Vienna, Austria – March 12, 2015
Excellencies,
Mr. Pavel Kabat, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of IIASA,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to make a few remarks at this important event, although due to the exigencies of the work of the General Assembly, I am unable to attend in person.
This year, the international community has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change our world, for the better, as we formulate an inclusive and transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda.
After an unprecedented process of consultation and deliberation among Member States and stakeholders, the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the main component of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, will be adopted by world leaders this September. The overarching objectives of the new development framework will be to eradicate poverty and hunger and achieve the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
Meeting our development objectives will require political leadership at all levels, as well as the engagement of multilateral organizations, civil society, and the private sector, in order to match our development aspirations with adequate resources.
As we move forward in this important undertaking, science has a critical and unique role to play in advising governments, businesses and other stakeholders on the cost of inaction and to help chart pathways towards achieving the SDGs. Such pathways should take into account the potential synergies and trade-offs between different sectors and support integrated strategies.
The world population will be nearly 9 billion people by 2050, and envisioning how best we can achieve the well-being and prosperity of all, while protecting our planet is quite a challenge. In this context, I welcome the launch of The World at 2050 Project, as it seeks to bring together the major modelling teams to consider sustainable development pathways.
This initiative will provide an important contribution to our discussions on the new development agenda, particularly insofar as it helps to fill gaps in our understanding of how the SDGs can be achieved.
I thank you for your attention and wish you a successful event.
