$740 million pledged for UN development activities.

$740 million pledged for UN development activities

Some 110 countries pledged $740 million for United Nations development activities at the 1985 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development (New York, 14-15 November).

Contributions were made to more than 30 funds and programmes related to social and economic development, technical co-operation, training and research, capital development and environmental management. Some pledging countries stipulated that their contributions were subject to parliamentary approval.

Some major donors, including Australia, Japan and the United States, said they were unable at this time to make pledges because their budgetary time-tables did not coincide with that of the Conference. Several other nations stated that contributions to specific programmes and organizations would be announced at a later date.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) received pledges totalling $487.2 million from some 100 countries, the largest amount pledged to UNDP in its history, according to Bradford Morse, UNDP Administrator. Pledges establish the base for the next five-year cycle for United Nations technical co-operation activities. Using current exchange rates, and considering actual and estimated pledges, the target of $700 million for 1986 contributions had actually been surpassed, Mr. Morse said.

Ninety countries pledged $132 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Conference's second largest beneficiary. James P. Grant, UNICEF Executive Director, said an additional $79 million would likely be pledged in the months ahead. Combined 1986 pledges would total $211 million, $20 million more than 1985 estimates. UNICEF expected some $40 million in 1986 from National Committees for UNICEF, non-governmental organizations, other private sources and the sales of greeting cards. Significant private contributions were also made each year for UNICEF supplementary funds. Such substantial private support, "unique in the United Nations system", underscored the "people-to-people" character of UNICEF, he said.

The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) received $77.5 million in...