Delivered by Mr. Navid Hanif, Director, Office of ECOSOC Support & Coordination Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Your Excellency Ambassador Djani, Chairman of the Second Committee,Excellencies,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,It is a great pleasure to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, your Bureau, and all Member States on the conclusion of such a productive session of the Second Committee.
The Committee supports a rich agenda within a tight timeframe. Member States’ commitment and skillful work are essential to the Committee’s contribution towards sustainable development.
This is especially true as we continue the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The insights from this session offer valuable lessons for further continuing and refining the Committee’s work.
Excellencies,
I assure you that the Secretariat stands ready to provide the proper follow-up to this session.
On international migration and development, we will be strengthening efforts to promote coherent, comprehensive and coordinated approaches, as well as addressing the messages related to the follow-up to the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.
We will be focusing on the decision to launch a process of intergovernmental negotiations to elaborate a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. This will be presented for adoption at an intergovernmental conference on international migration, to be held in 2018.
And we will be ensuring coordination and organization with respect to the convening of the Third High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in the first half of 2019, and to agreeing on the modalities of this Dialogue at the 73rd session of the General Assembly.
Distinguished Delegates,
The Committee’s deliberations on macroeconomic policy questions and financing for development constitute an integral part of the dedicated and strengthened Financing for Development follow-up process, mandated in Addis Ababa.
We have followed your guidance for the global follow-up and review of the Addis Agenda. You have invited the President of ECOSOC to begin planning for the 2017 forum, and we will support that effort in an integrated manner.
This year, for the first time, the Committee also considered the issue of “promotion of international cooperation to combat illicit financial flows in order to foster sustainable development”, using the lens of sustainable development. This is a welcome development for the countries most affected.
As the focal point in the Secretariat for the Financing for Development forum and the Financing for Development related items, we are committed to supporting you in these efforts, in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders.
Distinguished delegates,
On poverty eradication, the Committee drew attention to the importance of integrated and coherent policy frameworks in shaping poverty eradication efforts, drawing on the example of youth employment and the impact of the youth jobs crisis on poverty. The Committee focused particularly on youth employment and entrepreneurship during a side event on sustainable strategies for eradicating poverty.
We also note your request for a comprehensive review of the impact of the Second United Nations Decade for Poverty Eradication when it ends in 2017, as a basis for considering the launch of a third decade. We stand ready to support you in every possible way.
The Committee’s policy guidance on information and telecommunications technology emphasizes the growing importance of the digital economy as an important part of the global economy. It also recognizes the critical importance of expanding the participation of countries in the digital economy beyond use of the Internet and e-commerce.
The Committee’s guidance also recognizes the importance of the free flow of information and knowledge. This is a new avenue for the Committee’s work in support of the integrated implementation of the SDGs.
Excellencies,
Let me also congratulate the Committee on the successful adoption of the resolution on the 2016 quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR). This is a milestone in intergovernmental efforts to lay the foundation for the repositioning of the UN development system.
It reflects that Member States and UN entities recognize that the UN development system is at crossroads following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. The recent ECOSOC Dialogue and the work of the Independent Team of Advisers also contributed significantly to the main substantive messages of the resolution.
I am certain that the comprehensive guidance provided in the QCPR resolution will help to ensure that the Organization is more fit-for-purpose in supporting the 2030 Agenda. I am also pleased to note that Member States have entrusted the Secretary-General-Designate with the development of more concrete proposals and options in key areas, such as system-wide strategic planning, the UN resident coordinator system and governance and funding, for further intergovernmental deliberations during this QCPR cycle.
Excellencies,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to thank all Member States for your commitment and focused work during this session of the Committee.
Providing policy guidance to advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs requires open dialogue with a focus on innovation and results.
DESA remains committed to providing you with the full support you need to refine the work of the Second Committee as you seek to advance the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Thank you.
File date:
Tuesday, December 13, 2016