Tunisian initiative for the creation of a World Solidarity Fund adopted by international community

Tunis, 7 January 2003

The adoption last month by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution creating a World Solidarity Fund (www.solidarity-fund.org) is the culmination of a process giving Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's initiative a global momentum after receiving the support of various international and regional organizations.

The World Solidarity Fund's primary mission is to serve as a mechanism to help the international community fight poverty and promote human development in least-favored regions worldwide.

The inception of the initiative was on August 1999 when Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali called for the creation of a "World Solidarity Fund", modeled after the successful "National Solidarity Fund" (www.26-26.org ), he had initiated in Tunisia in 1992. Established as a national charity, "the National Solidarity Fund" was instrumental in drastically reducing poverty in Tunisia.

President Ben Ali's global anti-poverty initiative received immediate support from a number of international and regional organizations such as the League of Arab States, the Organization of African Unity, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Cairo Euro-African Summit (April 2000), the Carthagena Non-Aligned Movement Summit (April 2000), and the Havana South Summit (April 2000).

In December 2000, the U.N. General Assembly adopted Resolution 55/210 "to establish a World Solidarity Fund for poverty eradication." It requested the U.N. Secretary General to initiate consultations on the topic. On December 20, 2002, the 57th United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES 57/265 calling for the effective and immediate implementation of the World Solidarity Fund.

Mr. Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), expressed that day his enthusiastic support for the creation of the World Solidarity Fund by the UN General Assembly.

"In a few short years, the Tunisian National Solidarity Fund helped reduce poverty to around four percent," said the Administrator. "I am delighted that the United Nations has decided to scale up this innovative mechanism at the world level."

"We see the World Solidarity Fund as an innovative mechanism that will support national development efforts with the energy of community-based organizations, the commitment of individuals, and the vibrancy of the private sector," said the Administrator. "We certainly hope that the Fund will be well endowed, and look forward, in UNDP, to making full use of this instrument of world solidarity as we move to implement the Millennium Development Goals, especially the overarching goal on halving poverty by 2015," he added. The Administrator concluded, "On behalf of all of us, working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, I want to thank the Government of Tunisia for pioneering this important initiative. I look forward to their continuing support to our efforts so that, one day, all countries can point to an impressive record in the struggle to end poverty."

Operated as a UNDP Trust Fund, WSF will be funded with donations and voluntary contributions from willing individuals,private sector institutions, associations, and governments.