Statement by
Professor Sergio DellaPergola
The Shlomo Argov Chair on Israel-Diaspora Relations
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
14 April 2011
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
While we approach the later stages of this 44th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, Israel would like to express its profound appreciation to the Chairman, to the Vice-Chairpersons, to the members of the Bureau, the organizers of special sessions and keynote speakers, and the clerical personnel. Most particularly, we wish to express our thanks to the staff of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations.
Over the years and with consistent excellence, the Division has been able to supply a huge wealth of raw materials, of advanced estimates, and of sophisticated analyses on all aspects of demography, and its interactions with, and implications for, social and economic aspects of society.
The Population Division provides the primary and essential institutional foundation to all those who in the scientific community and in policy making functions operate in the broad area of Population Studies and Demography, as well as to the many lay people who need the data just for intellectual curiosity or for other applied uses.
We look forward to the continuation of the Population Division's fruitful engagement with production, evaluation, integration and interpretation of the data we all need. We fully support the rich working program that has been submitted by the Division for the biennium 2012-2013, and we look forward to continue enjoying its high quality services.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks and congratulations to Dr. Hania Zlotnik toward the year of her retirement. For long years, Dr. Zlotnik has been at the edge of the profession and she has produced an invaluable mass of comprehensive, stimulating, and innovative work. Through her person, we would also like to express our appreciation to all her colleagues – those who will retire and those who will continue – at the Division, and we express the hope that the new scientific and professional leaders at the Division will be of equally high quality and reliability.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
