Statement by H.E. Mr Mogens Lykketoft President of the 70th session of the General Assembly at adoption of follow-up and review resolution
29 July 2016
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, only last week, during the High Level Political Forum, we witnessed a series of examples of how governments, civil society, the private sector, universities, the UN system and others are taking steps to get implementation of the 2030 Agenda off to the best possible start.
The resolution before you today is another one of those steps.
While a small contribution when compared to the grand achievements of 2015, I believe it is a critical one.
It comes on the back of the Critical Milestones report presented by the Secretary-General in January of this year and contains a series of decisions that will help the follow-up and review processes at the global level, particularly the High Level Political Forum, to be as effective and engaging as possible.
I therefore wish to thank Her Excellency Lois M. Young, Permanent Representative of Belize and His Excellency Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark, and their teams, for leading the informal consultations in such an inclusive and skilful manner.
I also wish to thank each and every delegate who gave considerable time and effort to the negotiating process, and who ultimately summoned the spirit of unity that led to last year’s agreement.
As you know, however, these consultations have not been without their complications.
It is regrettable that technical discussions at times veered towards a renegotiation of issues decided last September.
It is my sincere hope that as we move towards the 71st session, delegations will embrace a new mindset that sees the focus here in New York shift towards creating an environment that inspires action from all actors and implementation at all levels.
At the same time, I am aware that certain aspects of the draft text present challenges for some delegations.
In this regard, allow me to remind delegates that Resolution 70/1, together with other resolutions, provides the context for this current draft resolution.
Through it, world leaders agreed to a universal agenda – to be met for all nations and peoples, and all segments of society.
They decided that the goals and targets are integrated and indivisible; balancing the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental.
They also addressed a wide-range of other issues including, in paragraph 35, the issue of peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation, and, in paragraph 74, the principles related to follow-up and review processes.
In light of this, I trust that a spirit of consensus will prevail in this Assembly today.
Such consensus will help preserve the universal ownership of the 2030 Agenda.
And it will also, in this critical first year of implementation, help sustain global efforts to transform our world for the better – for people and planet alike.