Mr. Vice-President,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honor to deliver closing remarks at the first Integration segment after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda.
2015 was a year of landmark agreements. This year, 2016, is a year of implementation. It is time to deliver on the commitments made in the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
The Integration Segment provides an opportunity to bring together our different analytical competencies, experiences and challenges in integrating the three pillars of sustainable development. It is crucial for examining key policy questions – and there will be many new and complex issues that require continuous search for innovative solutions.
On Monday, we heard from a wide range of contributors about out-of-the-box policy and programme innovations from around the world through the BBC programme “My Perfect Country”.
These bottom-up innovations demonstrate the boundless and untapped potential in three different countries: in promoting law and access to justice in Uganda, and e-governance and digital technologies in Estonia, and in Costa Rica renewable energy and sanitation.
They also demonstrate that making the 2030 Agenda a reality will require both top-down as well as bottom-up approaches. It will require bringing together individuals, civil society, the private sector and governments to find innovative and practical solutions.
Mr. Vice-President,
With the 2030 Agenda as our roadmap, the UN system is working to support the design and implementation of coherent and integrated approaches for SDG achievement.
Allow me to briefly mention a few activities the Department of Economic and Social Affairs is undertaking in order to support SDG implementation, in an integrated manner.
First, we are strengthening and integrating our demonstrated, in-house analytical capacity in areas such as the global economy, social development, population, public administration, as well as data, statistics, financing and capacity building.
Second, we are responding to Member States’ increased demand for integrated support to build national capacities for SDG implementation. This includes technical cooperation and advisory services to Member States to support their efforts at the national level.
We are actively promoting participation of a wide range of stakeholders including academia, the scientific community, civil society and the private sector working towards sustainable development solutions.
Third, DESA, in collaboration with the UN system is committed to working together as one to delivering results on the SDGs. DESA is doing this through the work of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs, the inter-agency body which gives strategic guidance on the economic and social programmes of the UN, helps to ensure a coordinated approach. We strongly believe that this coordination tool is necessary to deliver as one.
Fourth, we also contribute to effective implementation by providing analysis and recommendations that inform Member States’ deliberations on country-level operational activities. Most recently, this has included the report of the Secretary-General on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review and on support to the ECOSOC Dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the UN Development System.
Finally, DESA will continue to support the inter-governmental deliberations of the ECOSOC system. The ECOSOC forum on Financing for Development follow-up and the High-level Political Forum are all integral pieces for mutual learning, peer support and follow-up and review of the new Agenda.
The UN is striving each day to support Member States to meet the high expectations set by the 2030 Agenda.
Mr. Vice-President,
I want to thank most sincerely those Member States, as well as our UN system partners, who made substantive contributions for the preparation of this Segment. Those contributions have informed and are reflected in the substantive Conference Room Paper that was made available at the beginning of the segment.
We remain committed to providing our fullest support to the work of ECOSOC and the UN at large.
Thank you.
It is an honor to deliver closing remarks at the first Integration segment after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda.
2015 was a year of landmark agreements. This year, 2016, is a year of implementation. It is time to deliver on the commitments made in the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
The Integration Segment provides an opportunity to bring together our different analytical competencies, experiences and challenges in integrating the three pillars of sustainable development. It is crucial for examining key policy questions – and there will be many new and complex issues that require continuous search for innovative solutions.
On Monday, we heard from a wide range of contributors about out-of-the-box policy and programme innovations from around the world through the BBC programme “My Perfect Country”.
These bottom-up innovations demonstrate the boundless and untapped potential in three different countries: in promoting law and access to justice in Uganda, and e-governance and digital technologies in Estonia, and in Costa Rica renewable energy and sanitation.
They also demonstrate that making the 2030 Agenda a reality will require both top-down as well as bottom-up approaches. It will require bringing together individuals, civil society, the private sector and governments to find innovative and practical solutions.
Mr. Vice-President,
With the 2030 Agenda as our roadmap, the UN system is working to support the design and implementation of coherent and integrated approaches for SDG achievement.
Allow me to briefly mention a few activities the Department of Economic and Social Affairs is undertaking in order to support SDG implementation, in an integrated manner.
First, we are strengthening and integrating our demonstrated, in-house analytical capacity in areas such as the global economy, social development, population, public administration, as well as data, statistics, financing and capacity building.
Second, we are responding to Member States’ increased demand for integrated support to build national capacities for SDG implementation. This includes technical cooperation and advisory services to Member States to support their efforts at the national level.
We are actively promoting participation of a wide range of stakeholders including academia, the scientific community, civil society and the private sector working towards sustainable development solutions.
Third, DESA, in collaboration with the UN system is committed to working together as one to delivering results on the SDGs. DESA is doing this through the work of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs, the inter-agency body which gives strategic guidance on the economic and social programmes of the UN, helps to ensure a coordinated approach. We strongly believe that this coordination tool is necessary to deliver as one.
Fourth, we also contribute to effective implementation by providing analysis and recommendations that inform Member States’ deliberations on country-level operational activities. Most recently, this has included the report of the Secretary-General on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review and on support to the ECOSOC Dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the UN Development System.
Finally, DESA will continue to support the inter-governmental deliberations of the ECOSOC system. The ECOSOC forum on Financing for Development follow-up and the High-level Political Forum are all integral pieces for mutual learning, peer support and follow-up and review of the new Agenda.
The UN is striving each day to support Member States to meet the high expectations set by the 2030 Agenda.
Mr. Vice-President,
I want to thank most sincerely those Member States, as well as our UN system partners, who made substantive contributions for the preparation of this Segment. Those contributions have informed and are reflected in the substantive Conference Room Paper that was made available at the beginning of the segment.
We remain committed to providing our fullest support to the work of ECOSOC and the UN at large.
Thank you.
File date:
Wednesday, May 4, 2016