Dervis confirmed to head up UNDP

The United Nations General Assembly, representing 191 countries, have confirmed that former Turkish finance minister Kemal Dervis will head up the UN Development Program (UNDP). The 56-year-old former World Bank official was nominated for the position after being credited with steering Turkey through its worse economic crisis in 2001. Dervis will be the first-ever UNDP chief to come from a nation that receives development aid rather than one who provides it.  "I am thrilled that the Secretary-General and the General  Assembly have placed their confidence in me as the new UNDP Administrator," Mr. Dervis said. "I relish the opportunity to work  for an organization which has always stood at the frontlines of the battle  against poverty and has been a leader in fighting for the right of all people  to live with freedom and dignity. It will be a great privilege and opportunity for me to follow Mark Malloch Brown and to lead this organization as we work to meet the most pressing global need"  the achievement of the  Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Peace, security, economic development and freedom are inextricably linked. I will also greatly value the opportunity to contribute to the general strengthening and reform of the UN system proposed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan."Kemal Dervis, who is presently a member of the Turkish parliament, is expected to take up his post and start his four-year term on August 15, 2005 and will replace the incumbent UNDP Administrator, Mr Malloch Brown.Announcing the nomination, the Secretary-General said he believed Mr. Dervis would make an excellent UNDP Administrator. "I chose  him from an outstanding array of global candidates. He combines a proven  practical and intellectual track record in the fields of development and  international finance with a passionate commitment to addressing the scourge of poverty and established skills as a manager. I have every confidence he will be  able to build on the successful reform effort implemented by Mark Malloch Brown  over the past six years, and consolidate UNDP's critical role in helping address global development priorities from the MDGs to crisis prevention and recovery."  Â