Montenegro

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark to pay an official visit to Montenegro

Podgorica, 6 September 2010

Upon the invitation of the Government of Montenegro, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Helen Clark will pay an official visit to Montenegro on 7th and 8th September.

On September 7th Helen Clark will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Milan Roćen and will also be the honorary guest at a reception organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Government’s Villa Gorica.

On September 8th Helen Clark will meet with President of Montenegro Filip Vujanović and Prime Minister Milo Đukanović.

The UNDP highest official’s talks with the highest representatives of the Montenegrin Government will, among other things, focus on regional cooperation; progress towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals; preparation for EU candidate country status; UN and UNDP’s role in regional development and also in the context of global economic crisis response; UN Delivering as One. Helen Clark will convey a message that the UNDP and UN Country Team in Montenegro aim to further enhance cooperation with Montenegro to address major developmental priorities of the country and its integration into EU.

On September 8th at 11am, in her capacity as Chair of the United Nations Development Group, Helen Clark will lay the first stone of the UN Eco Building together with Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Đukanović.

While in Montenegro, Helen Clark will also meet with the Heads of resident UN Agencies, and will visit the North of the country, to discuss UNDP’s support in sustainable tourism development. She will stop in Mojkovac to view progress on the remediation of the tailing impound as part of the Western Balkans Environmental Hot Spots Programme, and how it has helped community development.

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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.

Prior to her appointment with UNDP, Helen Clark served for nine years as Prime Minister of New Zealand, serving three successive terms from 1999 - 2008. Throughout her tenure as Prime Minister, Helen Clark engaged widely in policy development and advocacy across the international, economic, social and cultural spheres.

For more information about Helen Clark, please go to the UNDP official website http://www.undp.org/about/helen-clark.shtml