Excellencies,Honourable Ministers,Distinguished Participants,Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the special event “SDG Acceleration Actions to Build Back Better”. As we get into the fifth year of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, all countries across the world are now experiencing daunting challenges to their sustainable development efforts. These challenges are being severely compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic – the largest human tragedy since the founding of the United Nations.
As countries struggle to respond to the pandemic and prepare for recovery, it is critical to ensure that we emerge stronger. We must build back better, greener and fairer. We must put people at the center of all our recovery efforts.
We have a shared blueprint for action – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be considered our ‘policy vaccine’ for the worst effects of COVID-19.Excellencies,
Over the past months, my Department (UN DESA) has been advancing significant analytical work. We are working to build evidence and offer policy insights on the many impacts that the pandemic is having on our societies and economies. I wish to highlight three key priorities that would enable us to build back better:
First, we should maintain past progress and support those at immediate risk of poverty, hunger or disease. This should be done while facilitating their safe return to work and education, as well as their access to health care. This point is especially crucial to build resilience and prevent further setbacks.
Second, we must accelerate the universal provision of essential services to all. Guaranteed access to quality healthcare, education and basic income security, as well as to water, sanitation, clean energy and internet, especially for the most vulnerable populations – should be an integral part of recovery process.Third, we should reverse course on the degradation of nature – including in greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation and biodiversity loss. The present crisis is a chance for us to build back in a more sustainable way.
Distinguished participants,
In the lead up to 2019 SDG Summit, my Department set up an online knowledge platform to galvanize new “SDG Acceleration Actions” undertaken by governments and non-state actors. We are pleased to have been collaborating with all the Regional Commissions on such evidence-building and advocacy.
As of today, over 170 bold, game-changing commitments and initiatives, aimed at advancing the Decade of Action for the SDGs, have been published.
Building on multiple approaches, these SDG Acceleration Actions reflect diverse country and sectoral realities, as well as regional dynamics and perspectives. Many respond to the global pandemic and put different means of implementation to work, including:
• capacity-building,• development cooperation,• multi-stakeholder partnerships, and• technology development and transfer, to enhance their scale and scope.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During these extraordinary times, we need more SDG Acceleration Actions, the actions that respond to new local realities and that advance more resilient and sustainable solutions.
I look forward to hearing examples of SDG Acceleration Actions from across the globe. Indeed, every engine needs a spark to accelerate.
I wish you all a fruitful meeting
Thank you
Welcome to the special event “SDG Acceleration Actions to Build Back Better”. As we get into the fifth year of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, all countries across the world are now experiencing daunting challenges to their sustainable development efforts. These challenges are being severely compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic – the largest human tragedy since the founding of the United Nations.
As countries struggle to respond to the pandemic and prepare for recovery, it is critical to ensure that we emerge stronger. We must build back better, greener and fairer. We must put people at the center of all our recovery efforts.
We have a shared blueprint for action – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be considered our ‘policy vaccine’ for the worst effects of COVID-19.Excellencies,
Over the past months, my Department (UN DESA) has been advancing significant analytical work. We are working to build evidence and offer policy insights on the many impacts that the pandemic is having on our societies and economies. I wish to highlight three key priorities that would enable us to build back better:
First, we should maintain past progress and support those at immediate risk of poverty, hunger or disease. This should be done while facilitating their safe return to work and education, as well as their access to health care. This point is especially crucial to build resilience and prevent further setbacks.
Second, we must accelerate the universal provision of essential services to all. Guaranteed access to quality healthcare, education and basic income security, as well as to water, sanitation, clean energy and internet, especially for the most vulnerable populations – should be an integral part of recovery process.Third, we should reverse course on the degradation of nature – including in greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation and biodiversity loss. The present crisis is a chance for us to build back in a more sustainable way.
Distinguished participants,
In the lead up to 2019 SDG Summit, my Department set up an online knowledge platform to galvanize new “SDG Acceleration Actions” undertaken by governments and non-state actors. We are pleased to have been collaborating with all the Regional Commissions on such evidence-building and advocacy.
As of today, over 170 bold, game-changing commitments and initiatives, aimed at advancing the Decade of Action for the SDGs, have been published.
Building on multiple approaches, these SDG Acceleration Actions reflect diverse country and sectoral realities, as well as regional dynamics and perspectives. Many respond to the global pandemic and put different means of implementation to work, including:
• capacity-building,• development cooperation,• multi-stakeholder partnerships, and• technology development and transfer, to enhance their scale and scope.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During these extraordinary times, we need more SDG Acceleration Actions, the actions that respond to new local realities and that advance more resilient and sustainable solutions.
I look forward to hearing examples of SDG Acceleration Actions from across the globe. Indeed, every engine needs a spark to accelerate.
I wish you all a fruitful meeting
Thank you
File date:
Tuesday, July 14, 2020