Greeting by Undersecretary General Grete Faremo, Executive Director of UNOPS,
to the 25th Anniversary meeting of the International Union of Economists, April, 2016
I am very pleased and honored to make greeting to the International Union of Economists (IUE) and be at the XXV anniversary Annual Meeting of the International Union of Economists members. I want to extend my most sincere congratulations to all members of the Union for your efforts to promote a constructive dialogue between countries to achieve economic progress and prosperity.
The wide range of issues you have been discussing in your fora and workshops, your analytical work as well as the variety and number of civil society groups represented, is truly impressive.
I lead the implementing organization of the UN system: UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services. Let me present the organization in a few words.
UNOPS is primarily a service provider for the UN, countries and other partners. We deliver around $1.4 billion worth of aid and development projects in over 80 countries every year. Our partners call on us to supplement their own capacities, improve speed, reduce risks, boost cost-effectiveness and increase quality.
Like you, we are fully committed to deliver on the large challenges our common world faces over the coming years.
2015 was a year of global commitments: The Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Treaty and the Framework Agreement on Financing for Development were all agreed last year. UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon talks about these agreements collectively as the “2030 Agenda”. Our joint challenge is to turn this agenda into reality. We have 15 years.
The challenges of the 2030 Agenda are enormous. This Meeting, therefore, is very timely. You will take away new ideas, strategies and best practices for strengthening your analytical, advisory and technological capacities. The value of this cross-pollination of ideas is significant. You will also build new partnerships at the country, regional and global levels.
We, at the United Nations, have high hopes in innovation and strong civil society action to support future economic activity. I salute the professionalism, efforts and perseverance of the International Union of Economists aimed at finding economic alternatives to promote economic recovery.