Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme on 17 April 2009, and is the first woman to lead the organization. She is also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues.
Helen Clark: Message on the United Nations day of south-south cooperation
The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation offers an opportunity to celebrate the many achievements of the South and to encourage continued support and engagement by the entire development community with South-South cooperation.
The past decade has witnessed the growing prominence of South-South development cooperation, which has contributed to progress on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in many countries. The dynamism of much of the South will undoubtedly continue to generate development progress, as a source of innovation, knowledge, and solutions to development challenges. The policies, skills, and technical expertise originating from countries in the South are often the best suited to meeting development challenges faced by others in the South.
As host of the newly renamed United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, UNDP will continue supporting the engagement of Member States, UN system organizations, the private sector, and other South-South partners in South-South and Triangular partnership initiatives to achieve the MDGs and other development goals.
Facilitating South-South exchanges of experience and knowledge is central to what UNDP does around the world. Through our universal presence, we have the capacity to link countries and communities to knowledge, best practice, and lessons learned.
Together we must work to boost development, expand opportunities, tackle poverty and inequality, and build resilience.