Madam Chair,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to begin by congratulating you, Madam Chair, and the Bureau members, on your election to the Second Committee.
I am honoured to address the Committee for the first time today, following my appointment as Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs last month.
This Committee has an important agenda that encompasses the multiple and overlapping crises battering countries from all sides.
As such your deliberations have a lot of ground to cover.
Among other things, your outcomes and decisions must drive forward a more stable and inclusive global economy and address the “great finance divide”. They must guide us back towards rapid poverty eradication. They must garner meaningful support for LDCs and other countries in special situations. They must give urgent attention to climate change and its impacts, including by guiding an inclusive energy transition. And your discussions must determine how best to harness science and technology for the benefit of our development efforts.
In short, your deliberations and decisions here, are a critical component in our mission to rescue the SDGs.
Allow me now to expand on the challenge before you.
Excellencies,
The global economic and financial picture is one of turbulence. The forecast is worrying.
The global economic outlook has deteriorated markedly throughout 2022. We now expect annual global output to rise between 2.5 and 2.8 per cent in 2022, sharply down from our earlier projections.
Many developing countries face an uphill battle to fully recover from the pandemic. In fact, many are still battling the pandemic, while high inflation, rising borrowing costs and the slowdown in major economies are stunting their growth prospects.
Skyrocketing energy prices are compounding a cost-of-living crisis for hundreds of millions of people globally. Basic needs for food, healthcare, and education are going unmet.
Excellencies,
A “great finance divide” compounds this reality, sharply curtailing the ability of many developing countries to invest in a sustainable and transformative recovery.
Urgent measures are needed to bridge financing gaps and address the rising costs of borrowing and heightened debt risks.
The Secretary-General has called for an SDG Stimulus plan to massively boost sustainable development for developing countries, with the G20 taking the lead. The plan includes measures on development bank lending, debt relief, liquidity provision and donor financing.
Beyond urgent actions, all financing flows must be aligned with sustainable development. We must address climate change and inequalities head on to preserve economic prospects.
Mobilizing resources for adaptation is critical.
The Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference in November is a key event as the parties work to ratchet up the level of ambition on climate action.
Achieving net zero emissions by 2050 will require accelerating the global energy transition. We should use the current constraints on energy supply to transform our ways of producing and using energy.
Madam Chair,
Excellencies,
Gains in eradicating extreme poverty have been set back by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this must be added the combined crises of rising inflation and the war in Ukraine.
It is estimated that 75 to 95 million more people are living in extreme poverty in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic projections.
Without international support and action, eradicating poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will be out of reach.
Fiscal consolidation and debt pressures risk triggering further cutbacks in spending on social protection, healthcare, education, infrastructure and other important areas of relevance to poverty eradication and overall SDG progress.
Excellencies,
Addressing the General Assembly, the Secretary-General stated that the SDGs are issuing an "S.O.S." signal
Too many SDGs are off track.
Gender equality has gravely suffered. Worldwide, the health sector is trying to recuperate from the ravages of two years of COVID-19.
We still need a global vaccination plan, even though the parameters have evolved.
Developing countries are caught between a rock and a hard place. Faced with multiple inter-related and mutually reinforcing crises, the need for investments in the SDGs is rising. At the same time, their policy space and the resources available for investment are shrinking.
Excellencies,
Countries in special situations remain high on the agenda of the Committee.
Least-developed countries have experienced some of the worst outcomes from global crises, to which they have contributed minimally, if at all. Many are now severely off-track on SDG progress.
The recently adopted Doha Programme of Action must forge renewed partnerships between LDCs and their international partners. We must move swiftly and collectively with its implementation.
Excellencies,
Science, technology and innovation have enormous potential to advance human wellbeing and the achievement of the SDGs.
We must continue to harness the benefits of science and technology for sustainable development. But we also need to address barriers, such as lack of funding. Lack of inclusiveness in internet access also deprives many people from the benefits of science, technology and innovation.
To measure progress, I would like to underline again the importance of robust investment to increase the availability, quality and timeliness of data by using new data sources and innovative methods.
Excellencies,
The 2022 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development demonstrated the world’s continued commitment to the 2030 Agenda. The September 2022 SDG Moment celebrated it.
Next year the HLPF will meet as normal in July, to review progress on a set of Goals: SDG 6 on water, SDG 7 on sustainable energy, SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 11 on cities, and SDG 17 on the global partnership. The HLPF will also hear 42 or more voluntary national reviews (VNRs).
The HLPF will also meet at the level of Heads of State and Government during the General Assembly, as it does every four years. This “SDG Summit” will be held in September 2023 and serve as the mid-point review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
All the challenges of poverty, food, agriculture, energy, water, financing, before us here today will come together at the Summit.
Implementation, action and transformation will be the watchwords for the Summit. It can serve as a turning point to launch new momentum to reverse the lost ground and reach the SDGs.
Under the leadership of the President of the General Assembly, the Summit and its preparations will be led by Member States and will adopt a negotiated political declaration.
But the Summit can also serve as a rallying call for action by the broadest possible range of stakeholders, both through engagement in the preparations and in the intergovernmental process.
The Summit of the Future, to be convened in 2024, will be an important complement to the SDG Summit. Peace, strengthened multilateralism, measuring and securing the interests of future generations, the hallmarks of the Summit of the Future, contribute to accelerating progress on the SDGs.
Excellencies,
Solidarity is the foundation for building back better. We must work together to not lose track of our common vision. We must “flip the narrative” towards a positive outcome for 2030, and we must start it now.
Your deliberations in the Committee can serve to reaffirm our collective determination to reach that vision.
The world’s eyes are on the United Nations. We must deliver on our promises.
I am confident that this session will succeed in meeting its responsibilities.
We, in DESA, stand ready to support you and the Bureau. I wish you every success in your deliberations.
I thank you.