Ladies and gentlemen of the press,
We have just opened an important symposium. Shaping the global partnership for development to support the effectiveness of the post-2015 development agenda, is our collective aim here in Addis Ababa.
With less than three years left to the final target date of the Millennium Development Goals, our efforts now focus on accelerating progress and addressing gaps in implementation.
The global partnership for development has played an important role in promoting MDG progress. It has helped to galvanize aid, trade, debt relief, access to ICT and essential medicines, and other support. Yet, here too, important gaps remain.
Activities on a global development agenda beyond 2015 are ramping up. Member States and other stakeholders are tasked to develop one unified agenda. Consultations so far suggest that the post-2015 development agenda should aim at poverty eradication, and have sustainable development at its centre.
We also know that it needs to be underpinned by a strong partnership for development. One that honours existing commitments. And, one that reflects a changing development landscape.
Today’s complex global challenges require commitments from all stakeholders if we are to advance sustainable development.
A broad and inclusive consultation process will help to build ownership and an active multi-stakeholder engagement.
The Ethiopia High-Level Symposium is an important milestone in this direction. We will explore the potential role, principles and strategic priorities of a renewed global partnership for development. Discussions will also consider the role of monitoring and accountability to underpin such a partnership.
Caucus meetings are being organized based on the initiative of Least Developed Countries, civil society organizations, Members of Parliament, think tanks and the Busan global partnership for effective development cooperation.
And, Southern partners in development cooperation are also meeting to discuss the common challenges they face as a diverse group of development actors. This will build on a recent conference held in Delhi. There, Southern partners recognized the need for a genuine dialogue, driven and supported by the South, with the aim of maximizing the impact of South-South Cooperation.
The Development Cooperation Forum – a key mechanism of the Economic and Social Council – provides a unique platform for such discussions. It is expected to engage all relevant actors in an inclusive dialogue on the future of development cooperation in a post-2015 era.
This symposium represents the first of three preparatory High-level Symposia in preparation for the 2014 Development Cooperation Forum, to be held in July 2014 in New York.
Thank you very much for your time today