$740 million pledged for UN development activities.

$740 million pledged for UN development activities

Some 110 countries pledged $740 million for United Nations development activities at the 1985 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development (New York, 14-15 November).

Contributions were made to more than 30 funds and programmes related to social and economic development, technical co-operation, training and research, capital development and environmental management. Some pledging countries stipulated that their contributions were subject to parliamentary approval.

Some major donors, including Australia, Japan and the United States, said they were unable at this time to make pledges because their budgetary time-tables did not coincide with that of the Conference. Several other nations stated that contributions to specific programmes and organizations would be announced at a later date.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) received pledges totalling $487.2 million from some 100 countries, the largest amount pledged to UNDP in its history, according to Bradford Morse, UNDP Administrator. Pledges establish the base for the next five-year cycle for United Nations technical co-operation activities. Using current exchange rates, and considering actual and estimated pledges, the target of $700 million for 1986 contributions had actually been surpassed, Mr. Morse said.

Ninety countries pledged $132 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Conference's second largest beneficiary. James P. Grant, UNICEF Executive Director, said an additional $79 million would likely be pledged in the months ahead. Combined 1986 pledges would total $211 million, $20 million more than 1985 estimates. UNICEF expected some $40 million in 1986 from National Committees for UNICEF, non-governmental organizations, other private sources and the sales of greeting cards. Significant private contributions were also made each year for UNICEF supplementary funds. Such substantial private support, "unique in the United Nations system", underscored the "people-to-people" character of UNICEF, he said.

The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) received $77.5 million in pledges from 78 Governments. UNFPA Executive Director Rafael Salas said the Fund's 1986 financial resources would total approximately $112.8 million, a 13 per cent increase over 1985. Large increases were made in some major donor pledges: Finland, by 73 per cent; Netherlands, 26 per cent; Norway, 20 per cent; Switzerland, 18 per cent; Denmark, 18 per cent; the Federal Republic of Germany, 11 per cent and Canada, 9 per cent.

Michel Doo Kingue, Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), said that fewer than 30 countries had announced their contributions to the UNITAR General Fund. He expressed "serious disappointment" at the results of the Conference, which had raised $639,000 for UNITAR. Voluntary contributions had failed so far to provide the Institute with the level of resources it needed for fulfilling its mandate, he said.

Margaret Snyder, Chief of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, said 37 Member States had pledged $2.8 million to that Fund. Chief among them were Canada with a 500 per cent increase, Trinidad and Tobago, 150 per cent, Cyprus and Indonesia, 67 per cent each, and Netherlands, 52 per cent. Contributing countries had recognized that the fate of women was linked to the fate of whole societies of the world.

Francis Martens of the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control said pledges totalled $6.6 million, with several Governments indicating pledges at a later time. Despite encouraging responses, needs were far greater than resources, he said.

Sumihiro Kuyama, Deputy Administrator for the Habitat and the Human Settlements Foundation, said 33 countries had pledged $1 million. Total resources were ultimately expected to reach $2.5 million. Habitat was now involved in some 100 projects, valued at $80 million.