Il Presidente della Fondazione Link Campus University, On. Vincenzo Scotti, Sottosegretario al Ministero degli Affari Esteri, è intervenuto all'International Conference on Financing for Development che si è tenuta a Doha, in Qatar, dal 29 Novembre al 2 Dicembre 2008.
Mr. Chairman,
Allow me to express our feelings of deepest sorrow for the tragic terrorist attack against India.
In this moment, the Italian government is particularly close to the government of India and the families of the victims.
Terrorism remains one of the biggest threats to the world. We must remain determined to defeat. Italy will continue to contribute to building a more peaceful and secure world, also within the framework of its incoming G8 Presidency.
Mr. Chairman,
this conference take place at a time of crisis. It is our duty to rise to the challenge and show the leadership needed to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable people will not be the main victims of this crisis.
We must not allow that all the progress in development, made since Monterrey, is now lost.
Italy gets ready to take up the responsibility of the G8 Presidency, at a time of great uncertainty.
We face serious challenges. We need to build new and sound foundations for the global economy. We need to turn this crisis into an opportunity to launch a new Pact for growth and sustainable development.
As founding fathers of the European Union, we know how joint efforts can succeed in changing the course of events. Inclusiveness is part of our culture. Italy has always been a strong supporter of a Europe that was able, from its origins, to conduct a dialogue with all its partners and especially with Africa. We have constantly promoted a wide-ranging partnership for development, where development assistance, trade and investment are mutually reinforcing each other.
This approach will be the cornerstone of the G8 Presidency. Africa, the Millennium Development Goals and the fight against poverty will remain at the top of our priorities in the Italian G8 Summit.
We cannot accept that in the XXI Century people still lack access to food, water and health. We are working to form a Global Partnership to promote food security and to strengthen the capacity of the UN agencies to act swiftly and effectively. We will work in partnership with the African Union to implement a renewed strategy for water. The G8 was also an instrumental in lunching the Global Fund and other innovative initiatives for global health. We will stay committed in all these areas, which are crucial for the well-being of present and future African generations.
We must ensure that all financial resources and actors - including civil society and the private sector – contribute to promote growth and the MDGs. Improved governance, trade, investment flows, dept relief and innovative financing, as well as ODA, play a crucial role in development.
A more effective ODA, along the principles of Accra, can become a catalyst for leveraging private resources in a spirit of public-private partnership. We need to keep track of the real impact on development of both the quantity and quality of aid. We must work together to strengthen financial markets and local capacities for domestic resource mobilization and step up efforts to discourage capital flights and tax evasion. Migrants’ remittances can be a powerful development tool for developing countries.
We must ensure adequate access to credit for developing countries. At the same time, debt sustainability principles should be adhered to in all new lending.
Mr. Chairman,
while we work together to design a new international financing architecture to prevent future crises, the G8 will provide political impulse and responsible leadership to find solutions to the main global challenges and be the driving force for advancing the global agenda in other fora.
Climate change, energy, international development, food security, peace and stability all require commitment and vision. But we cannot do it alone. We must be inclusive: everyone must play its part.
All global challenges require a global response. Take climate change. We cannot reverse present trends without a joint effort and shared responsibilities.
In the same spirit, Italy with the “Uniting for Consensus” has been promoting a reform of the UN Security Council based on consensus and representativeness. These should be guiding principles. Appropriate formulas and solutions will follow.
The Monterrey Consensus based on comprehensive approach to development and mutual accountability is today more relevant than ever. In 2002 the mood was different. We were then in a phase of global economic expansion. But those principles and commitments are still valid today, as we face a crisis. We must provide a sense of direction and work together, in a constructive manner. We are ready to take up the challenge and lead the way in building brdges between developed ande developing countries.
Allow me to include, Mr. Chairman, by expressing my sincere hope that this Conference will bring us closer together, as it happened at the Accra Forum last September, in a renewed and inclusive effort for development.
Thank you.
