Keynote Speech by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator at the International Women’s Day celebration on March 5, 2010

Why among all the many UN days have we as a UN team decided to mark this day as a special one to observe?Especially why in Sri Lanka where a woman today has many more choices for her life than her grandmother did!

The answer is global….. – and that is important as we are an organization that tries to bring all countries and all people together for action that is significant not just for one country but for the world.And what happened 100 years ago on 8 March had importance for the World.  

2010 marks the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day which commenced in 1910 with the second International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen. It is a day for people in all countries to the mark the real progress of women in their social, political and economic achievements and to renew our commitment to achieve true equality.It is commemorated in many ways – where I worked, in eastern Europe for eight years it was a national holiday, celebrated by men showing their appreciation for everything women did, and on that day doing some of the domestic work women were doing every day, (unfortunately if not always on the day after!) Unfortunately in some other places I have also worked and lived, little was done – and that often, if not always reflected an unawareness of the issue – and discrimination against women.

Here in Sri Lanka this year the United Nations team in Sri Lanka decided to help commemorate International Women’s Day to highlight the importance of equal rights and equal opportunities for men and women in Sri Lanka and across the globe.Our event is organized by the United Nations inter-agency theme group for gender – and I thank them for the initiative, the hard work and the commitment.A well known columnist today in one newspaper – said that the theme sounded “retro” –like one from 100 years ago.While in many ways, it is no comparison with 100 years ago, in terms of the growth in women’s rights and opportunities – they are still all too often still not equal in most places, including here.

Sri Lankans have indeed accomplished more than most countries in providing fundamental equal opportunities for girls and women such as: the choice for an education, the choice of when to have children, all the choices that come with better health. In terms of comparative measures of women’s health compared with that of men – Sri Lanka is 18^th in the world. In terms of a mixed index of choice (human development) through education, health, and income, Sri Lanka ranks 36^th in the world.

While Sri Lanka is a society which has shown before others that women can hold powerful positions. Whether it be elected prime minister, or a president – it is a society where lawyers, judges, heads of companies are women……, these are unfortunately more the exception than the rule. This is reflected in the gender empowerment measure (GEM) which reveals whether women take an active part in economic and political life. It tracks the share of seats in parliament held by women; of female legislators, senior officials and managers; and of female professional and technical workers - and the gender disparity in earned income, reflecting economic independence.In this measure of empowerment Sri Lanka ranks 98^th out of 109 countries measured.

The gap between women’s’ capabilities, and women’s influence or power in society is among the greatest in the world in Sri Lanka. In short Sri Lanka has done a great deal so that women do have fundamental opportunities for health and education (In fact they are healthier than men and at most levels of education, also ahead of men) but it has not translated these equalities in opportunities into equality in decision making in society.

Now more than ever this is important.As after too many years of conflict, - conflict which affected everyone’s development and opportunities everywhere in the country, there is now a chance to build a lasting peace that brings faster and more equitable development.But for that to happen Sri Lanka cannot afford not to have more women making decisions, in government, in the private sector, in civil society - about the direction of society.More equality of opportunity in decision making will make Sri Lanka more peaceful, more prosperous and happier.

I want to thank especially the members of an imminent panel of speakers and songs which will highlight the global theme as well as the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The panel discussion will comprise of eminent speakers, Professor Savithri Goonesekere, former Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo, Dr Vinya Ariyaratne, Former Executive Director, Sarvodaya, Mrs Lalitha Dissanayaka, former Secretary to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Ms. Ayomi Fernando, Head of Responsible Business Initiatives Unit of the Employer’s Federation of Ceylon. The panel will focus on the issues faced by women in the political, post conflict, plantation and private sectors respectively and explore solutions to the problems they face.

I also want to make a small advertisement.On Monday,which actually is International Women’s Day, the chair of the UN Development Group and Administrator or UNDP, Helen Clark will launch together theIndian Prime Minister, 2010 Human Development Report of Asia – calledPower, Rights and Voice: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia Pacific"UN Sri Lanka will launch this report later this month. I hope what we do today will in a modest way help Sri Lankan women to enjoy full and equal rights and opportunities in all aspects of society – and to have the room to contribute all they have the capability to contribute to a brighter future.

Keynote Speech by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator at the Effie Awards Sri Lanka 2008

Thanks to SLIM to be here for the Effies.It is privilege to be here to recognize excellence in marketing.  

The first time I worked in Sri Lanka was 1984/85.I came straight from Canada – marketing was interesting, but still seemed a bit archaic.  

This time when I arrived in 2007 – the marketing in many ways was ahead of other places – with some true example of creativity and beauty as fine as anywhere in the world I have seen – truly world class.  

Often you don’t think of marketing and the UN together.But it is relevant for us - we have done rebranding too – and we are sometimes good at communicating (if not exactly marketing) what we are about and convincing people to buy our ideas if not our products.But often we are not – for we actually have the most visible “world brand” but still after 64 years people we are often profoundly misunderstood – as we have been here too.   So I am here also to learn from you!!  

Background:   -The UN works with private sector in many ways. The overarching programme is the UN Global Compactsets out 10 principles through which businesses can do “good business” while still contributing to the development goals agreed at the UN.These principles broadly fit: into good corporate governance, human rights, Environmental awareness and protection, good labour practices and anti-corruption. -

All of this work that the UN does with the corporate sector can be distilled to, broadly is ‘responsibility’ -Responsibility is not a standard or a set of rules that one must feel restricted by but a commitment to “do no harm’ or ‘do the best for all’ in whatever we do as businesses making big decisions or as individuals within those businesses making everyday choices.We believe “responsibility” is also good business, while it also is good for society.  

Ethical Marketing:  

How does this relate to marketing? And why should it matter for you as marketers in Sri Lanka TODAY?

-Sri Lanka is going through a very unique period in its history. The war as everyone knew it for 30 years is over. There is a very real possibility and hope for a just peace and a bright future for Sri Lanka, IF and only if, citizens are willing to work for it, ask for it and live in a way that it becomes possible

-In a post-war context, ethical marketing that is both socially responsible and culturally sensitive can play a very important part in building and sustaining reconciliation -If every campaign and every choice you make asks the question

– ·Can this ad campaign build in message of peace? ·Can it be sensitive to the trails, traumas and hope of all communities living in Sri Lanka?

·Can it highlight some of the deeper challenges and issues that Sri Lanka must fix in building a new Sri Lanka and make Sri Lankans aware and able to address ‘small’ at a community level? This does not mean doing campaigns based on dreamy ideals with the song Imagine playing in the background,nor marketing that does not meet your objective of helping sell a product.But it does mean ensuring that marketing gives, even if it is just through the portrayal of people, positive messages that build trust – rather than as sometimes is done in ad campaigns (American political ones are the best known example) – a negative view of people and life.  

Achieving effective results through ‘ideas that work’?  

 -The Effies reward ‘ideas that work’ or those ideas that achieve REAL results. In Sri Lanka today, can these ‘real’ results be more that selling products or how many people respond to advertising? -Is it possible to measure success, by including, how many people’s minds can be changed about what it means to be truly reconciliatory? YOU can create this opportunity

-So, while congratulating the winners and thanking you for this opportunity to speak to you, I would like to leave you with your own mission statement of becoming a “driving force that enhances business and national value.”  Continue to do this, especially because, in today’s post-war Sri Lanka, the business community has great and unique value and potential to build peace and hope for a more inclusive, prosperous and happy Sri Lanka.

It is privilege to be here today in the home of Sarvodaya for a number of reasons:

 -because of what Sarvodaya has accomplished over more than 50 years, in helping people in communities throughout Sri Lanka to better help themselves. This role is recognized in Sri Lanka, but also recognized world-wide

- and I even studied in university 25 years ago about Sarvodaya as a best practice for fighting poverty and empowering people and communities  

 -because I am able to meet impressive and inspirational people from different walks of life the awardees.  

 -because this is a time when the ideals of peace and unity and brotherhood that Sarvodaya is based on are relevant and needed - and it is a time when the practical proven path of doing this through communities needs to be applied.

I hope I can repay this privilege by sharing with you a few thoughts on how these ideals and this experience could help uplift more Sri Lankans.

I can’t really claim the UN is a village based organization, like Sarvodaya is!!   But people are supposed to be at the centre for the UN too!  

The first words of the UN charter are:“We the peoples of the United Nations determined: -to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war -to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights -to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. -to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained through sovereign member states.

The founders of the United Nations knew that people had to come first in any programme.  They knew that peace is the central condition for people to be better off.  They knew the path to this was through both human rights and through development - and in an internationally supportive environment.

Right now all Sri Lankans want to build a lasting peace, and friends of Sri Lanka like the UN want to help them do this.  Like in all places when a war is finished, doing this is not easy.  There are wounds to be healed, there is trust to built.   Misunderstandings are easy - we in the UN too sometimes misunderstand our partners, and we are also sometimes misunderstood.

But in the first months after the end of a war, it is the time for broad groups of people to work together to take advantage of a unique chance to make peace lasting and development faster, sustainable and more equitable.   It is a time to build the confidence, the trust and the capacities for this.  The awardees today are a shining example of the skills, talent and commitment needed from a broad range of society to do this and I hope an inspiration and lesson for young people.

I just returned from a visit on Wednesday to Friday to the north.  First to see people at Menik farm,  then to meet people returning to their homes in Mantai West in Mannar, in Thunnakai Division in Mullaitivu and then to  see people returning to Jaffna.  

The Government’s work on moving this forward is commendable and I saw good results - whether it was a better atmosphere in a quieter Menick Farm, or people happy to be back in their home places in each of the three places.  

Of course the challenges are still great before they can get back to a normal life, and they will need strong help from Government, from Sri Lankan civil society and from international partners - and especially the type of work Sarovdaya is the leader in - in uplifting people through village development.  From what I saw I am confident this will happen.  

As the UN charter says the first path towards meeting its ideals is “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours”.

But what is perhaps most important is that the Government has taken the bold step to return people and to release them - they have taken the chance for peace.  

 Work, like that Sarvodaya does, and work like the United Nations supports and does, can play an important supporting role in ensuring that this chance is not lost and that ordinary people can make a difference.

Sri Lanka is fortunate to have people like the awardees.  Sri Lanka is fortunate to have organizations, like Sarvodaya.  Let us hope these awards can help energize the awardees and people like them to work even more to translate peace into “better standards of life in larger freedom”.

As the Secretary General said in his UN day message, we must be united to make the world a safer and better place.  

Since we stood here one year ago, the UN team in Sri Lanka indeed has united in purpose and in action to try to make not just the world – but more specifically Sri Lanka - a safer and better place.  The last 12 months in Sri Lanka have seen historic and tumultuous changes. 

Through these our focus has always been on helping people, in support of government efforts, where there was a need, and where our help could make a real difference.   

It indeed did make a difference when we brought thousands of tons of food and relief items to people trapped in the Vanni.  We made a difference when we were there to help the government as tens of thousands of people passed through Omantai. We were there to help shelter, feed and help them recover as they arrived in Vavuniya, Jaffna and Pulmoddai.  And as I speak we are trying our best make a difference in helping tens of thousands of people return to their home areas in Jaffna, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya, in support of the commendable and strong efforts of the government to help these people return in dignity, and regain a normal life. 

 We were able to do this because of the support of the Government, and close partnerships with many organizations, notably the Red Cross for our work in the conflict areas, excellent Sri Lankan and internationally based development and humanitarian organizations, and the support of the taxpayers from many donor countries.  

And as the pictures around you show, we continue to work throughout the country, with substantial work in the east, helping people consolidate the gains from peace as they recover from both the Tsunami and the fighting, and longstanding and significant work in the south  and west, mainly in places where there are still are many poor.  

The most important ingredient in our work is our 2000 staff, 1765 from Sri Lankan and 235 from more than twenty countries.  They have exhibited bravery, compassion, professionalism and perseverance throughout the year.  Many all over the country suffered the effects of terrorist attacks, of being caught in fighting, and of being displaced from their homes.  We hope in the next weeks that all can be together with their families in their own homes again.  

Sixty four years ago the UN was created after 60 million died. Therefore the words of the charter are “we the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”.  The UN was created to help countries and peoples rebuild after a devastating war.   

The challenges facing Sri Lanka today after the victory in May, are fortunately, much smaller in scale than those faced in 1945 but some are similar in nature – such as rebuilding lives affected by war, rebuilding confidence,  and rebuilding the economy.  In meeting this challenge Sri Lanka has the advantages it has created for itself, despite the years of conflict, of a well educated, healthy people who value education, of a business sector with excellent and internationally competitive firms, and world class things that unite it – among these a superb cricket team! 

The UN by its purpose, by it structure, and by its experience in Sri Lanka, can support Sri Lanka in building on it strengths to consolidate the benefits of peace -  so that as the charter say, all Sri Lankans can enjoy “better standards of life in larger freedom”.  Thank you.

Read the Secretary General's UN Day message

Thank you for inviting me to speak to this distinguished group this evening. The accomplishments of the Sri Lankan private sector are impressive whether it be in terms of what you produce, how you do it, and who does it – or in term of innovative and inspiring demonstrations of business responsibility.It is an honour for me to be with you today on behalf of the United Nations family.The UN family in Sri Lanka appreciates its long and productive collaboration with the Chamber, whether it be helping implement the Millennium Development Goals, on HIV/AIDS or on work on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace .. or in many other areas.That this work is perhaps not surprising as the values on which the Chamber work are not so different than those of the UN.
 
The values on which the UN system is based on - of respect for individual rights and the right to development; of peaceful approaches; of tolerance and understanding; and of compassasion - are similar to the values on which responsible businesses operate.For the objectives of development, of human rights and of good governance, the UN recognizes the value of the private sector as a natural development partner and a part of the broader social leadership of the country. 

We try to put this into action by settingglobal standards such as the UN global Compact Principles, ILO’s work on labour and Decent work,and UNDP’s support to PS in embedding the MDGs into CSR practices. 

When I was first in Sri Lanka 24 years ago, the challenges Sri Lankan businesses faced were very different from those faced today – that is not surprise!.But the challenges today are also different from just a year ago when I attended your last awards ceremony.The “home-grown” challenges were considerable 24 years ago and last year too! They remain so today. But as one CEO told me last year –they are difficult but we are used to meeting such challenges!But the challenges faced internationally are new …and frightening.With credit tightening, with markets shrinking, with more uncertainty everywhere about the future, and with governments playing more active and different roles, – what is the role for responsible business. Is responsibility a luxury? Download the full text here.

On behalf of the United Nations System in Sri Lanka – both resident and non resident agencies, it is our great pleasure to join together with the Government of Sri Lanka for this first joint annual review of the UN Development Assistance Framework 2008– 2011. 

The UNDAF represents the UN’s commitment to supporting Government in its implementation of the National Development Plan (Mahinda Chintana) and to achieving its development goals, most notably the MDGs where Sri Lanka has already made impressive steps and is on target to meet most if not all the goals by 2015. 

It also represents our commitment to the UN Reform agenda articulated by the former Secretary General Kofi Annan and endorsed by the General Assembly. It represents our commitments to the of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness which intends to promote national ownership and place the government and national processes at the heart of our support. It is about promoting mutual accountability, strengthening national capacities and the utilization of public financial management systems (ref. HACT). 

 But more fundamentally, today’s dialogue is one of the means to ensure the UN System continues to meets its obligations,an d responds to new opportunities and tonew needs,It is about how the United Nations system in Sri Lanka can be a key partner to the government and people of Sri Lanka.It is about how the United Nations system canbest help Sri Lankans to improve their lives...
Download the full text here.