Speaking in Maputo on Tuesday, the resident UN coordinator Ndolamb Ngokwey told a press conference, held to mark 62 years of the UN's existence, that "this is a day for all peoples as enshrined in the UN Charter".
"The United Nations Day is not a day of an institution, but of all peoples across the world", he said.
Ngokwey reiterated the UN's commitment to continue helping Mozambique to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He said that Mozambique has been achieving encouraging results towards the MDGs, which were approved by world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000.
Progress in the areas of education and health, expressed by a growing number of children attending school, and the efforts to reduce infant mortality, are very encouraging, said Ngokwey.
"We have been following with great satisfaction all achievements made by the country in order to attain the Millennium Development Goals", said Ngokwey.
The targets under the MDGs including cutting by a half, between 1990 and 2015, the number of people living on less than a dollar a day, ensuring a full primary education for all children, and cutting infant mortality by two thirds and maternal mortality by three quarters.
Ngokwey announced that all the United Nations agencies in Mozambique intend to move their headquarters to one and the same building as a means to reduce costs and also to strengthen the spirit of team work. However, this is an idea that depends on the approval by the government. Ngokwey said that negotiations over the matter have been started.
Currently, the various UN agencies have their offices scattered all over central Maputo.
SOURCE: AIM
