Second Committee, Dialogue with the Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions - General Assembly, 81st session

which have gained strategic importance due to ongoing geopolitical and technological trends. Chief among these assets are the region's market with a population of over 670 million people and a combined GDP of $7 trillion, abundant natural resources, including water, critical minerals, farmland, biodiversity, and energy, substantial productive and financial capability.

Good morning, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. I'm pleased to welcome you all to the annual dialogue of the Second Committee with executive secretaries of the regional commissions on the theme, regional cooperation in an age of fragmentation, harnessing resilient trade, transport, and connectivity for sustainable development. I extend a warm welcome to the Executive Secretaries of the Regional Commissions, Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa and Coordinator of the Regional Commissions, who is joining us via video link. Ms. Rania Al-Mashat, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, whom we have in the podium today. Ms. Armida Saliha Aliz Jabana, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific, who is also joining us via video link. Ms. Tatiana Molsan, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, who is also joining us via video link. And Mr. Jose Manuel Cesar Zirimgas, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, who has sent a pre-recorded video statement. I'm also pleased to acknowledge the participation of Ms. Filmiza Hussain, Director of the Regional Commissions, New York Office, and Mr. Noel Perez-Benitez, Director ad interim of the Economic Development Division in the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, who is joining us via video link. Distinguished delegates, at the time of growing geopolitical and economic fragmentation, regional cooperation is not simply an option, but a strategic necessity. Disruptions to trade and supply chains, climate shocks, and widening connectivity gaps remind us how interconnected our economies and societies are, and how vulnerable at the same time we remain. Yet these challenges also present opportunities to rethink how we can connect markets, strengthen productive capacities, create opportunities for people, and build more resilient and inclusive economies. Recent global commitments provide a framework for action, including the Compromiso de Sevilla, the WAsA program of action for LDCs, the Abbas for Seats, and the WSS+20 outcome. The challenge now is to turn these commitments into tangible progress towards sustainable development. I hope today's dialogue will bring fresh perspective and connect ideas from the region to inform the work and deliberations of our committee. We will now hear presentations from the executive secretaries. I now turn to Ms. Tilmiza Hussain, Director of the Regional Commission's New York office, to moderate the presentation. Over to you, Ms. Hussain.

Thank you, Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues. The question before us is not whether we need regional cooperation, but how we make it work better and deliver results that matter to countries and people. The regional commissions are uniquely positioned to help answer that question. They bring countries together around shared priorities, develop common approaches, and support practical solutions to challenges that extend beyond national borders. But there is also an important opportunity to connect the regions themselves, to build on what is working, share solutions, and strengthen cooperation across regional boundaries. Today's dialogue is an opportunity to hear directly from our five executive secretaries about what is being done, what is delivering results, and where we can do more together. I hope this exchange will offer member states practical insights into how regional and interregional cooperation can accelerate sustainable development. We will begin with brief interventions from each executive secretary, followed by an interactive dialogue with member states. To allow sufficient time for discussion, I kindly ask each speaker to limit their opening remarks to five minutes. I first invite Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of ECA and 2026 Coordinator of the Regional Commissions, joining us virtually. How is ECA supporting countries in translating regional integration into economic resilience? Executive Secretary Gatete, you have the floor.

Yeah, thank you very much, Excellencies, Chair, dear colleagues. Thank you so much, for bringing this topic for us to discuss in the second committee. As far as integration is concerned, Africa started a long time ago. It started a long time ago, before 1963, and that prompted, of course, African countries to come together in 1963 at the Africa Hall. And that's why they made Africa Hall is also at the ECA, and that's where they met to discuss really integration on the African continent. At that point, there were 32 countries which had gained independence, but also at that time, there were two groups of countries. And those countries also had the same aim of making sure that we have a one United States of Africa. There was the Casablanca group, which was more radical, which wanted all the African countries to actually gain independent, I mean, to have one country or the whole United States of Africa at the same time immediately. And that was led by the president of Ghana. And then there was another one, which was the Monrovia group that was led by Nigeria and Tanzania, which actually wanted it to be done progressively because most of the African countries had not got independent yet. And at that point, the president of Nigeria then And the president of Tanzania, Nyerere, had proposed that Africa should be state by state, so that we start from our own regions and the progressive rate, then we can be able to unify, having a common market, having a common currency, one central bank, and one external tariff. And that's the time it started. That debate took place here at the ECA in 1963. And at that point in the charter that established the Organization of African Unity, Actually, in their own charter, they included the issue of having one market across the continent. And from there, what was agreed on was actually to allow more countries to gain independence so they can start step by step in terms of implementation, but they should start from the region. And that's why we saw the regional economic communities happening in Africa. They started East African Community. the West African Community, the CEMAC, the COMESA, and others, they kept adding, becoming many until they became eight. And the African Union went to the establishment in 2002. Then they agreed to stop so they don't keep adding more of the regional economic communities. And then there came the establishment of now this time one market, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, so that this market that was launched in 2018 that now has been actually been agreed and adopted by almost all the countries. That's 54 countries out of the 55 African Union countries, really is a big achievement so far. And at that time, in terms of ratifications, 50 countries out of the total countries on the African continent have already ratified that kind of agreement, which is a big achievement in a very short time. There are also new protocols that have been negotiated and agreed in such critical areas of investment in competition, intellectual property, digital trade, and inclusivity. And the ECA works closely with the African Union, with the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat in terms of ensuring its own implementation. And so far in terms of implementing it, 44 of the 54 signatories of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area have already developed the Africa Continental Free Trade Area implementation strategies with the support of the Economic Commission for Africa. and a dozen of countries at different stages of developing step by step guides for trading under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. But what does this Africa Continental Free Trade Area concentrate on? It concentrates on several things. Number one, it's trade among the African countries. Trade, making sure that you can trade freely, removing the tariff and non-tariff barriers, and also ensuring that you also trade in infinite goods. And when we talk about trade in finished goods, it means establishing industries within each countries, but at the same time at the regional level. And that's what we call the regional value chains, which is one of the core areas that ECA is concentrating on. The other one is actually resilient transport. And when you talk about transport, we talk about road transport, the road, the rail, the water transport, the air transport. And that's why we have the Yamoussoukro decision which is creating a free market as far as air transport is concerned, and the single African air transport market, which is now being implemented. And by doing this, it helps now in terms of acceleration. And when you talk about the transport, which is really very critical, here we are talking about linking the road transport, the air transport, the ports, and the airport so that they are all interlinked in terms of moving the goods and services that are finished goods. And this has become really progressing very well. It's a big challenge, it's a lot of work, but we as ECA, we are really progressing in this. The lastly also is the technology. Now is technology in terms of the information, in terms of the trade, in terms of the payment and other areas, it is really now helping us in terms of really making progress. in terms of the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. I want to remind you that as we do this, we are really supporting the African Union Commission. And for this Africa Continental Free Trade Area, in the first place, it was designed from here at the Economic Commission for Africa in our way of supporting the African Union. Now we are supporting them in terms of implementation apart from the designs. We are glad that there is a big response despite the big challenges that are happening. and I think that we can make progress as we move forward. And this helps the countries which are least developed countries, and also mainly the other landlocked developing countries, which are also benefiting from this inter-Africa trade. Currently, the trade within Africa is about 17 percent, compared to about really more than 60 percent in Asia and in Europe. And that's why we are moving very fast to make sure that the trade within African continent also increases and also removing all the tariff and non-tariff barriers that are hindering the movement of goods and services. And maybe I can stop here, but I just wanted to assure you that ECA is at the core is the backbone of the whole implementation of this market, which is very critical, especially when you are looking at activity that are going to be taking place in terms of the regional value chains where we have identified 94 value chains, including minerals, including agriculture, non-agriculture products. and pharmaceuticals and other areas that we are working on to make sure that we can create industries of the future. And using technology, then we can be able to progress and make sure that we can increase the economic development of the African continent. I thank you very much for your kind attention.

Thank you, Executive Secretary Gatete, for sharing that ECA is at the heart of advancing sustainable development on the continent. I now have the honor of inviting Ms. Rania Al-Mashat, Executive Secretary of ESCWA, who is with us in person. This is her first dialogue with the Second Committee since taking her functions, and I am delighted to warmly welcome her on behalf of all of us. Executive Secretary. In a region facing conflict and repeated disruption to trade routes, how is ESCO supporting countries to build shared resilience? You have the floor, Executive Secretary.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, and of course, colleagues from other regional commissions. I'm very glad to join you for my first dialogue with the Second Committee, which is focused on regional cooperation in an age of fragmentation. I represent a region of enormous potential, a region rich in resources, talents, and opportunities, strategically positioned at the crossroads of global trade, energy, and investment. Yet, it is also a region facing significant challenges, with nearly 90% of its population living in water-scarce countries, while the annual financing gap for sustainable development is estimated at around a trillion dollars. Conflict and climate change also add further pressures. Recent developments have reminded us all how much our worlds are connected. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a quarter of global seaborne oil trade passes, has had consequences far beyond our region, affecting energy markets, food security and global supply chains. ESQA estimates that the economic cost of the recent conflict reached close to $150 billion in just the first month, which represents around 4% of the region's GDP. But these developments also carry an important lesson. Our economies are interconnected, our challenges are shared, and our solutions must be collective. But business as usual is no longer an option. In an age of fragmentation, we need more cooperation, not less. We need to move beyond dialogue into joint action, beyond national approaches to regional solutions, and beyond responding to crises to into anticipating opportunities and building resilience. Regional cooperation is not simply about managing the shared risks that we face, but it's also unlocking shared opportunities. And this is precisely where ESQA comes in. We look at proximity and push for connectivity, we support stronger institutions that can better invest in human capability, and we convene partners and stakeholders to converge on shared resilience. And let me share a few examples of some of the initiatives that we are doing at the regional level. And let me start by energy connectivity. Energy connectivity is not only about electrons passing borders, but it's also about lowering costs, enhancing energy security, and unlocking investment opportunities. In our region, we have more than one connectivity with grids among different countries. If we're talking between Egypt, Saudi, for the Gulf, if we're talking Egypt and Jordan. And moreover, we have also tried to bring together countries from Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon. And this is this has actually helped adopt new laws at the national level that also push for more connectivity. Another very important aspect, of course, is A.I. and digital technologies. And we know that when countries connect digitally, they do not simply exchange data, but they also multiply opportunity. Asqua has brought together the accessible Arab region initiative. And there we have convened many countries, close to 15 Arab countries in the region, and also have deployed several of the tools related to that. Most recently, we have partners with the Digital Cooperation Organization, and that is to create tools for investment readiness and digital transformation, as well as AI governance. In a region that has one in three young people not in education, not in employment, not in training, the ability to use AI in order to create more jobs is going to be fundamental. Another aspect that goes beyond the region, but also within the UN system, we have been able to work with UNCT and RCOs and the regional institutions on, uh, different, uh, AI, uh, tools, and one of them, which has been, uh, very handy for the region is the Arab Development Portal, uh, which is an AI powered data and knowledge platform, extremely important, uh, for South-South and triangular cooperation. Another important aspect which affects everyday life in the region is the energy, water, food nexus. And here we have played a very important role in convening our member states. Food systems in the region only receive 14% of public international climate finance, which again, and we have COP next month, is going to be very high on the agenda. We have been supporting our member states with analytical policy briefs on climate finance, capacity building. More importantly, we also have a very important initiative using satellite imaging. It's the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socioeconomic Vulnerabilities for the Region, RICCAR. And this has also provided ESCWA with member states to have partnerships with other IFIs. Most recently, with ESCAP, our sister regional commission, the Sand and Dust Storms Alliance has become a very important initiative to actually create more intra-regional cooperation for sustainable development and protecting our different member states through collaboration on the impacts of sand and dust storms. Financing is extremely important, as I had mentioned, and one of the key features of many countries within ESCWA membership is the high debt levels. And now that we have climate as a key point, debt swaps for climate action is an important tool under the civil action platform. And we have been providing member states with different capacity building initiatives on the debt We also put together analysis, studies for risks, and facilitate dialogue for partnerships in order to align national and regional interests. Capacity building and convening is another important aspect. Trade comes at the forefront, tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers. So we provide the Arab trade simulation interface. We have been deploying this initiative with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. We have also been supporting negotiators in different aspects of this element. Another very important aspect has to do with countries in conflict. We have nine out of our 21 countries either in conflict or just out of conflict, and here institutional recovery is a key aspect of the work that we provide to them. This includes measurement with statistics and data. That is the only way we will be able to see how much is needed in terms of, human capacity when it comes to infrastructure. You can build a road, you can build a school, but how are you going to make sure that you are equipping this school or this road with the necessary human capacity that is needed for sustainable development? Human security is very important. It is not just about, but it includes energy, it includes food, and it includes different other aspects. In my closing, I want to again say that the founders of the multilateral system understood a fundamental truth that countries are stronger when they work together. The lesson is even more relevant today at a time when conflict is deepening instability, when fiscal space is shrinking, when official development assistance is under pressure, and development financing gaps continue to widen. Cooperation reduces cost, regional cooperation mobilizes investment, regional cooperation strengthens resilience, and it also accelerates implementation. And to conclude, regional cooperation turns shared geography into shared opportunity. I work as a commission, we work very closely with member states and across regional issues and also with our other regional commissions. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Executive Secretary Al-Mashhad for highlighting regional cooperation in energy, digital technology, AI, climate action, et cetera, can build resilience and unlock shared opportunities even amid conflict. With that, I now turn to Executive Secretary of UNECE. I invite Ms. Tatiana Moltan, Executive Secretary of UNECE, joining us virtually. Executive Secretary, you have the floor.

Thank you so much, Madam Chair, dear colleagues, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. It's very important that we are discussing this topic and this dialogue today, because this dialogue goes to the heart of a problem that governments face every day. We've just heard from my colleagues, including from Asco Region, that we see what happens when supply chains are disrupted, finding another route is only a part of the answer. People, goods must be able to cross borders under compatible rules, and the infrastructure along that route must also function. So this is an area, connectivity, transport, trade. These are areas where regional cooperation can make a measurable difference. This year's disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have shown how quickly a crisis in one region can affect energy supply, transport costs and everything worldwide. I would like to underline that, in this case, UNICE has a specific responsibility and role. Our inland transport committee, which is the custodian of 61 United Nations legal instruments covering international road, rail transport, inland waterways, vehicle regulations, road safety, and border crossing procedures, with at least 153 members being part to one of these conventions, one or more conventions. So, of course, most of them are also beyond the UNECE own region, which comprises only 56 members. That is indeed an extraordinary reach for a regional commission, but I underline that, taken together, all those instruments amount to the closest the international community has come to a comprehensive intergovernmental regulatory framework for inland transport that is comparable in ambition to ICAO and the IMO, which provide for aviation and maritime transport. As you know, these rules are being negotiated and requested. Actually, they are demand driven by governments themselves. They align technical requirements and give freight operations greater legal certainty when crossing international borders. We have seen the TIR convention, its application recently, providing a lot of support to the countries in need, but it provides an internationally recognised customs transit system backed by a guarantee that protects public revenue with facilitating movement across borders. But of course, many of this regulation only deliver when the corridors work. And this is an area where we have been working very actively. So developing of the transport connectivity corridors, both in our region and in partnership with other colleagues from other regional commissions to develop corridors in other regions as well. But for example, in the region, the Trans-Caspian, the middle corridor, the Almaty-Tehran-Istanbul route, we've been working very closely with all national authorities to deliver on that. with colleagues from ASCAP in particular, through the special program that we have for the countries of Central Asia. We are also working on a very important aspect, digitalization, because all of these tools that we have, UN instruments, legal instruments, it's important that we ensure that aligned with the current modern needs with being digitalized. So we've been working very closely with ASCAP to ensure the digitalization of these corridors and to implement concepts like eTIR, for example, for operation across the Caspian Sea. This is a very practical step. So what I'm presenting now, it's a very practical step that we are focusing on our attention to make countries more reliable, more resilient, their supply chains, their routes. Many important points were raised by my colleagues, the executive secretaries, but bringing climate and climate resilience into the discussions when we speak about corridors, be it transport or energy corridors, is very important at the stage of planning. We all know that a washed-out railway or a damaged bridge can disrupt trade far beyond the country in which it sits. is one area that we have been focusing a lot of attention and support on. A few other very practical examples from the work and some of the challenges that we see. We have been not only working on the transport directly, but we have been Applying the same logic on removing paperwork or simplifying procedures and digitalizing as much as possible and making it more simple, we have the UN CFACT, which develops globally used trade facilitation recommendations and electronic business standards. including the single window approach that allows traders to submit information through one entry point. The UN low code that we administer, it's a system that identifies more than 100,000 trade and transport locations across all countries. In general, it's more than 200 countries and territories. And these common foundations are many times, in fact, invisible. not only to the diplomatic or to the expert communities, but even to consumers. Yes, but this is what UN works for, to support international trade, to make sure that it's as speedy as possible and as efficient as possible. Without them, it will be more costly and much slower. Lastly, one aspect that has been raised several times is the funding and financial challenges when it comes to all of these programmes and projects that we are trying to advance. We have been looking, based on the experience from the region in particular but not only, to develop standards and practical tools to help governments structure public-private partnerships, yes, and assess infrastructure investments against the sustainable development goals. The PEERS methodology has been applied, which was developed in ENEC, has been applied to more than 350 projects across 68 countries. which represent over $139 billion in capital expansion. And that is the scale at which technical standards can help inform real investment decisions, including on the resilience and affordability of infrastructure. Finally, there are many examples and many areas that we can cover, but, since we are at the start of the UN decade of sustainable transport, we should build on frameworks that already exist and work. This is a very important moment, and I think that the second committee can help by supporting wider implementation of established frameworks, established tools, standards and investment in resilient corridors, particularly for landlocked developing countries. And at this time, indeed, when we all speak and know that there is a fragmentation, the common rules and functioning connection are real economic assets. We have been building, not ECE only, the entire UN has been helped to build these connections over decades. And I think our common task now is really to make sure that we put this connection, these instruments, these tools to work for more countries and more people. I'll stop here. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Executive Secretary, for reminding us that ECE's work on international transport rules and standards are applied well beyond its own region. Resilient supply chains depend on common rules and that UN's inland transport instruments with 153 state parties are a global public good the Committee can help put to work. particularly for landlocked developing countries. Thank you, Executive Secretary Moulton. I now invite Ms. Armida Salcia Alci Jabana, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, joining us virtually. Executive Secretary, you have the floor.

As well as distinguished member of the Second Committee, thank you very much for this opportunity. I would like to touch on today's dialogue theme. by focusing on harnessing the digital transformation, digital connectivity, and resilient energy system. In our region, Asia Pacific, countries are driving growth while balancing two interconnected priorities, namely expanding their economies through digital transformation and building cleaner, more resilient energy system. Digital tools are key to this balance helping boost productivity, improve public services, and manage energy more efficiently. Digital connectivity has become critical infrastructure. It underpins digital transformation and inclusion. At the same time, the synergy between digital transformation and energy transition is increasingly critical as economic growth accelerates regional energy demand Digital technologies optimize grid planning, enhance power efficiency, integrate renewable, and also foster cross-border connectivity. Please allow me to elaborate on these points as follows. Just to give excellencies, distinguished member of the Second Committee example, last month, our member states adopted action plan of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative for the next three years until 2030, setting our digital priorities under three pillars, namely connectivity for all, emerging technology and smart public services, as well as digital data use. This builds on the momentum of Resolution 82/4 adopted by the Commission this year, which established the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Center for Sustainable Development, which will facilitate the development and sharing of practical AI-driven digital public solutions across our region. And just to refer to our recent flagship report on this digital development, especially on the digital transformation, shows why this mandate matters. In this respect, allow me to highlight three key messages which will be for your further discussion today. The first one is on quality. So quality, not activity alone now defines readiness for digital transformation. Second or next is resilience must be built in from the start. Otherwise, yeah, it will, otherwise disruptions to critical digital infrastructure can leave entire populations disconnected from essential services. such as banking, healthcare, and emergency response for extended period. And the lessons here is clear. A single point of failure is a risk no economy can afford. Yet countries cannot finance such redundancy alone. Pooled and blended financing become very, very important. and coordinated through this Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Action Plan that I mentioned earlier is needed to bring about redundant connectivity to fill in the gap. And finally, open standards will safeguard digital infrastructure sovereignty. Distinguished member of the Second Committee, Now, allow me to just quickly touch on the energy, how this links, all this links to energy transition and energy connectivity in the digitalized world. The energy landscape in our region is changing very, very rapidly, very quickly, with population and economic growth spurring rapid energy demand. Digitalization of energy is a key trend in the energy sector, opening opportunities for modernizing grids, balancing supply and demand and enabling better use of renewables. Despite progress in larger economies, many developing countries need support to plan and implement sustainable energy pathways that are aligned with SDG 7 targets as well as their NDCs. So In this case, in this context across the region, the new emphasis on solar, wind, batteries, and EVs means that new vulnerabilities arise from the supply of critical energy transition minerals. We are working on solutions to these challenges. We have supported more than 20 countries in developing their respective SDG 7 roadmaps. Through another initiative, namely the Energy Transition for Green Growth and Prosperity, we are also supporting countries, for example, in this case, in Southeast Asia, the ASEAN countries, to link their clean energy as well as industrial growth agenda to leverage the benefits of energy transitions across the economies. The uneven renewable energy resource endowment shows that power grid connectivity is a key mechanism for decarbonizing the region's grid. Thus, in this case, we've been supporting implementation of the flagship initiative in ASEAN, namely the ASEAN Power Grid, or the so-called APG, through a range of work, including the APG Advancement Program. At the launch of the ASEAN School of Regulation represents another important milestone. And furthermore, to address the vulnerabilities of critical energy transition minerals, we have developed a sustainability assessment tool for the full life cycle of mineral development from mining and processing to international trade and recycling. Pleased to have shared this, the above insight into the critical support that we've been providing our member state to ensure that both the digital transformation as well as the energy transition mutually reinforce one another while bringing tangible benefits, value to those who need it the most. Thank you very much.

I thank Executive Secretary Alicia Bana. And thank you for sharing digital connectivity is now a critical infrastructure and that quality and resilience matter as much as access and that digital transformation, the energy transition and financing must go hand in hand. I once again thank Executive Secretary Alice Jabara. And finally, we hear from Mr. Jose Manuel Salazar, Executive Secretary of ECLAC through a pre-recorded video message. May we please now play the recorded message?

Distinguished Chair, distinguished delegates, dear executive secretaries, it is an honor to present today some of ECLAC's views on harnessing the development potential of regional cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Regional economic integration has been at the core of ECLAC's development thought since its inception in 1948. Our classic argument based on the economies of scale offered by an expanded market remains as valid today as it was then. However, recent changes in world geopolitical and geoeconomic conditions have given rise to new reasons and rationales for strengthening regional integration and cooperation. These rationales have been elaborated in two recent ECLAC reports. In a nutshell, the two reports argue that Latin American and Caribbean countries need to integrate further for two sets of reasons. First, to hedge against global risks, mainly the instrumentalization of interdependence by major powers and the disruptions in the supply of critical products. Second, to leverage the region's many assets, which have gained strategic importance due to ongoing geopolitical and technological trends. Chief among these assets are the region's market with a population over 670 million people and a combined GDP of $7 trillion, abundant natural resources, including water, critical minerals, farmland, biodiversity, and energy, substantial productive and financial capabilities, and its status as a zone free of nuclear weapons and interstate wars. By leveraging its assets, the region has the potential to play a key role in the green and digital transitions, to further the development of global and regional value chains, and to gain international influence. Yet, transforming these assets into development will not happen spontaneously. In ECLAC, we have long stressed that productive development policies are central to this endeavor. And what the major powers are doing today is a validation of this insight. Moreover, This cannot be done by countries individually. Leveraging regional assets requires regional cooperation. Critical minerals are a clear example. Our region has some of the world's largest reserves of them. However, moving from extraction to processing, refining, and manufacturing, and building the necessary technological capabilities and human talent will require deepening productive development agendas. Let me now turn to regional cooperation on trade, transport, and connectivity, the topic of this dialogue. The three are inextricably linked. Trade cannot reach its full potential without adequate transport and connectivity. Indeed, this is clearly the case in our region. The share of intraregional trade in total exports of goods stands at 14%, one of the lowest in the world. There are many reasons for this, but poor transport infrastructure is among the most important. The region's transport systems are highly fragmented, with limited multimodal integration and large territorial disparities. In 2023, public investment in transport infrastructure accounted for just 0.8% of the region's GDP, in a context of increasingly limited fiscal space. Owing to its vast size and complex geography, South America is particularly affected by inadequate transport and logistics infrastructure. Against this backdrop, the South American Integration Routes initiative holds great promise. Launched in 2023, it seeks to improve connectivity among South American countries through five multinational, multimodal corridors, all of them under construction. One of them is the Capricorn Bioceanic Corridor, linking Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay. ECCLAC is collaborating with the governments of Argentine provinces of Salta and Jujuy to conduct an analysis of the opportunities and challenges associated with their participation in this corridor. Despite the low overall share of intraregional trade, the regional market plays a fundamental role for productive and export diversification and for the internationalization of all Latin American and Caribbean firms, especially SMEs. In almost all Latin American and Caribbean countries, intraregional trade involves a large number of both pros and exporting firms larger than the exports to extra regional markets. Today, non-tariff measures impose much higher barriers to intraregional trade and tariffs. According to our estimates, the impact of non-tariff measures is equivalent to an average tariff of 13%. Regulatory convergence would also be a powerful tool to promote intraregional trade in modern services, which also lags behind its potential. According to our most recent survey on trade facilitation measures in the region, another key challenge is implementing single windows for trade, especially in the smaller Caribbean economies, and ensuring their interoperability to enable a paperless trade environment across borders. Deeper regional integration will also depend on countries' ability to coordinate productive development policies. This calls for institutional arrangements to facilitate such coordination. Let me conclude with a few remarks on the management or steering of regional integration. High-level political support is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for advancing integration projects. In our latest position document, we have proposed some practical guidelines for strengthening the governance of regional integration. First, build institutional arrangements to ensure the continuity of the key functions of regional integration independently of electoral cycles. Second, recognize that in the short term, integration efforts will likely be led by variable geometry coalitions of countries interested in advancing in particular areas. Third, enhance the role of the secretariats of subregional integration blocs. These secretariats are key to maintain integration momentum. Fourth, broaden the spectrum of social actors committed to regional integration. Integration will be more likely when there is demand for it from the private sector and civil society. Excellencies, in the new geopolitical era we are living, regional integration becomes imperative for high growth, risk reduction, resilience, and a smarter integration into the global economy. As I stated a few days ago in Santiago de los Caballeros, ECLAC is ready to continue supporting our member states in strengthening their regional integration and cooperation efforts. Thank you.

I thank the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, and I thank all five Executive Secretaries for their valuable insights and for highlighting that many of the solutions extend beyond individual regions. Strengthening interregional cooperation is therefore not simply about sharing experiences, but about building stronger connections, common approaches, and collective resilience. With that, I have the pleasure of returning the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Suella Janina, Chair of Second Committee, to lead the interactive dialogue.

Thank you very much, Mr. Hussein, for moderating the discussion, and also many thanks to the Executive Secretaries for their insightful presentations. Now we'll begin the interactive dialogue. The floor is open for comments and statements from member states. I invite all delegations wishing to take the floor to indicate this wish by pressing the microphone button. In order to keep the discussion interactive, I encourage those speaking on behalf of the groups to limit their remarks to no more than three minutes, and those speaking in a national capacity to no more than two minutes. Any delegation speaking on behalf of the group should approach the Secretariat in order to be given priority in the order of speakers. I would also appeal to those speakers to deliver their statements at a reasonable pace to facilitate interpretation into the six official languages of the UN. Delegations are also reminded to submit their statements or remarks by e-mail, and I thank everyone in advance for the cooperation. And without further ado, I will give the floor to the first speaker, who is Palau, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States. Palau, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, AOSIS. AOSIS welcomes this timely discussion on regional cooperation in an age of fragmentation. Amid growing disruptions to global supply chains and the increasing impacts of climate change, trade, transport and connectivity are essential to advancing sustainable development. We thank the executive secretaries of the regional commissions for their insightful presentations on the ongoing work across their respective regions. For small island developing states, Global challenges are compounded by structural constraints, including geographic remoteness, limited economies of scale, high transportation costs, and dependence on external markets. As such, strengthening regional cooperation is therefore essential to reducing vulnerabilities, expanding economic opportunities, and connecting SIDS more effectively to regional and global markets. The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS provides an important framework for addressing these priorities. with its emphasis on building resilient economies, enhancing connectivity, and linking economies of SIDS to regional markets and global supply chains. For AOSIS, our priorities are clear. First, we must strengthen trade and investment by consolidating existing market opportunities, promoting economic diversification, and improving market access for SIDS in goods and services. This requires stronger trade facilitation and enabling environment for entrepreneurship and investment, and greater consideration of the special circumstances of SIDS in the application of trade rules. Second, we must enhance transport connectivity through investment in resilient infrastructure. Stronger land, air, and maritime transport systems, improved inter-island connections, and coordinated regional networks are essential to linking SIDS to regional markets and global supply chains. Third, we must advance affordable and inclusive digital connectivity to overcome the constraints of distance, scale, facilitate trade, and expand economic opportunities. The UN regional commissions, especially ESCAP, ECLAC, and ECA, have an important role in translating these priorities into actions for SIDS. Through regional policy coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building, they can support SIDS in strengthening trade facilitation, improving transport connectivity, and harnessing digital technologies. In an increasingly fragmented world, stronger regional cooperation is indispensable in ensuring that SIDS are not left behind. We must turn our commitments to practical action that strengthens connectivity, builds resilience, and delivers sustainable development for all SIDS. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Palau, and I would like to give the floor to the permanent representative of Jamaica on behalf of CARICOM. Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I do deliver these remarks on behalf of the 14 member states of the Caribbean Community. The full version of the statement will be uploaded. CARICOM aligns with the statements to be delivered by G77 and China, and that just delivered by AOSIS. We also thank the executive secretaries of the regional commissions for their presentations. For CARICOM, regional cooperation is a strategic instrument for investing in greater economic resilience and productive capacity. The CARICOM single market and economy reflects our conviction that integration must produce tangible benefits for our societies. Madam Chair, allow me to highlight five priorities. First, affordable and resilient transportation is fundamental to regional integration. The Caribbean requires an integrated transport and logistics ecosystem to improve connectivity and trade. In this regard, we welcome the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport and call for practical support to translate commitments into tangible results. Second, regional integration must build productive capacity. CARICOM is advancing cooperation in food and energy security, climate-smart agriculture, and other critical sectors. Stronger links among producers, logistics providers, and consumers can reduce import dependence and create opportunities for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. Third, digital connectivity is an essential component of development infrastructure. Interoperable systems, digital payments, reliable broadband, and modern customs procedures can reduce transaction costs and bring smaller firms into regional and global markets. We urge support in strengthening digital infrastructure to enable meaningful participation in the digital economy. Fourth, design resilience into regional infrastructure with financing support. We are already investing in adaptation, disaster preparedness, and resilient development. These efforts must be matched by affordable, predictable, and accessible finance. The MVI and measures beyond GDP are critical for informing development cooperation. Finally, the regional reset under the UNH reform should ensure that regional assets are strategically aligned to support country level delivery and advance region wide priorities. Efforts to align regional work plans with national priorities should be supported by regional analysis and expertise. CARICOM is committed to deepening regional cooperation and diversifying our economies. The regional commissions are important partners in translating these priorities into tangible development outcomes, in keeping with the Abbas and the Sevilla commitment. I thank you.

I thank your Excellency for the statement. Now I would like to invite the distinguished representative of Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I wish to make a statement on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and State of Bahrain. States of the GCC emphasize the importance of strengthening the transportation and connectivity sectors. These are key to the attainment of sustainable development and for guaranteeing economic growth, as well as for facilitating movement of persons and goods. And in this respect, the countries of the GCC have been undertaking efforts to facilitate logistics service delivery to improve connectivity in all areas as well. We have launched projects at the regional level in order to strengthen economic integration within countries in the region. And among them, there's a need to provide for safety and security of maritime passage and maritime navigation. This is necessary in order to protect supply chains from conflict and regional tensions. And so far as this has an impact on sustainable development as well as food security, particularly for developing states. GCC states are concerned about the economic -- negative economic repercussions from the conflict and interruptions in maritime and -- international maritime navigation and supply chain disruptions. the high-level meeting of ECOSOC, as well as the high-level political forum, emphasized the importance of the protection of critical infrastructure and the resilience thereof, because this is of key significance for the achievement of sustainable development. We reiterate the important need for compliance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations. To conclude, GCC states emphasize the need for technology transfer as well as for financing sustainable and resilient transportation networks in order to achieve the SDGs and to ensure that nobody is left behind. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Representative of Bahrain. And now, I invite to speak the distinguished representative of Malaysia.

Thank you, Chair.

Malaysia also wishes to thank the executive secretaries of the regional commissions for their presentations and comprehensive reports, which highlights the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared development challenges.

In times of these intersecting challenges.

Malaysia believes that regional cooperation remains essential to strengthening economic resilience and accelerating progress towards the achievements of SDGs.

As a member of ASEAN, Malaysia recognizes the importance of regional integration in facilitating.

Facilitating trade and promoting sustainable economic growth. We believe that investments in resilient transport infrastructure and cross-border connectivity are essential to ensuring that regional economies remain competitive and better equipped to withstand shocks. We also welcome ESCAP's effort to strengthen regional digital infrastructure. As digitalization and AI increasingly shape global trade and economic development, we must ensure that developing countries have equitable access to digital infrastructure and technology. Lastly, strengthening regional connectivity requires adequate, predictable, and accessible financing. We look forward to the continued partnership with the regional commissions to strengthen cooperation between global and regional development efforts. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Malaysia and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Jordan.

Thank you, Chair.

I would like to.

Thank the head of the regional commissions for their briefing and extend my thanks to Dr. Rania Al-Mashat of ESQA. I would like to reaffirm the points she raised regarding the importance of ESQA, particularly at this time, as our region is witnessing numerous political and economic disruption. many of which stem from military operations that have led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, disrupting energy supplies and global supply chain. Furthermore, the military escalation and unjustifiable violation in southern Syria poses serious risks to the flow of water between countries, threaten.

Food security across the region, and disrupting ambitious electricity interconnection projects among Arab countries.

Finally, we reiterate our commitment to cooperation with ESCWA and to facilitate its development work across the region. Thank you.

I thank the Distinguished Representative of Jordan. Now, I give the floor to the Distinguished Representative of China.

Chair, China welcomes the convening of the second committee of this dialogue with the executive secretaries of the five UN regional commissions. The regional commissions, drawing on regional realities and leveraging their professional expertise, have long played an important role in advancing the 2030 agenda and promoting regional economic and social development. China has the following suggestions. First, efforts must be focused on development. The regional commissions should prioritize supporting member states in advancing the implementation of the SDGs and follow-up reviews. Taking into account regional realities, they should conduct targeted policy research in areas such as poverty reduction, food security, and industrialization to help regions and countries raise their overall level of development. China supports the regional commissions in fully leveraging their role as platforms to better consolidate development resources with the respective regions and foster complementarity with the UN resident coordinators. Second, openness and cooperation must be upheld. The regional commissions should leverage their strengths as platforms for intergovernmental cooperation, deepen regional economic integration, improve trade liberalization and investment facilitation, maintain stable and smooth functioning industrial and supply chains. The Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Commissions mandate to advance regional connectivity are highly aligned and thus should strengthen coordination to generate better synergies for growth. Third, new drivers of growth must be fostered. A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation exemplified by AI, the digital economy and green development is gathering momentum. The Regional Commissions should promote regional cooperation And knowledge sharing for innovation, bridge digital divide and intelligence divide and inject fresh momentum into sustainable development next year. marks the 80th anniversary of ESCAP, China will host the 83rd annual session of the Commission in Shanghai, the birthplace of ESCAP, providing an important opportunity for all members to reaffirm the founding mission and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. China believes that under the leadership of the ES, Alicia Bana, ESCAP will make a greater contribution to upholding multilateralism and the 2030 agenda. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of China. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Morocco.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Morocco welcomes this timely dialogue and its key contribution to the debate of the Second Committee. We also join other colleagues to thank all the executive secretaries for their insights and presentations. The Regional Economic Commissions stands among the most valuable assets of the United Nations, and I would like, therefore, to reaffirm Morocco's strong attachment to their work. We welcome our fruitful cooperation with the Economic Commission for Africa, led by His Excellency Mr. Clive Gatete, and with ESCWA, led by Her Excellency Ms. Rania Mashat. Allow me, Madam Chair, to share a few recent developments. With the ECA, we have been working very closely to advance African priorities on regional integration, domestic resource mobilization, and articulation of the common African position, including on the reform of the international financial architecture. Morocco has also had the honor to host major Commission milestones, such as most recently the 58th session of the Conference of the African Ministers held in Tangier. With ESCWA, Morocco is engaging actively in the Commission's intergovernmental machinery and regional initiatives, such as the Arab Vision 2045, which articulates a shared ambition for a secure, just, and prosperous Arab region. We commend ESCWA and the Arab League for this homegrown roadmap. I would like also to recall that Morocco hosted the second Arab forum for the Small and Medium Enterprises Summit in Marrakesh, which mobilized over $177 million in commitments for the region for the small and medium enterprises. This joint work and partnerships reflect Morocco's conviction that the regional commissions are indispensable platforms for translating global commitment into regional and national actions. Allow me, Madam Chair, to conclude with two questions and seizing the opportunity for the interactive debate this morning. First, I would like to bring up the middle income countries perspective. How are the regional commissions strengthening the tailored support to the specific needs for middle income countries? and how they see that in the current juncture, how middle-income countries can build further resilience and mobilize affordable development financing. Second, on Beyond GDP, we would like to hear the perspective of the regional economic commissions on the added value or how do they expect that regional approach should bring to the process, knowing that we will soon start the intergovernmental process on Beyond GDP. what would be the added value and the contribution of the regional commissions to this process. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Morocco and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Belarus.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Belarus also would like to thank the Executive Directors of the Regional Commissions for the presentation of the report. As a part of the UNECE region, we value the expert-level assistance in the practical work of this Commission in such areas as road traffic safety, ecological mobility, statistics, digitization, energy efficiency, water supply and sanitation. We highlight the efforts of the Secretariat in the development of the five key Euro-Asian corridors. As a proactive participant in the Euro-Asian Transport Network Number 1 road, we reaffirm our interest in further strengthening communications in this area. We would like to emphasize our gratitude to the Secretariat for assistance in transport and energy efficiency. We highly value this cooperation, which is being preserved despite the unprecedented external pressure being brought to bear by Western nations. We are striving to strengthen communications amongst regional integration communications and calls upon the Secretariat proactively enhance dialogue amongst them, which will help to enhance volumes of mutual trade, stabilizing the economy, as well as help to serve as a beneficial tool against external -- against domestic economic crises. Unfortunately, we must note a number of states continue to leverage the work of the Commission for their UCMs. being in position, UCMs which undermine international trade, financial systems, and undermine achievement of the SDGs and directly impede well-being for target nation populations. An example of this politicization is a question of the implementation of the European agreement concerning the work of crews and vehicles engaged in international road transport. We see and we value the efforts of the Secretariat in addressing this issue, and we would be grateful if the Secretariat could guide us amid these circumstances as well. As a permanent observer to ESCAP, we underscore our keenness to strengthen communications through the Commission. We stand ready to exchange our experience and best practices, including the areas of transport, ecology, statistics, and energy. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Belarus and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. The Dominican Republic aligns with the statement delivered by Palau on behalf of AOSIS. We're grateful to the Executive Secretaries for their valuable briefings. We value the leadership of the regional commissions and their recent strategic analyses on the management of global transformations. In this complex background, regional integration, strengthening interregional trade, and developing digital connectivity and logistics become essential drivers for ensuring a resilient and productive transformation. As we take up the presidency of ECLAC, we reaffirm our commitment to a pragmatic approach that is going to promote investment in sustainable infrastructure and facilitate mobilization of innovative financing. In this regard, we wish to ask the following: Given the instrumentalized interdependence and global fragmentation, which concrete mechanisms, which mechanisms will be driven by ECLAC and others to ensure digital facilitation of trade and diagonal connections, ensuring that and middle-income countries can be integrated into value chains without requiring political unanimity previously? Also, having adopted the resolution of Santiago de los Caballeros, how do the regional commissions foresee interregional cooperation and South-South cooperation transforming our work into greater geopolitical negotiating power globally. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Argentina.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, distinguished representatives of the regional commissions. We are grateful for your presence and for the reports that you've introduced. A few days ago, ECLAC held its 41st session in the Dominican Republic, as we just heard from our colleague, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dominican Republic for their hospitality and for the work carried out under their presidency. We'd also like to thank the Republic of Peru as the outgoing presidency for all of the work that they accomplished. Madam Chair, the recent ECLAC meeting was an opportunity for us to reflect on the transformations that are cutting through the world and our region. For our delegation, our objectives are clear. We want to grow, attract investment, create jobs, incorporate technology, improve infrastructure, and increase our productivity. The discussion about how to make our cooperation more effective It's part of a broader reflection on how the multilateral system and its institutions function. International institutions are more robust when they have clear goals, when they focus resources in those places where they add the greatest value, and when they demonstrate results to member states. We believe that these reflections are also relevant for our regional institutions, in our case, ECLAC. Under this framework, it's important for ECLAC to preserve and strengthen its main contribution, which is its technical capacity to analyze the economies of the region, produce robust, rigorous information, and identify concrete opportunities for growth, trade, investment, integration, productivity, and innovation. We should also ensure that ECLAC's administrative and budgetary resources, as well as its programmes and priorities, are aligned and have clear results alongside the effective needs of Member States in accordance with their national priorities and under a clear criterion of efficiency and effectiveness. Madam Chair, we encourage ECLAC to continue working in this direction with rigorous, neutral technical approaches. I thank you very much.

Representative of Argentina. Now, I invite to take the floor the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.

Madam Chair. The work of the Second Committee is inextricably linked to the operations of the regional economic commissions, and we believe that crafting effective solutions here in New York requires that regional specificities be truly taken into account, as well as the mandates of the commission, as well as the priorities that are set out by their governing bodies. We call upon delegations to facilitate strengthening the role of regional commissions within the UN system and to more fully leverage their wealth of potential, which is more necessary than ever before now for accelerating the pace of achievement of the SDGs in the context of the implementation of UN 80. Specifically, the regional component thereof, we believe it is of fundamental importance that key priorities of regional commissions be preserved. First and foremost, we are talking here about the coordinating role for providing for regional development, as well as about the unique expert level capabilities, specifically in such areas as facilitating trade, transport infrastructure development, and strengthening regional communications. We believe that any transformations need to be focused on enhancing the effectiveness of the work of the commissions rather than diluting their mandates or reducing the functional capabilities. Therefore, we object to the initiatives which provide for redistribution of authority and responsibility between U.N. structures for the benefit of the resident coordinator system by weakening the role of regional commissions. The Russian Federation remains a reliable and conscientious partner to regional commissions. Through these structures with Russian support, there are technical assistance projects being implemented for the benefit of many developing states, which are geared towards national capacity building, as well as providing solutions to practical socioeconomic development-related challenges. We particularly highlight a cooperation with ESCAP. with ESCAP, with which we are bound to by many years of a successful cooperation and success in joint initiative. We thank the Secretariat of ESCAP for the work and for cooperation. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. And now I invite to take the floor the permanent representative of Namibia. Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the Executive Secretaries for their insightful interventions on the important work of the Regional Economic Commissions and extend my appreciation to Ambassador Tilmiza Hussain for her exemplary leadership. Namibia stands firmly committed to the enduring vision of a politically united and economically integrated Africa. We believe that our collective prosperity relies entirely on our ability to break down borders, harmonize policies, and build seamless regional markets. As a proud member of the SADC and the African Continental Free Trade Area, Namibia views regional integration not merely as a political ideal, but as an urgent economic necessity. For the continent rich in use and resource potential, economic integration is our strongest shield against the global supply shocks and our most powerful engine for industrialization. To turn this vision into reality, Namibia continues to prioritize infrastructure development, we actively, we, we are actively investing in our deep water ports, expanding our transport corridors, and positioning our country as a strategic logistic hub for the landlocked nations of Southern Africa. Fedamo, Namibia is championing the green energy transition. Through our pioneering green hydrogen initiatives, we aim to power not just our own domestic industries, but fuel sustainable interconnected regional power grid. However, true integration requires us to dismantle more than just physical barriers. We must eliminate non-tariff barriers, simplify customs procedures, and accelerate free movement of peoples and ideas. In conclusion, Madam Chair, Namibia reaffirms its unwavering partnership in this Pan-African journey. Let us move forward with renewed political will, bold investment, and a shared resolve. Together, we can transform Africa into a vibrant, integrated, and self-reliant global powerhouse. I thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank your Excellency for the statement. I would like to invite to take the floor the distinguished representative of Bangladesh.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I appreciate the executive secretaries of the five UN regional commissions for their valuable insights. In an era of growing fragmentation and global uncertainty, regional cooperation is essential to strengthening resilient trade, transport, and connectivity, bridging development gaps, and accelerating progress towards the SDGs. Bangladesh values its longstanding partnership with the SCAP and appreciates its technical support in advancing regional connectivity, sustainable growth, and the SDGs. Madam Chair, we welcome ESCAP's support for Bangladesh in trade facilitation, transport connectivity, digital transformation, and sustainable development. We look forward to continued tailored assistance aligned with national priorities and urge adequate and sustained resources for country-led regional programs. Madam Chair, Bangladesh appreciates SCAP's support in promoting regional trade, transport, connectivity, and digital transformation. We look forward to SCAP's continued assistance in mobilizing finance, strengthening capacities, and sustaining international support while ensuring that MSMEs, women and youth benefit from resilient connectivity and regional value chains. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Bangladesh and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Islamic Republic of Iran.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Madam Chair, the Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its support for ISCAP and commands its senior management for stewarding the Commission with efficiency and effectiveness. SCAP remains indispensable to regional cooperation and sustainable development across Asia and the Pacific. Our objective should aim at building on these achievements by further strengthening the performance and impact of its regional institutions. This SCAP's organizational structure and division of responsibilities needs periodic review and reassessment. Important fields such as information and communication technology and disaster risk reduction deserves distinct institutional mandate and guidelines. UN attaches exceptional importance to disaster information management and has demonstrated this commitment through $12 million in financial support for disaster information and management in the Asia and Pacific region. The diversity and geographical scale of our region requires greater subregional precision in identifying the distinct drivers of crises, including desertification and sand and dust storms. Existing subregional offices and regional institutions should further strengthen and empower with clearer responsibilities, appropriate delegation of authority, and a stronger coordination to deliver integrated context-specific results. The regular performance monitoring is essential to ensure that all regional institutions continue to improve and operate in line with overall United Nations priorities. Their contributions should be reflected fairly and proportionately in its substantive outputs, since their performance directly affects the credibility of the United Nations. This requires institutional dynamism, merit-based appointments, and the readiness to replace managers and experts who consistently fail to meet established professional expectations. Experienced and capable leadership, as demonstrated by the current Executive Secretary, can reinforce both dynamism and institutional effectiveness. Finally, SCAP's terminology and policy discourse should be firmly grounded in the established United Nations language, intergovernmentally agreed outcome and the position endorsed by its member states. Iran stands ready to support SCAP in further strengthening its institutional excellence, regional responsiveness, and contribution to sustainable development. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Iran and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Australia.

Thank you, Chair. I'd like to join my colleagues in thanking the executive secretaries of the regional commissions for joining us today and their reflections on the theme. We're pleased to hear about the practical interventions underway across your regions to strengthen connectivity and advance sustainable development. I was particularly struck by the examples of digital cooperation and by the emphasis on public goods and common standards as tools for promoting regional integration and trade. This discussion also highlights the importance of a coherent and effective UN development system. At a time of growing development challenges, fiscal pressures and multilateral fragmentation, this second committee has an important role in providing political direction and advancing reform across the system. Australia also believes that the resident coordinator system remains central to delivering a more integrated and country focused development response, and that continued implementation of agreed reforms, including through UN 80, is essential. Against that backdrop, Australia would welcome the perspectives of the executive secretaries on the following question. What practical steps can regional commissions take to help streamline the UN development system, improve efficiency and strengthen collaboration with the Development Coordination Office and the Resident Coordinator System, especially in the context of the Secretary General's proposal for closer integration between the regional commissions and DCO. We would welcome perspectives from all regions, but particularly interested in hearing from Executive Secretary Alice Giubba from ESCAP on how these issues are being approached in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia's own region. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Australia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sudan.

Thank you, Madam Chair. At the outset, my delegation thank you for convening this dialogue, and we also thank the executive secretaries for their comprehensive presentations. As Sudan is a member of both ICANN and ISQA, we see clearly how the shocks described today travel across regional boundaries and reinforce one another. Madam Chair, the policy brief calls for land-based food corridors, shared regional reserve of food and fertilizers, and joint investment in agriculture infrastructure. To turn this potential into reality, my delegation wishes to emphasize three points. First, regional connectivity plans must include countries emerging from war, not bypass them. The reconstruction of roads, railways, ports, and power links should be treated as regional public goods that benefit all. Second, financing must match the scale of need and support preparing bankable cross-border projects in least developed and fragile countries. Third, regional energy interconnection, including existing links with our neighbors, should be expanded to strengthen resilience, reduce cost, and support recovery. In this light, we would welcome the Executive Secretary's views on how can their commissions offer to help war-affected countries to prepare cross-border infrastructure projects that can attract investments. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Sudan, and I'll give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lebanon.

Madam Chair, we extend our appreciation to the regional commissions and to Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, executive secretary of ESCWA, for joining us today for the first time in Second Committee and for her insightful intervention and for ESCWA's continued engagement and partnership in Lebanon. Lebanon has the honor of hosting ESCWA's headquarters in Beirut since 1997 and highly values its longstanding support for regional cooperation and the implementation of the 2030 agenda, of course. Lebanon welcomes the focus of this year's dialogue on regional cooperation in an age of fragmentation. Our country's experience demonstrates the importance of resilient trade, transport, and connectivity in the face of compounded economic crisis, conflict, and displacement. The destruction of infrastructure, disruption of livelihoods, and growing socio-economic vulnerabilities have underscored the need for recovery efforts that go beyond reconstruction to restore institutions, create jobs, and strengthen resilience. In this context, Lebanon appreciates ESCWA's valuable analytical work and its continued support for evidence-based recovery planning and capacity building. Lebanon remains committed to government-led recovery and reconstruction, restoring infrastructure and public services, revitalizing local economies and MSMEs. We believe that strengthening regional trade and transport connectivity is important and vital for the region. In this regard, we would like to ask the Executive Secretary of ESCWA the following: How can ESCWA further support Arab and middle-income countries particularly in strengthening regional trade and transport connectivity, while translating this in investments. And my second question was echoed by the distinguished representative of Morocco regarding the beyond GDP process and ESCWA's perspective on this. Lebanon looks forward to continue collaboration with ESCWA and regional partners, and we thank you again for your presence here today. And thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Lebanon, and I'll give the floor to the distinguished representative of Timor-Leste.

Madam Chair, Timor-Leste aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the OAS. We thank the executive secretaries for the regional commissions for their presentations and continued contribution to the regional cooperation. Amid growing geopolitical tensions, supply chains disruptions, and climate change shocks, regional cooperation is increasingly important for strengthening resilience and advancing sustainable development. For developing countries, particularly least developed countries and small island developing states, structural vulnerabilities and limited resources make such cooperation especially critical. As ASEAN newest and 11th member state, Timor-Leste sees regional integration as an opportunity to diversifying its economy, strengthen productive capacity, improve market access, and expand opportunities for businesses and communities. Realizing this benefit requires stronger institution, investment in human capacity, and effective regional partnership. For Timor-Leste, connectivity is about more than building roads, ports, and airports. It means connecting farmers to markets, enabling small businesses to reach customers, improving access to essential services, and creating better opportunities for our young people. In this regard, we welcome the United Nation Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026-2035 and recognize the importance of resilient maritime and air transport, modern logistics, and simplifying trade procedures. Equally important is affordable digital connectivity. We appreciate ESCAP efforts to advance the Asia Pacific Information Superhighway initiative, particularly in bridging digital devices and strengthening regional connectivity, however, infrastructure alone is insufficient. Accessible financing, technical assistance, and capacity building remain essential to ensuring the smaller and more vulnerable economies can participate meaningfully in regional integration. Ultimately, the success of regional cooperation must be measured not simply by expanding trade and infrastructure, but by its ability to improve people's lives, create decent job and ensure that no country or community is left behind. I thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Timor-Leste. Now I invite to take the floor the distinguished representative of Thailand.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you for the presentations by the executive secretaries of the regional commissions. From Thailand's perspective, trade, transport and connectivity are important for economic growth and sustainable development. They support regional prosperity and resilience, particularly in the Asia-Pacific. However, growing demand, rising emissions, gaps in mobility access and geopolitical tensions continue to challenge regional connectivity. Thailand believes the regional commissions, including ESCAP, have an important role to play in addressing these challenges. We would like to highlight three priorities. First, trading smarter. We should keep trade open, transparent, and rules-based, while making trade faster and simpler. The ESCAP framework agreement on facilitation of cross-border paperless trade in Asia and the Pacific is a good example. By reducing paperwork and promoting digital trade, it can reduce delays and strengthen supply chains. Second, transporting better. Transporting is not just about where we go, but how we get there. It means moving more safely, more sustainably, more inclusively, while responding to growing demand and reducing emissions. Regional cooperation and expertise can help countries build transport systems that are resilient, low emissions, and accessible to all. Thailand looks forward to ESCAP's fifth ministerial conference on transport in Bangkok this November, which will help shape shared transport priorities for the Asia-Pacific region for the next five years. Third, tightening regional ties. Physical infrastructure alone cannot deliver resilient trade and sustainable transport. We also need stronger institutional cooperation, policy coherence, people-to-people ties, and digital connectivity. ESCAP's Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative is one example of regional efforts to bridge the digital divide through resilient infrastructure, emerging technologies, and better use of data. The tighter our regional ties, the closer we are to achieving our shared goals. As ESCAP approaches its 80th anniversary alongside our own 80th anniversary of UN membership this year, Thailand sees a timely opportunity to renew our commitment to multilateralism and strengthen regional cooperation within the UN development system. Lastly, we would welcome the views of the regional commissions on how the UN80 initiative can strengthen efficiency, coherence, and cooperation across the regional commissions. while preserving their capacity to respond to the distinct needs and priorities of their respective regions. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Thailand and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Qatar.

Said Al-Raie.

Madam Chair, I would like to thank the executive secretaries of the regional commissions for their valuable briefings, and we align ourselves with the statement delivered on behalf of the GCC. We emphasize the need to promote regional and international cooperation in light of the increasing challenges. We also affirm that regional cooperation is a necessary tool to promote the resilience of economy and facilitate trade to deliver opportunities, especially for the least developed countries. We emphasize paragraph 13 of the ministerial declaration of the HLPF on the impact of conflicts on non-conflict parties. and targeting critical infrastructure such as airport and power grids, et cetera, these damages undermine economic stability and disrupt supply chains and derail development efforts. We reiterate the need to respect international law and protect civilian infrastructure. And we also express our appreciation of the regional commission's vital role and within the UN80 initiative, we find that the regional commission's role in achieving integration between the different regions and the global system is extra critical. Qatar reiterates the importance of the partnership with ESCWA and Qatar And we appreciate the efforts in the different fields, and we also support the preparatory meetings for the upcoming high-level meeting for the mid-term review of the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs. which will be held in March 2027. In conclusion, the State of Qatar reiterates the need to promote regional cooperation on the basis of active partnerships and solidarity. This is a pillar for achieving resilience. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Qatar and now give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Suriname. Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Suriname welcomes this exchange on regional integration at a time when geopolitical tensions, protectionism, economic uncertainty, and climate change are placing increasing pressure on multilateral cooperation. As a South American country and a proud member of CARICOM, Suriname occupies a unique position connecting the Caribbean and South America. We view this dual identity not as a challenge, but as a strategic opportunity to build bridges between our regions and strengthen our regional integration. For SRM, regional integration must deliver tangible benefits to our people. It must strengthen economic resilience, expand opportunities for trade and investment, create decent employment, and ensure that no country is left behind. We see five key priorities. Deepening economic integration requires reducing non-tariff barriers, strengthening regional value chains, facilitating investment and improving access to markets in both Caribbean and South America. Second, we will strengthen food and energy security. Greater cooperation in agriculture, renewable energy, and the development of sustainable energy resources can reduce external dependence and increase regional resilience. Connectivity must become a practical priority. Improved air and maritime transport, road links, digital infrastructure, and trade facilitation are essential to bring our regions close together. We must advance climate action and climate justice. Our countries face disproportionate risk for extreme weather, environmental degradation, and rising adaptation costs. Regional cooperation must help mobilize affordable climate finance, technology, and investment for sustainable development. I thank you.

I thank your Excellency for the statement. Now I'd like to invite the distinguished representative of Tunisia.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We thank you for organizing this timely dialogue with the executive secretaries of the regional commissions. And we recognize the participation of Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, executive secretary of ESCWA and UN undersecretary general. As chair of the 2026 Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, Tunisia wishes to express its appreciation for the distinguished partnership with the ESCWA, which continues to provide valuable and vital support to development in the region. On the national level, Tunisia welcomes the ongoing cooperation with ESCWA in several key areas of sustainable development. First, we commend our joint efforts to assess the impacts of climate change on water resources in the Medjerda Basin, the largest river in Tunisia. This cooperation is particularly important in addressing growing water scarcity and strengthening water security. We look forward to further collaboration on climate change adaptation and the sustainable management of water resources. Second, we value ESCWA's support in the areas of debt management and innovative financing, particularly initiatives promoting debt swaps for climate action and sustainable development. Such instruments can help expand fiscal space, mobilize resources for national development priorities, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Third, we appreciate ESCWA's assistance in developing a microeconomic trade simulation interface, which strengthens national capacities for economic planning, policy analysis, and evidence-based decision making. We also commend our cooperation in monitoring social expenditure and developing a national dashboard, as well as in measuring and analyzing multidimensional inequalities. These initiatives provide valuable tools for designing more inclusive social policies, improving the targeting of public expenditure, and ensuring that development gains reach all segments of society. Furthermore, Tunisia welcomes ESQA's contribution to the development of a national legal reform agenda in the care sector, an important step towards strengthening the care economy and promoting women's economic participation. We equally value our cooperation in developing a digital accessibility policy, which supports an inclusive digital transformation and helps ensure that no individual or group is left behind in accessing digital services. Finally, we appreciate ESCWA's support in building national capacities in disaster statistics, including the implementation of the new global framework for disaster-related statistics. Strengthening statistical capacities in this area is essential for informed policy-making, effective disaster risk reduction, and more resilient development planning. Madam Chair, as Tunisia advances the implementation of its 2016-2030 development plan, we reaffirm our commitment to deepening cooperation with ESCWA, particularly in development financing, climate change adaptation, digital transformation, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We look forward to building on the results already achieved and to further strengthening this partnership through practical, targeted, and forward-looking cooperation that responds to Tunisia's national priorities and supports inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Tunisia. Now, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Syrian Arab Republic.

Thank you, Madam Chair. First and foremost, I would like to thank the executive secretaries for their statements. I thank Madam Amashat, the executive secretary. of the Commission for her statement. And also, it is my pleasure to congratulate, to commend the efforts undertaken by ESCWA in other regions, and we look forward to continuing cooperation with ESCWA in order to achieve the SDGs. Ladies and gentlemen, the new Syria after liberation is striving to become a pillar of stability within the region, as well as a development hub. And this role will help to broaden the horizon for cooperation in terms of sustainable development in order to, uh, to advance the benefit of the Syrian people, the whole of the people of the region. And for post-conflict nations, such cooperation is of critical importance in order to rebuild infrastructure, in order to build institutional and production capability and capacity, in order to create a conducive environment for job generation as well. And for this reason, talking about recovery in post-conflict countries, what is your view about the role of ESQA in conjunction with other United Nations entities, as well as regional partners, when it comes to providing support for recovery and reconstruction priorities in Syria in order to facilitate regional integration? What are practical measures that can be undertaken? in conjunction with the Syrian authorities in order to achieve tangible results. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Distinguished representative of Syria, who has been the last speaker on our list of speakers. And now I invite our-- we have also Egypt. Egypt, distinguished representative of Egypt, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair.

Egypt wishes to thank ESCWA as well as the other Commission for the efforts undertaken in terms of support provided to Member States for the achievement of regional assistance. I refer to the Economic Commission for Africa in terms of national priorities. This meeting is taking place at a time when we are facing economic challenges in the area of development, which are unprecedented nature, including geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, which is festering, a tumult in the global economy, as well as proliferating crises, which are related to debt, as well as food insecurity and water insecurity. And these are major challenges, which which are, are significant, uh, uh, uh, uh, factors in our region, we emphasize the central role of regional commissions for work in conjunction, uh, with the national, regional priorities, national priorities, as well as the international development agendas, and these commissions allow for solutions, practical solutions to be provided for political assistance, for technical assistance to be provided in accordance with the needs of Member States, and this helps to ensure achievement of sustainable development. Madam Chair, we wish to reaffirm a number of priorities, priorities which are as follows. Number one, there is a need for regional commissions to play a more significant role, specifically when it comes to combating structural challenges faced by developing states, as well as to reform the global international financial architecture and to provide for accessible long-term financing to combat the debt crisis, as well as to to give developing nations a greater voice and more of a say, and with the support being provided for initiatives related to exchange of expertise and know-how. There is also a need to strengthen economic integration, as well as to improve productivity in the Arab and African regions, as well as to diversify economies to create added value, specifically by strengthening infrastructure, by strengthening supply chains as well. Third, there is also a need to build capacity of countries when it comes to surmounting economic shocks, specifically by emphasizing energy, climate change, social protections, as well as by particularly prioritizing adaptation measures for climate change, as well as sustainable management of water resources, as well as technology transfers and capacity building, and this in accordance with national priorities. Fourth, attributing importance to addressing the long-term repercussions of conflict, as well as the impact of this fallout on basic service delivery, natural resources. We need to strengthen as well as rebuild institutions and to deliver assistance to society, host societies, and host states. Madam Chair, Egypt believes that efforts undertaken to reform the United Nations system need to be done in such a way as to maintain the capabilities of regional commissions. We need to grant resources to the commissions, to allocate resources for them to be able to fulfill their role alongside other United Nations entities. So as not to generate an additional burden for developing nations. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Egypt. And now before giving the floor to our speakers to respond to the comments and questions, I would like to inform delegations that for reasons relating to the safety of interpreters, interpretation of remote speakers can be provided for a maximum of 30 minutes in total. As three remote speakers have already taken the floor this morning, only seven minutes remain with a 30-minute limit. Interpretation of remote speakers will cease once this limit has been reached. Interpretation of interventions delivered in person in the room will continue as usual. I thank you for your understanding. And now I have the pleasure to give back the floor to Mr. Gatete.

Thank you very much, Chair. Yeah, now before I respond to the questions which are asked by the distinguished delegates, I just wanted to say that in Africa here, among the challenges which I didn't mention, there are three that are very critical. And one of them is the domestic resource mobilization, as you know. Our tax to GDP ratio is at 16%. If I compare that with Europe, which is at 34%, you can see that we still have a long way to go. And this forms the core of our support to the-- especially in the four areas to our member countries. One is tax collection and administration. The other one is digitization of tax collection throughout the whole entire ecosystem. The third is capital market development. And lastly, it is harnessing continental resources, including the pension funds, the sovereign wealth funds, central bank reserves, and others from the DFIs, which almost total to $3 billion, which which you are working with the African Development Bank within the context of the Africa financial architecture. And this is very critical. The second risk which is very critical is the perception of risk, which is key for the investment. And here we have, for example, in Africa, only three investment grade countries, and we still also have 19 countries that have never been rated. And that's why we are putting a lot of effort together, ECA together with African Development Bank, UNDP, and ourselves trying to see how to help these countries to be rated so they can get cheap resources as they go to the market. And that's why we appreciate the launch two weeks ago of the Africa Credit Rating Agency, just to add more transparency and also understanding of the African countries' context. We are also doing the risk of the regional value chains, and this helps in terms of really providing confidence to the investors. and also using other tools such as blended finance and others. The last key constraint, as mentioned by one of my colleagues, is the energy. The energy where 600 million Africans do not have even access to electricity. And the energy here we are talking about is the regional power pools, because this one here creates an environment for investors to come and invest within the regional level. And that's why we are very much appreciative of the energy right now from Nigeria to Morocco, the gas pipeline which cuts 13 countries, which soon will be providing energy to so many other countries. And also appreciate what Morocco has done, especially the 10.5 gigawatts, which is now undersea cable that goes to Europe through London, and the one from Egypt that is going to Greece. So the energy becomes very critical, but we are creating an environment where investment can take place. Now, coming to the questions. For Morocco, the question that really mentioned, and I really like this one because it has been one of the headache that we are supporting in terms of middle income countries. When a country becomes a middle income country, you lose some of the benefits for developing countries. Benefits like access to IDA and also the other treatment, especially when it comes to debt. And you find yourself in the debt trap. And we've been working with the countries, the middle income countries, in terms of really addressing these kind of issues, and especially also trying to see how they can have access not only to either resources, but also to IDRD, which becomes very critical as they graduate, they need to be accompanied, and this becomes very critical, and we have seen so many challenges. We're also assisting them in terms of the, we're assisting them in terms of the domestic resource mobilization, and we have seen significant progress, for example, when you assisted Egypt, It became the center to assist other countries like Libya and Sudan in terms of the domestic resource mobilization that is very clear for us. The second question was the beyond GDP. Already the UN Economic Commission for Africa is part of the United Nations team in terms of the work that we do beyond GDP. And the elements that have been identified are going to be implemented this time at least as a pilot. And many countries are ready to do that, make sure that we can implement the Beyond GDP, which is very critical. As we talk, we have now a continental event on the statistics. And among other topics they'll be discussing here is Beyond GDP, because it's very critical. It's for five days, and it's going to be one of the key topics that they'll be discussing. The other question that also was asked by Australia the practical steps to harmonize regional and country interventions. Here we are saying that this is already being addressed. This is being addressed through the regional reset and the UN country configuration. Although the Economic Commission for Africa is working very closely with the UN country teams, including the resident coordinator system, of which we brief them regularly, is we harmonize in terms of the work that we need to do in these countries. We intervene in all the areas that require high level technical competence, but we make sure that we harmonize with the work because we are signatory to the agreement, to the host agreement that the resident coordinator also puts forward for member countries. So the regional research is actually meaning to reinforce this so that we can provide beyond this, we can also provide the technical support that they needed on time, which they don't have, in addition to the support that we're already doing. So this is just work in progress, but on the continent of Africa, this is going on smoothly, and we are happy with the progress. Now, for Sudan, in terms of the cross-border projects to benefit countries, I can tell you that one of the good example is the resources that we, as the Economic Commission for Africa, have made to Sudan for domestic resource mobilization despite the war. We have also contacted Egypt to be the one to do the training for Sudan, despite everything else, so that they can now start generating their own resources, even in the conditions of the conflict that is going on. So we believe that here there are many, many things that we do that we cannot elaborate on what we are doing. And this is what we present during the Fifth Committee and also to the ACABQ to explain exactly country by country what we are doing in terms of support. that complements all the activities that you mentioned here, whether it is in development, in finance, in capacity, and also in other areas. So I thank you very much for your great contribution. Really, this has been very useful. We listen diligently to what each of you, as a distinguished representative of your own countries, are contributing, and we are very happy and proud of the work that you do. Thank you very much, and I want to tell you that I also miss New York. I used to be on the other side. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Gattete, for the replies to the question and the comments. I would kindly ask other speakers to contain their comments within three minutes, if possible. And now I invite Ms. Al-Mashat to reply to the questions or comment posed by the delegates.

Well, thank you very much. Let me, at the outset, thank all representatives who are here, and also for the representatives from the ESCWA region that had made interventions recognizing the work that is taking place, but also forging a path for more work that needs to happen going forward. Maybe a few points to reply to the distinguished delegates. There was a question on middle-income countries. How do we help middle-income countries? And adding my voice to my dear brother Clever from UNECA, middle-income countries are very unique, and the key challenge that they are facing, uh, given the situation that the globe is in today is the financing, and therefore, uh, trying to, uh, uh, work with, uh, member countries and also from a regional perspective, on the comparative advantage that the middle-income countries have. How can we diversify their economies? The delegate from Egypt talked about structural reforms. A lot of what middle-income countries need today, and that is part of the work, is how to push structural reforms on the regulatory side, on the private investment side, so that the three I's, which are needed to bring up or overcome the middle-income trap, are taken into account. which are, again, the investments, the infusion of technology, and then finally, innovation. So I believe that with middle-income countries, in addition to the structural reforms that are needed for diversification of the economy, and I want to applaud the Kingdom of Morocco for what they are doing with respect to diversification, which is creating jobs, which is creating industrialization, and also localizing a lot of the a a lot of the investment a a lot of the, uh, uh, local production. So in this case, we take Morocco as an example for a middle income country that is actually trying to create the jobs and trying to diversify and being part of the value chains that all of us, uh, have been, uh, calling for. So this is on the middle income, uh, countries. And of course, financing is center stage. And when we talk about financing, and there was also from other delegates a question about this, innovative financing tools are extremely important. We take a look at some of the large MDBs. Everybody's trying to see how to bring in private capital. For private capital to come in, the financial, regulatory, as well as human infrastructure need to be ready to absorb these kinds of, uh, financing and through ESQA, uh, we are trying to, uh, as the delegate from Tunisia mentioned, uh, the, uh, debt swaps as an example of how to, uh, create a win-win for both the debtor and the creditor on projects that have, uh, a public good element. This brings me to the connectivity with respect to the region and connectivity projects related to energy, related to food systems, or related to water, which is a very important also aspect within the region, requires financing. And that financing requires that across borders, the representative from Sudan mentioned that in many instances, these projects involve more than one country, and not all countries are facing the same tranquil situation. And that's why regional commissions are very important as platforms that can bring together the different development partners and the different countries, given the level of trust that we have, to basically see how we can design these projects in a way that can fulfill the needs both at the national level, but also at the regional level. When it comes to regional trade and regional transport, they are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary, but when we talk about trade, we should not only think about tariff and custom barriers, there are also non-tariff barriers which require capability of different companies to be able to look at and actually adhere to the standards in different countries for exports. So here, the increased capability as well when it comes to trying to lower the cost of non-tariff barriers to be able increase trade despite and notwithstanding everything that's happening both at the globe or at the region. I think this is also a very important venue of interaction with the regional commissions and bringing the different countries together to be able to enhance this non-tariff cost that sometimes takes place. Conflict was mentioned more than once. Institutional recovery is extremely important. Institutional recovery include, number one, measurement what is it that we're trying to measure. So statistics play a very important role and in ESCWA we are helping with respect to statistics in conflict countries. We are working very closely with counterparts, we are building capacity, we are also trying to see how to devise AI tools for better measurement in the statistical system. Public administration reform and our colleague from Syria, public administration reform is extremely important. We're working with the authorities on law related to Parliament, related to also what's happening with respect to the public service. Again, you want recovery, you want reconstruction, but you need the human capability to be able to do the procurement, to be able to push fast. There is impatience from different authorities to meet the aspirations of the people, and for that to happen, we are full force, hand in hand, not just with the member state, but also within a big bigger system in the UN and a bigger system within the MDB world to basically, uh, try and provide that capacity, uh, and increase, uh, the capability. Beyond GDP came up more than once, and I want to, uh, mention, uh, what we in ESCWA, uh, have been doing, uh, with Beyond GDP. It's one of the, uh, most important, uh, agenda items, for us, but most recently, we have been working on the non-monetary deprivation through the multidimensional poverty index, which we have developed for a regional framework with the League of Arab States. So, and actually, our multidimensional poverty report is going to be coming out this December, which looks at a measurement that is going to be very important in this dialogue of Beyond GDP. Also, the Global Development Index is a conceptual framework that we have participated in, basically to echo again some of the metrics that look at quality adjusted human development, environmental sustainability, and governance. And this is what we have worked, for example, with Tunisia on, as the delegate from Tunisia has mentioned. So Beyond GDP is within our intergovernmental convenings, a topic that comes up, and we're trying to, you know, be very participatory in providing the information and the analysis for member states and also within the wider UN system. We also, because it was mentioned, you know, different examples, we want to say that we are hosting a sub-regional dialogue that supports the Syria's recovery by fostering Jordan, Lebanon, Syrian economic relations. And this is the objective of the dialogue within this framework. So again, being very close to member states, seeing what the developments are both on the economic side, but also how the political dimension is changing to allow for more economic and social dialogue is something that is in the merits of having regional commissions. And this brings me to the distinguished representative from Australia. The UNHCR is looking at the reset, but again, the framework that exists where we have regional commissions working very closely with the resident coordinators has delivered. We see this in our member states. And what happens going forward is to say that with the global crises or global challenges increasing, how can we leverage even further this working relationship to be able to deliver at scale for countries? Again, as we started the discussion in this session, countries are becoming or regions are becoming more interconnected than before just because the challenges are affecting all of us in similar ways. despite the scale. But again, we look forward to working very closely with the DCOs, resident coordinators, under the frameworks that exist in order to be able to push forward. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Ms. El Mashat, for the comprehensive replies. Now I would like to invite Ms. Alice Shabana for her replies to the question and comments that have been posed by the delegates. Do we have Ms. Alice Jabana on line yet? We cannot hear. We cannot hear Ms. Alice Jabana. Can you please help us to have the connection? Ms. Alice Jabana, can you please check your audio there, unmute yourself? Ms. Alijabani, unfortunately, we cannot hear you. We are connecting with one other colleague and meanwhile we can see how to adjust the audio and to connect with you. Can I invite Ms. Mojan to reply to the questions.

Yes, thank you. Can you hear me?

Yes, it's okay, you can continue. Thank you.

Thank you. I understand that we have little time for the remote intervention, so let me focus on some very particular questions or comments. Since I spoke at the beginning on a more global perspective and some particular or focused subjects, let me conclude with some more Related to our region, including to the comments regarding and how do we engage with you? Also, I would like to say that yes, all of us have been working very actively to. make sure that as an outcome of the UN80 and the regional reset in particular, one of the priorities that was highlighted, I think, by the distinguished delegate from China is exactly this, to support SDG implementation, to prioritize SDG implementation, and to see where we still have gaps in supporting the countries. Yes, together with all the partners, with the country teams, with the RCs, In our region, ECE, myself as an executive secretary, together with my colleagues from UNDP, we have led the discussion with all regional actors, organizations, to see how we reset the regional cooperation platform. Because the scope is very clear, to have a more efficient UN at regional level, more focused on country needs and impact, first of all, including those that are transboundary or regional in nature, so on topics that are transboundary or regional in nature. There was a question about cooperation between the regional economic commissions as part of the UN, even though this is not foreseen, a support specific objective of UN 80. This has been a priority for all of us already for many years. We cooperate very closely with ESCAP in many formats, including under the special program for the countries of Central Asia. But in all our commitments, in particular those that have beyond region outreach, like transboundary water cooperation or in the transport sector, we do work with all of the regions very actively in order to make sure that any tools, benefits that exist or expertise existing in one region is shared by the others. On the question about beyond GDP, which was a very interesting question for us, we discussed it in the dialogue with the members of the system committee last year. In our region, the national statistical offices are at the forefront of measuring a broader range of well-being or natural resource indications. So we've been working very closely to make sure that when we take any decision on beyond GDP, we have the correct data and we measure what needs to be measured rather than focusing on abstract or data. I think we had a very specific question from the delegation on Belarus on ATR. UNICE remains committed to upholding the international multilateral agreements which are under our purview. And in fact, we are working very closely, as you know, with all member states to seek consensus and to find solutions in this time, indeed, of very geopolitical tensions. And I think our efforts are more important than ever because as the title of this dialogue says, fragmentation is not beneficial for any of us and definitely not for connectivity and economic development. I will conclude just with three points that I like to underline. So regional cooperation is more important in a fragmented world than ever, especially where it is focused on practical cooperation, including in trade and transport. Regional integration can reduce risks, and we see that, and can build the bridges that are necessary. We should make better use of the international frameworks and institutions we already have. I mentioned this. I would like to re-emphasize this. Common rules, standards, and procedure matter as much as physical infrastructure. And also, the need to connect regional cooperation more closely to investment opportunities should be at the forefront of our discussion on sustainability and resilience, and we are working towards that. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Maltchan, for your replies. Now, let us try and see if Ms. Alizbajan can connect this time. Ms. Alizbajan, do you hear us?

I hope I can be heard.

Yes, this time, yes, yes, you can continue.

Yes. Yeah, also apologize for the technical glitch. Again, I would like to express our appreciation and gratitude for the distinguished member of the Second Committee for your reaffirmation and very strong support to the importance of regional cooperation, as well as the work of regional commission. And it was mentioned again, just to quickly re-highlighting the importance of several areas of work, namely trade, connectivity, the broader understanding of connectivity, not only transport, but also energy, digital. as well as the importance of tackling the shared challenges of climate change, climate impact and common disaster, as well as building resilience. I also thank the distinguished members of the committee for their strong and clear support on the importance of regional specificities and context-specific measures, including the specific context and needs of a small island developing states, as well as LLCs, although not specifically mentioned, and also, of course, middle income countries that my colleagues already responded to. Third is also, I took note of the importance because several delegates mentioned, not only the importance of technical assistance or capacity building, but increasingly, the value of South-South cooperation, South-South Triangle cooperation, including knowledge sharing and scaling up solution, as well as I take note of the suggestion or comments from the delegates on the importance of also paying attention to the new drivers of growth, such as green economy, emerging technologies. And I also would like to already being responded to my colleagues, previous speakers on this UN initiative, which is still ongoing work, both the regional research as well as the country configuration. But again, yeah, what we are doing in particular in Asia Pacific, that we are building from the existing success of what we are having through the existing mechanism of RCP, Regional Collaborative Platform. We are already in very good coordination and working together with DTO as well as the RCRC system. So much stronger coordination and also complementarity in our work. And lastly, this is very important because we are regional commission at the regional level. What is also very important to drive the success of UNAP going forward is actually a more effective coordination, including at the regional level, among the UN entities at the regional level. If the coordination of work, working together is effective at the regional level among the regional entities, then it would be much easier to provide the coordinated support to the country level. Thank you very much.

I thank you, Ms. Alice Jhabana, for your replies. And I would like to invite Mr. Perez Benitez of ECLAC for any possible remark.

Thank you. Distinguished chair and distinguished delegates, thank you for your statements, comments, and questions. Allow me to address them on behalf of our executive secretary, Mr. Jose Manuel Salazar Cirignach. Let me start by recalling that earlier this month, between the 7th and the 9th of October, ECLAC convened its 41st session in the Dominican Republic in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. The meeting was an opportunity to analyze the implications of the shifting geopolitical context for the region and the institutional capacities required to address it. ECLAC presented its position document and delegates discussed regional cooperation and technical assistance in several areas related to today's dialogue, including the role of digital transformation and artificial intelligence in overcoming the region's trap of low capacity for growth and new approaches for regional integration and cooperation. Also, member states approved the resolution that, among other things, adopted the program of work for 2028 for ECLAC in alignment with the priorities of member states. Allow me to share some concrete examples of how we're working with member states on these issues. In the field of digital transformation and productive development, ETLAC has developed several tools to support member states in policy and regulatory processes, for example, ETLAC collaborated with authorities in the Dominican Republic to develop a productive digital transformation simulator to assess the productivity gains of technology investments across sectors and guide productive development policy. In Mexico, ECLAC worked with the Ministry of the Economy to adapt their digital self-assessment tool to the semiconductor sector to help identify the digital preparedness of companies and identify opportunities for technology adoption. We also supported the organization of Eastern Caribbean states in establishing regulatory conditions to reduce fragmentation and promote a regional digital market. With respect to the challenge of instrumentalized interdependence, our recent report titled Ruptures and Opportunities, Proposals for Latin America and the Caribbean to Thrive in a New Geopolitical Era, emphasizes importance of leveraging the value of our region's assets and provide a set of specific proposals in the field of regional cooperation. Regarding trade and regional integration, Key examples of our work with the region include technical assistances to Bolivia in the support of its Mercosur accession process and the support provided to Paraguay to analyze the implications of the Mercosur-European Union trade agreement. ECLAC also assisted the Dominican Republic and Panama to develop national export strategies for modern services, which we have identified as a key sector for economic growth and productive development. Our international trade outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is one of our annual flagship reports, which is focused on rigorous and technical analysis of our regional economies, was launched last week. And indeed, we highlight that the region's modern services exports grew by more than 3.5 times in the last two decades, compared to 1.6 times of traditional services. However, the region would benefit from more targeted export promotion strategies for modern services, considering that it accounts for just 2% of global modern service exports. The report presented several practical proposals for this objective. In addition to policy advice and technical assistance, allow me to refer to the unique convening power of ECLAC to promote regional cooperation in diverse policy areas. A prominent example is the regional platform for tax cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean, which was established in 2023, and which is serviced by ECLAC as technical secretariat, and currently the Dominican Republic has its presidency. Also, in the mining sector, ECLAC serves as the technical secretariat of the Ministries of Mining of the Americas Conference, and in this role, ETLAC is assisting countries in the region in their effort to strengthen regional cooperation in the key area of critical minerals. With regards to Beyond GDP, let me refer to the Statistical Conference of the Americas, which ETLAC convenes. And this conference brings together working groups of member states to develop new standards, share good practices, and implement global frameworks. At the last session in November 2025, it hosted a panel discussion with members of the high-level expert group on Beyond GDP. And it's focusing on its regional platforms to contribute to ensuring the relevance of the proposed Beyond GDP framework for regional realities, including with regards to the capacity building needs required for its implementation. Let me conclude by reiterating that these initiatives highlight the value of our regional work, analysis, and expertise in promoting sustainable development. ECLAC continues to stand ready to support member states in these endeavors in the national and regional level. Thank you.

I thank Mr. Perez Benitez for his remarks. Distinguished delegates. On behalf of the Committee, I once again thank the Executive Secretaries for the interesting presentation, as well as Ms. Hussein for her leadership. I also thank delegations for their active participation in the dialogue, and I hope that the insights and perspectives that have been shared during today's dialogue will inform the deliberations of our Committee as we can start and continue to consider draft resolutions in the coming days and weeks. I thank everyone. The meeting is adjourned.