Mr. President, Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my honour and pleasure to address this distinguished High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly to review progress in the fulfilment of the UN Millennium Declaration, which the Czech Republic fully supports.

We welcome the political will to achieve the MDGs by 2015, which is to be confirmed at the highest level in a declaration at the end of this summit. However, we are convinced that the major task for the forthcoming 2010 - 2015 period will be to create mechanisms that will translate these reconfirmed commitments into reality at local level.

It is also necessary to regularly update all national development strategies and plans in the light of current realistic statistics and lessons learnt, and to integrate them gradually into national legislative systems. We think that all meetings related to MDGs up to 2015 should focus especially on the exchange of best practices in particular areas.

Anyway, innovative approaches leading to the achievement of the MDGs at national and local levels must be designed from the bottom up, on the basis of country-specific facts and holistic community-led approach. We therefore appreciate ongoing projects such as for example the UN Global Compact and Millennium Villages which puts emphasis on the involvement of the private sector in the MDGs programme - and not only in financial terms but also in terms of ensuring decent working conditions and respect for human rights within the society. Also NGOs play an irreplaceable role on the ground. Their experience is very valuable and we should maintain a regular and open dialogue with them.

Mr. President,

We are convinced that official development assistance or measures to curb inflation and public debt are not the only way to eradicate poverty. What is needed here is a combination of measures encouraging employment, fiscal and monetary stabilization with a countercyclical effect, mobilization of domestic resources and good governance. We believe that these measures together with concrete mechanisms of mutual accountability and policy coherence for development are crucial to sustainable development of many countries. We have therefore identified these topics as priority sectors in the new Strategy of Development Cooperation and Strategy of Transition Policy of the Czech Republic.

The transition experience gained by the Czech Republic in the past period gives us a comparative advantage in development issues, as it has been acknowledged even by the OECD and EU. Our expertise can help developing countries in creating their public sector reform strategies, in building democratic governance, institutionalization and the rule of law, in the fight against tax evasion and in other fiscal reform matters.

We believe that transition promotion should be an integral part of the development assistance provided by the international community. Czech Republic actively contributes to this objective by its efforts undertaken especially in Eastern Europe and Western Balkans.

Last but not least, we believe that social development is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving all MDGs. However, it is necessary to take it from a broader perspective, integrating sectors like health, education, gender equity, water and sanitation, poverty reduction, nutrition and social protection.

Good governance and respect of human rights are among main priorities of development agenda of the Czech Republic. We are determined to advance and support good governance and the rule of law at all levels as well as solid democratic institutions responsive to the needs of people based on the key principles of participation, accountability, integrity and transparency. We are convinced that it is essential not only for achievement of the MDGs but also for sustained, inclusive and equitable development in general.

Thank you for your attention.