Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary General, 
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to be here today and to be able to share with you our ideas and concerns on financing for development. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Juli Minoves, has asked me to convey to you Andorra's commitment to the fight against poverty and the solidarity of my country with the developing world.

We are pleased to note that it is one of the rare occasions where we achieve consensus on the text before the Conference itself! This not only shows the support of the international community for the process of financing for development but also bears witness to the tireless efforts of the co-chairs of the Preparatory Committee. Reaching a consensus before the Conference has also enabled us to concentrate on the core of the matter during these days and made it easier to exchange opinions and stand points.

Mr. President, 
Excellencies, 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Principality of Andorra considers that, as it is stated in the "Monterrey Consensus", our goal is "to eradicate poverty, achieve sustained economic growth and promote sustainable development as we advance to a fully inclusive and equitable global economic system (...)". From our point of view, the achievement of this goal requires a new partnership between the developed and the developing countries.

This partnership requires the international community to accord the greatest respect to the undertakings made in the Millennium Declaration, the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries and the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Doha.

In the first place, financing for development implies a sustainable mobilization of resources at both national and international levels. As I have already said, the partnership is a double one. On the one hand it seems to us basic that there should be good governance at the national level. This will facilitate investment in basic social and economic services. We believe that a sustainable investment in human capital is the condition sine qua non for eliminating poverty. But a solid basis is only the beginning of any construction. This is why on the other hand every national effort should be complemented by a sustainable harmonized management of the international flows of private capital and international financial stability.

Mr. President, 
Excellencies, 
Ladies and gentlemen,

In the second place, and more concretely, we believe that the level of external debt may compromise the level of the mobilization of national resources and of international resources at the long run. Certainly, a sustainable financing of external debt is a good tool to mobilize resources allocated for public and private investment in order to eliminate poverty and obtain a sustainable development. In the case of heavily indebted poor countries we are pleased to see that there is the strengthened HIPC Initiative to reduce their debt. This initiative needs the firm support of the international community if the countries in question are to have the chance of improving and strengthening their policies for development.

We note that there are important international efforts to reform the international financial architecture. But this work must be intensified. Particularly, we believe that multilateral financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund must direct their efforts to defining and preventing possible crises. In the case of a crisis, we believe that its management should include and respect national goals for development and particularly policies for the eradication of poverty.

To conclude, Mr. President, we wish to reiterate the firm commitment of the Principality of Andorra to the process of financing for development. In Andorra this commitment is a double one: On the one hand there is government participation in specific funds and programs such as the United Nations Program for Development, the World Food Program and the United Nations Fund for Population, and on the other hand there is the cooperation through agencies or the governments of the countries concerned. These participations have not ceased to grow since Andorra joined the United Nations. But I should also stress the role of Andorran civil society, which has always shown its solidarity through the various Non-Governmental Organizations in a decided and constant fashion. To finish, I wish to stress that in order to consolidate this process the Government of Andorra has set up the Department of Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation, which I have the honour to lead. This step forward affirms our commitment not only to the process of development but also to its financing.

Thank you Mr. President