Technical Cooperation Committee (TC), 68th session, 18-20 June 2018 (closing remarks)

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S CLOSING ADDRESS AT THE SIXTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE TECHNICAL COOPERATION COMMITTEE

Mr. Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates and observers,

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to you and your Committee for the hard work, enthusiasm and patience during this week. This has been another exceptionally productive session of your Committee.

Allow me to highlight some of your major achievements at this session.

I would like to sincerely thank the Member States for the generous contribution towards the sustainable financing of the ITCP. Your Committee was informed that the total financial contributions received amounted to approximately $9 million, as compared to $1.4 million reported to the last session of your Committee. I believe that this significant increase is a recognition and reflection of the increased importance of the work of your Committee.

Your Committee considered and approved the Resource Mobilization Strategy which aims at ensuring the long-term and sustainable financing of the ITCP. I would like to congratulate your Committee on the approval of this significant milestone. As many delegations mentioned, proactive approach in contacting the Official Development Assistance (ODA) agencies and active participation in accordance with well-devised action plans, is the next step forward. We should work as the "team maritime" to realize and achieve an effective resource mobilization strategy.

Furthermore, your Committee established a correspondence group on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to consider the development of the indicators related to technical cooperation. While I urge you to participate actively in the work of the Correspondence Group, I would also encourage Member States to fully engage in your national or regional UNDAF processes, so as to ensure that maritime issues are mainstreamed in the country-wide implementation of SDGs.

You also approved the amended document on the Organization and method of work of your Committee in order to align it with the document on the Application of the Strategic Plan of the Organization. With the approval of the updated biennial status report and its output for the 2018-2019 biennium and the proposed substantive items for inclusion in the provisional agenda for the period 2019-2022 as well as your decision in implementing the remaining recommendations of the Impact Assessment Exercise for the ITCP for the period 2012-2015, your Committee has its work cut-out for the foreseeable future.

Distinguished delegates,

This is an opportune moment to thank those delegates and experts who are leaving us for other endeavors, for your contributions to the work of the Committee and indeed this Organization, to wish you all the best for the future, fair winds and calm seas.

Concluding, I thank and congratulate all of you for your contributions during this session. All these good works and achievements would not have been possible without your cooperation, collaboration and indeed the overwhelming support you have given to your chair.

I am sure you will agree with me that a special tribute is due to your Chair, Mr. Zulkurnain Ayub of Malaysia, for his calmness, patience and outstanding leadership in delivering to the high standards expected from this Committee.  Thank you, Mr. Chair, for your dedication to the Committee. Sincere thanks are also due to the Committee’s Vice-Chair, His Excellency Mr. Laurent Parenté of Vanuatu, who is also going to lead the Correspondence Group, for his support to the Chair and commitment to the work of the Committee.

Last but not least, I cannot forget to mention my appreciation to the officers and staff of the Technical Cooperation Division led by Mr. Juvenal Shiundu, Acting Director of the Division. My appreciation also goes to our colleagues in the Conference Division, under the leadership of Mr. Hiroyuki Yamada, especially the Documents Control and Production Section, Meeting Services, the Translation Sections, and the Terminology and Reference Section. And, of course, the hard-working simultaneous interpreters, whose skills to facilitate our effective communication never cease to amaze.

Distinguished delegates, as you may be aware, Mr. Nicolaos Charalambous, the Director, Technical Cooperation Division, has been indisposed for some time now. Please join me and the Secretariat in wishing him well.

Let me now wish you all a safe journey back home and look forward to seeing you next year at the sixty-ninth session of your Committee. In the meantime, I believe that you will enjoy the excitement which the ongoing FIFA World Cup brings.

Thank you.