark stating ‘that the event was a unique opportunity for the Canberra community to hear from one of the United Nations’ most senior officers’.
In her speech, and in reference to the Pacific, Miss Clark stressed that the goal of halving poverty may not be achieved due to the recent global financial downturn. She then added that this recession had cast a shadow over many communities resulting in the rise of the chronically hungry. She stressed that the response of government to these issues was tantamount; that the correct policies must be put in place. She stated that the priorities for action in the Pacific were cash for work and school feeding programs, affordable health and education and the commitment to long term social protection.
She also called for climate change to be placed at the centre of development thinking and strategies. She stated that there should be particular attention to vulnerable groups. ‘For a number of Pacific Island nations and communities, climate change is not just an abstract issue, not just an environmental or an economic issue,’ Miss Clark said. ‘It is about their very survival.’
Ms Clark also gave an overview of the work that UNDP was undertaking in Haiti, and stressed that the global community must help the nation to ‘build back better’.
The event was well attended by the Diplomatic corps and civil society and at the end of proceedings UNIC Canberra warmly thanked the Australian Government for its support.
Photo: Administrator Miss Helen Clark delivering her public address Parliament House, Canberra, hosted by UNIC Canberra
Ms.Clark's remarks at the Lowy Institute in Sydney (12.02.10)