Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to this happy occasion: the celebration of a group of least developed countries to meet the criteria for graduation from LDC status.
Bhutan, Kirbati, Sao Tome and Principe and Solomon Islands have each been recommended for graduation from LDC status by the Committee for Development Policy. If the recommendations are ratified by ECOSOC and endorsed by the General Assembly, these countries will leave the category in coming years, after a transition period.
I congratulate the governments of each of the countries for their remarkable achievements in meeting the benchmark of graduations.
I also applaud the governments of Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Myanmar, which meet the criteria for the first time. Nepal and Timor-Leste meet the criteria for a second time. We look forward to the continued progress of all these countries.
Excellencies,
Complementing the efforts of these governments and peoples has been the coordinated support of the international community, including UN entities represented here tonight.
In each of the graduation cases, the achievement comes after many remarkable years of advance, and – sometimes – setbacks. What binds these countries together is their ability to ride out the difficulties and continue with the long-term task of sustainably building productive capacities, whilst bringing along the less-advantaged.
This theme – prioritising the worst-off and marginalised – underlies the core of the Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, success in the LDCs is critical to the task of leaving no-one behind. Not only that, but targets relating to the LDCs feature explicitly in 14 of the SDG Goals. The 2030 Agenda also mentions LDCs 38 times.
Your countries’ headway is thus an early milestone in the journey toward the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Your achievements are also a vote of confidence in sustainable development itself. The LDC criteria feature not only income, but human assets and vulnerability, showing that development is about more than just material gains. It concerns economic and environmental stability and social welfare of all people.
This multi-dimensional nature of development is something that is recognised by all your governments, and in this sense, you are at the cutting edge.
When I said at the beginning that this is a happy occasion, I meant this in more ways than one. Bhutan is by now well-known for its emphasis on Gross National Happiness, and the International Day of Happiness is the next UN international day, in five days’ time, on 20 March.
Many governments, not just LDCs, are beginning to recognise the importance of life satisfaction, wellbeing and health, in line with Sustainable Development Goal number three.
I wish all governments and peoples of the graduating LDCs well – not only for World Happiness day, but also future long-term wellbeing and prosperity.
Congratulations again on your historic achievements, and have a happy evening.
Thank you.
Welcome to this happy occasion: the celebration of a group of least developed countries to meet the criteria for graduation from LDC status.
Bhutan, Kirbati, Sao Tome and Principe and Solomon Islands have each been recommended for graduation from LDC status by the Committee for Development Policy. If the recommendations are ratified by ECOSOC and endorsed by the General Assembly, these countries will leave the category in coming years, after a transition period.
I congratulate the governments of each of the countries for their remarkable achievements in meeting the benchmark of graduations.
I also applaud the governments of Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Myanmar, which meet the criteria for the first time. Nepal and Timor-Leste meet the criteria for a second time. We look forward to the continued progress of all these countries.
Excellencies,
Complementing the efforts of these governments and peoples has been the coordinated support of the international community, including UN entities represented here tonight.
In each of the graduation cases, the achievement comes after many remarkable years of advance, and – sometimes – setbacks. What binds these countries together is their ability to ride out the difficulties and continue with the long-term task of sustainably building productive capacities, whilst bringing along the less-advantaged.
This theme – prioritising the worst-off and marginalised – underlies the core of the Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, success in the LDCs is critical to the task of leaving no-one behind. Not only that, but targets relating to the LDCs feature explicitly in 14 of the SDG Goals. The 2030 Agenda also mentions LDCs 38 times.
Your countries’ headway is thus an early milestone in the journey toward the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Your achievements are also a vote of confidence in sustainable development itself. The LDC criteria feature not only income, but human assets and vulnerability, showing that development is about more than just material gains. It concerns economic and environmental stability and social welfare of all people.
This multi-dimensional nature of development is something that is recognised by all your governments, and in this sense, you are at the cutting edge.
When I said at the beginning that this is a happy occasion, I meant this in more ways than one. Bhutan is by now well-known for its emphasis on Gross National Happiness, and the International Day of Happiness is the next UN international day, in five days’ time, on 20 March.
Many governments, not just LDCs, are beginning to recognise the importance of life satisfaction, wellbeing and health, in line with Sustainable Development Goal number three.
I wish all governments and peoples of the graduating LDCs well – not only for World Happiness day, but also future long-term wellbeing and prosperity.
Congratulations again on your historic achievements, and have a happy evening.
Thank you.
File date:
Thursday, March 15, 2018