(As delivered)

 

Statement by Dr. Eiji HINOSHITA, Counsellor

at UNICEF Executive Board, Annual Session 2014

under the Agenda Item 6(a)

"Draft country programme and common country programme document (Palestine)"

 

 

Mr. President,

 

         Japan supports the current draft Country Programme Document (CPD) on Palestine and would like to make some brief comments on it.

 

         For many years now, my government has been providing several kinds of bilateral assistance to Palestine, including basic infrastructure such as health, education, water and sewer services; as well as assistance to the socially vulnerable, including refugees, women and children. My country also provides emergency assistance in the same fields to Palestine through UNICEF.

 

         The areas of assistance for Palestine outlined in the current draft CPD (2015-2016) include those that Japan is already engaged in, and so we value and appreciate this CPD.

 

         Furthermore, we recognize that, as stipulated in the paragraph 59 of the current draft, UNICEF has been implementing its assistance to Palestine in the close cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA. This assistance to Palestine falls in line with my own country’s assistance, and Japan has been working in close communication with UNICEF through both of the Representative Offices.

 

         My delegation values UNICEF’s role in providing assistance to Palestine, and we would like to continue working in close cooperation with UNICEF.

 

         With regard to the relationship between UNICEF and UNWARA, we recognize that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been referenced in the paragraph 23 of the current programme document. In the current draft, it is described that this MOU enables the two organizations to coordinate assistance and strengthen the monitoring of results. In this regard, my delegation regards it important, after the assistance has been implemented, to verify how efficiently UNICEF implemented its programme; how efficiently each project done in collaboration with UNRWA was implemented; and the extent to which synergy was created.

 

         We hope this project will be adopted promptly and request UNICEF to implement this with an efficient and effective manner in order to improve children’s life.

 

Thank you, Mr. President