MBO Interview 1. Since 2009 was quite challenging due to the financial crisis. To which extent and in which manner it influenced UNDP work globally?
Mr. Alexander Avanessov, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro Mr. Alexander Avanessov has been UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro since 4th July, 2008. Prior to his appointment in Montenegro, he served as Deputy Resident Representative at the UNDP in Armenia from September 2004 to June 2008. He also served from 1994 to 2004 as Regional Program Manager and Program Specialist at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, and as Senior Regional Adviser at the UNDP Country Office in Russia. Mr. Avanessov was awarded a Master’s Degree and a Doctorate in International Economic Relations at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia. He continued at the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs as an assistant professor, lecturing on the Economy of Japan and the Economic Geography of the USSR. Between 1984 and 1986 Mr. Avanessov served as Second Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of International Economic Organizations. Here, he contributed to the formulation and promotion of several key initiatives that were taken up by the USSR in various UN bodies. Between 1986 and 1994 he worked at the Russian Mission to the United Nations, Department of UN Economic Agencies as First Secretary.
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The global crisis has put at risk many hard won developmental gains in many parts of the world and has resulted in the loss of 30 million jobs worldwide as well as creating tremendous problems for many people, particularly vulnerable groups. For an organization like UNDP it has meant that we have had to become even more programmatically focused, cost-effective and coordinate more effectively our efforts with our development partners and major stakeholders. During this period we have initiated various interventions to help governments to respond effectively to the crisis, thus increasing the resilience of states in dealing with external shocks and move forward with their developmental strategies. We have also done this in Montenegro, where our activities have included analyses of the impact of the crisis, policy advice, stimulation of employment and entrepreneurship. At a global level, the UN system, including UNDP, actively participates in discussions within various international forums, including G8 and G20, advocating for development cooperation to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
2. In October 2009, UNDP Montenegro launched National Human Development Report 2009 recommending measures to make Montenegro become the Society for All. As we know, the global financial crisis has caused a severe downturn in the Montenegrin economy; GDP growth was estimated at between -5% and -6% in 2009. In the coming years the economy is expected to pick up during the next few years. However, macroeconomic stability and structural issues (as emphasized by prime minister Luksic in his inaugural address), such as competitiveness of local economies, promotion of small and medium enterprises, social development, anticorruption, development of local economies, and enhancement of the educational system, science and technology, will all feature strongly in the national agenda. I believe that this approach, with high attention to the problems of vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the RAE population and the unemployed, will make Montenegro more resilient to the crisis and ensure more sustained progress in human development and the attainment of national MDG targets. As expressed by UNDP administrator, Helen Clark, the latest global economic crisis reminds us of how vulnerable countries can be to external shocks. This is very relevant to Montenegro which has been so far quite dependent on the external factors, including FDIs or situation in the aluminium market. Unfortunately, as you can see from the recent analysis of the UN report on world economic prospects in 20112012, the global economic growth is anticipated to be weak. This underlines the importance of focusing on internal factors concerning economic growth in the country, based on its growing competitiveness. Let me mention, in this regard,
the enormous potential of Montenegro (very much untapped especially in the Northern part) for eco-tourism and green economy.
3. What kind of capacities you believe are the most important having in mind current economic situation especially at Western Balkans and in Montenegro? As you are aware, the development of national capacities is a key overarching component of the UNDP mandate. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of this work in Montenegro, especially now when the country is going through a very intensive EU accession process. I believe that capacity building starts from knowledge building, which includes also learning from international experience. I agree with the point of view expressed in the monograph belonging to the Academy of Science in Montenegro entitled ‘Montenegro in the XXI century’. It states that in an era of competitiveness, “in the process of building a knowledgeable society, not only will a higher level of education of the population be necessary, but also a greater level of integration into the world will be required”. In this regard, the UN system is a unique hub and a custodian of knowledge regarding various aspects of development. In the context of Montenegro, we are introducing this knowledge and best practices through the UN Integrated Programme and through agency specific country programmes and interventions of UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, and many specialized agencies such as UNIDO, FAO, ILO, WHO and UNESCO. In Montenegro UNDP has developed a comprehensive capacity development program to assess the capacity of many governmental institutions, both at central and local level. I should mention that in fact all UNDP projects have a capacity development component. Over the coming years, some of the main priorities will concern capacity development in such areas as adaptation and mitigation of climate change, sustainable development, preparation for the Rio summit in 2012 and celebration of the 20th anniversary of the proclamation of Montenegro as an eco-state, disaster risk reduction, support to civil society organizations, local administration and private-public partnerships, among others.
4. Montenegro ranks 49th on the index, with a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.769, out of a total 169 countries. This ranking places Montenegro in the “high human development” category and ahead of all countries of former Yugoslavia except Slovenia, which ranks 29th and hence falls into the category of “very high human development”. Do you think we should be pleased with those results? I think that Montenegro should be proud of the progress it has achieved since gaining its independence. The country is now in the upper group, in terms of the human development index, which is an aggregate measure that gauges the situation in three areas: long and healthy life, access to knowledge, a decent standard of living.
February 2011
However, this should not be the reason to relax. A lot remains to be done to ensure further human development progress and the highest standard of living possible in Montenegro. While Montenegro can be considered an “MDG Plus” country (that has actually achieved its targets regarding child mortality, HIV and maternal health), a number of gains have been jeopardized by the economic crisis in 2009. The poverty level rose from 4.9% in 2008 to 6.8% in 2009. This had, and will have, a delayed negative impact on existing regional disparities, and the situation of vulnerable groups. I think that the main task now is to try to preserve the progress that has been achieved so far and enhance the resilience of the country to crisis, thus ensuring stable economic growth, which, along with furthering the progress of democratic institutions, health and education, should guarantee every person living in Montenegro the opportunity to realize his/or her potential.
5. Could you name the most successful projects UNDP implemented in 2010? What where the visible results of those actions? I believe that the best UNDP project is still ahead of us, but in terms of impact there are several which I might single out. For example, the project ‘Demilitarization of Montenegro’ (MONDEM) has had a direct impact on improving the security of people. Hazardous toxic materials left on the shores of the country’s spectacular Bay of Kotor, have now been disposed of. Also the ‘Capacity Development Programme’ (CDP), mentioned before, brought critical knowledge and experience to quite a number of national institutions, including support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration in organizing the Summer School for Young Diplomats named after the first Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs Gavro Vukovic – a regional initiative led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Rocen. This initiative attracts more and more interest beyond the region, with great participation of almost the entire diplomatic core in Montenegro. I would also mention our project in support of access to justice for the poor where UNDP, together with the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, enhanced the reform of legal aid and the mediation system. Our pilot project aimed at limiting the effect of the economic crisis in the north of Montenegro brought to life 12 new businesses and proved that the families could safeguard their living even in very difficult economic situation if provided with rather decent, but well targeted financial and technical support. Additionally, priority was given to ideas pertaining to “green” jobs which could be linked with local tourism initiatives – supplying local hotels or businesses, for instance. The empowerment of women was also promoted through special support to female entrepreneurs.
It has been very important, as part of a threeyear environmental project to repair sites that were once blighted by industrial pollution in the Western Balkans. UNDP coordinated a cleanup of the tailing pond in Mojkovac, a toxic shadow remaining from a closed lead and zinc mine. What was once a threat to human health is now being reinvented as an eco-tourism hub. Investment barriers are being removed to allow productive public use of the dump’s prime location. To make the most of the reclaimed site, Mojkovac is planning to build a vast sport and recreation ground which will extend from both banks of the Tara, and will be based on winning designs from an international competition.
6. How do you see cooperation between UNDP and Government of Montenegro in incoming period? We are currently making good progress with the ongoing 2007-2011 UNDP country programme. Our recent strategic review with the government showed that our approach, during this period, and our plans for the next programming cycle 2012-2016, correspond fully with the Montenegro’s priorities. This was also reconfirmed during discussions with the UNDP administrator Helen Clark and country leaders in September 2010. Our program supports Montenegro’s key strategic goal to become a member of the European Union and assist in achieving many development goals and international obligations. In addition to the above mentioned interventions I would like to mention some projects that we have supported and successfully completed during this period, together with national institutions and with support from donor partners. Firstly, the 2009 National Human Development Report on Social Inclusion along with the analysis and data obtained from the First National Communication on Climate Change - both have been used extensively in policy and decision making; new strategies now exist for regional development, the informal management of the settlement of protected areas, and the reform of public administration; capacity building has been implemented in the Ministries of Finance, Justice, Health, Environment and Spatial Planning, European Integration, and Foreign Affairs; a third year of study in the Academic Gender Studies course was supported, and a new project funded by the EU on gender equality has just been signed. Public-private partnerships have been sought under the Global Compact model that was inaugurated with 21 companies in November 2010. This is one way of encouraging the growth of a community which demonstrates corporate social responsibility in Montenegro. We are very glad to see that the government is beginning to tackle emerging issues regarding the mitigation of climate change and the adaptation and efficiency of energy.
7. How do you see the future activities of UNDP in Montenegro? What are your main goals? The future Country Programme for 20122016 which is being consulted now with the Government will address the key national priorities including those identified within the strategy for EU accession and various other sector based strategies and development plans, such as Regional Development Strategy or Public Administration Reform agenda. The overall aim of the programme is to strengthen human and institutional capacity in Montenegro, to implement legal, policy and public administrative reform, to improve the country’s ability to provide services, to ensure the protection of the most vulnerable elements of society and to promote employment and environmentally conscious, equitable growth. Key priorities, which in many respects echo those of the EU accession process, where we will closely work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, will be focused on such areas as: public administration and judiciary reform; the capacity development of key ministries and local administration; the inclusion and protection of vulnerable populations; the realization of transforming Montenegro into an eco-state; an emphasis on climate change; the reduction of disaster risk; the improvement of energy efficiency; the remediation of environmental hot spots; the introduction of sustainable tourism as a means of local development; the development of strong partnerships with civil society and NGOs, all of which are important and active participants in our many projects. Let me also mention our joint work the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and the European Delegation on the reform of the welfare system, where special attention will be paid to vulnerable individuals and social groups who are at risk of exclusion, such as the Roma, the long term unemployed, people with disabilities, pensioners, and those residing in remote, rural areas. We will carry out several strategically important projects in the area of adaptation to and mitigating climate change and in the promotion of ecotourism and a green economy as a means of local development in cooperation with the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism. Policy advice regarding the implementation and introduction of public administrative reforms, anti-corruption institutions, and capacity development in local administration, inter-municipal cooperation and demilitarization will be the focus of our work in the area of democratic governance. All our work will be implemented within the framework of the UN integrated programme, and in close coordination and collaboration with our international development partners, the civil society and a socially responsible business community.
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