Mozambique
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen;
At the outset I wish to congratulate you on your election to Chair the Twelfth Session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development. You can rest assured of our unconditional
support as you conduct the affairs of CSD-12.
My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the Chairman of the Group of 77
and China, on our behalf as well as the Chairman of the African Group.
Mr. Chairman,
The present session takes places two years after the historic Johannesburg Summit and
provides us with an opportunity to review the progress made in the implementation of
critical areas for poverty eradication and sustainable development, namely water, sanitation
and human settlements.
Although some progress have been registered, particularly in the provision of services and
infrastructure for water, sanitation and human settlements as shown in the reports of the
Secretary General before us, developing countries still face enormous difficulties in terms
of financial resources, appropriate technologies and required capacities. Thus, more efforts
are required from the international community to tackle the weaknesses that have been
identified.
Mr. Chairman,
Poverty reduction remains the top priority of the Government of Mozambique. We are
pleased to report that the implementation of our Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute
2
Poverty (PARPA) has been registering good results. Indeed, the first review progress that
has just been undertaken shows that absolute poverty has fallen from 69% in 1996-97 to
54% in 2002-3.
In our efforts to achieve strong and sustained economic growth towards reducing absolute
poverty, we have been consistently making efforts to ensure that environmental aspects are
given due consideration in policy- making. It is in this regard that we are finalizing the
preparation of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, as a complementary
instrument to PARPA. This Strategy incorporates all the major recommendations from
WSSD as well as MDG?s. As we believe in regional implementation, the Strategy gives
due consideration to the priorities identified under NEPAD, particularly its Environment
Initiative.
Mr. Chairman,
The recent influx of Mozambican population into the cities, largely from rural areas, has
not been accompanied by the necessary infrastructure development particularly increased
capacity in urban water and sanitation systems. Not only are new city poorly served, but
service provision quality in general has been slow to improve. With less than 35% access to
water supply, Mozambique has one of the lowest urban coverage rates in the world. The
same applies to rural water. In sanitation, 50% of urban dwellers have access to adequate
services (mostly on-site solutions), while only one in four rural people has a functioning
latrine.
Mozambique?s Poverty Reduction Strategy places water and sanitation infrastructure as one
of six priority areas for accelerating equitable and sustainable human and economic
development. In this regard the Government of Mozambique is working hard to ensure that
by the year 2015, approximately 70% of the population will have access to safe drinking
water, and 62% to improved sanitation, thus contributing also to reduce or avoid water born
diseases such as diarrhea, malaria and cholera, originated by poor quality of drinking water
3
and bad sanitation conditions and are the main causes of mortality, together with
HIV/AIDS.
In addressing water and sanitation issues, we are engaged in promoting the participation of
the civil society and the private sector. Community Water Committees were established in
the country with the objective of facilitating the management and access to drinking water.
The involvement of the private sector in the sector has resulted in the increased qualitative
and quantitative access to water.
The Government is also engaged in promoting low cost housing for youth and most
vulnerable people. New policies and legislation were adopted or are being prepared in order
to address human settlement issues. We are also pleased to report the support of our
development partners, particularly UN-HABITAT
Mr. Chairman,
Mozambique is committed to meeting the targets agreed to in Agenda 21 and subsequently
contained in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, through the integration of the
social, economic and environmental dimensions of development.
In ensuring regional implementation we believe that trans-boundary integrated water
management should guide our effort to achieve MDG?s and the JPOI. To this end, and
taking into account our extreme vulnerability, we signed recently agreements with our
neighboring countries with the aim to improve river management, in the context of the
SADC Protocol on Shared Water Courses.
Mr. Chairman,
We are ready to do our task. However, given our weak economic capacity, our efforts can
only be successful if we benefit from effective international assistance to create the
necessary capacity at all levels to implement sound policies. Capacity building has to be
extended to the private sector since in some of our countries it is still very weak.
In conclusion Mr. Chairman, I express our hope that this CSD could contribute to keep the
momentum of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, when our Heads of States
and Government have reaffirmed the collective commitment of poverty eradicating and
promotion of sustainable development for all countries and peoples of the world.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen;
At the outset I wish to congratulate you on your election to Chair the Twelfth Session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development. You can rest assured of our unconditional
support as you conduct the affairs of CSD-12.
My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the Chairman of the Group of 77
and China, on our behalf as well as the Chairman of the African Group.
Mr. Chairman,
The present session takes places two years after the historic Johannesburg Summit and
provides us with an opportunity to review the progress made in the implementation of
critical areas for poverty eradication and sustainable development, namely water, sanitation
and human settlements.
Although some progress have been registered, particularly in the provision of services and
infrastructure for water, sanitation and human settlements as shown in the reports of the
Secretary General before us, developing countries still face enormous difficulties in terms
of financial resources, appropriate technologies and required capacities. Thus, more efforts
are required from the international community to tackle the weaknesses that have been
identified.
Mr. Chairman,
Poverty reduction remains the top priority of the Government of Mozambique. We are
pleased to report that the implementation of our Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute
2
Poverty (PARPA) has been registering good results. Indeed, the first review progress that
has just been undertaken shows that absolute poverty has fallen from 69% in 1996-97 to
54% in 2002-3.
In our efforts to achieve strong and sustained economic growth towards reducing absolute
poverty, we have been consistently making efforts to ensure that environmental aspects are
given due consideration in policy- making. It is in this regard that we are finalizing the
preparation of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, as a complementary
instrument to PARPA. This Strategy incorporates all the major recommendations from
WSSD as well as MDG?s. As we believe in regional implementation, the Strategy gives
due consideration to the priorities identified under NEPAD, particularly its Environment
Initiative.
Mr. Chairman,
The recent influx of Mozambican population into the cities, largely from rural areas, has
not been accompanied by the necessary infrastructure development particularly increased
capacity in urban water and sanitation systems. Not only are new city poorly served, but
service provision quality in general has been slow to improve. With less than 35% access to
water supply, Mozambique has one of the lowest urban coverage rates in the world. The
same applies to rural water. In sanitation, 50% of urban dwellers have access to adequate
services (mostly on-site solutions), while only one in four rural people has a functioning
latrine.
Mozambique?s Poverty Reduction Strategy places water and sanitation infrastructure as one
of six priority areas for accelerating equitable and sustainable human and economic
development. In this regard the Government of Mozambique is working hard to ensure that
by the year 2015, approximately 70% of the population will have access to safe drinking
water, and 62% to improved sanitation, thus contributing also to reduce or avoid water born
diseases such as diarrhea, malaria and cholera, originated by poor quality of drinking water
3
and bad sanitation conditions and are the main causes of mortality, together with
HIV/AIDS.
In addressing water and sanitation issues, we are engaged in promoting the participation of
the civil society and the private sector. Community Water Committees were established in
the country with the objective of facilitating the management and access to drinking water.
The involvement of the private sector in the sector has resulted in the increased qualitative
and quantitative access to water.
The Government is also engaged in promoting low cost housing for youth and most
vulnerable people. New policies and legislation were adopted or are being prepared in order
to address human settlement issues. We are also pleased to report the support of our
development partners, particularly UN-HABITAT
Mr. Chairman,
Mozambique is committed to meeting the targets agreed to in Agenda 21 and subsequently
contained in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, through the integration of the
social, economic and environmental dimensions of development.
In ensuring regional implementation we believe that trans-boundary integrated water
management should guide our effort to achieve MDG?s and the JPOI. To this end, and
taking into account our extreme vulnerability, we signed recently agreements with our
neighboring countries with the aim to improve river management, in the context of the
SADC Protocol on Shared Water Courses.
Mr. Chairman,
We are ready to do our task. However, given our weak economic capacity, our efforts can
only be successful if we benefit from effective international assistance to create the
necessary capacity at all levels to implement sound policies. Capacity building has to be
extended to the private sector since in some of our countries it is still very weak.
In conclusion Mr. Chairman, I express our hope that this CSD could contribute to keep the
momentum of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, when our Heads of States
and Government have reaffirmed the collective commitment of poverty eradicating and
promotion of sustainable development for all countries and peoples of the world.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
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