Your Excellency, Ambassador Niang, Chairman of the Second Committee,Excellencies,Distinguished delegates,Ladies and gentlemen
I have the honour to welcome you to this organizational meeting and the opening of the Second Committee of the 74th session of the General Assembly. Let me begin by congratulating you, Ambassador Niang, and the other members of the Bureau on your election. I also wish to thank the previous Chair of the Committee, Ambassador Arenales, and the members of the Bureau for their excellent efforts in advancing the work of the Committee and improving its working methods.
Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,
The SDG Summit convened last week gave us an opportunity to reflect on our achievements and take stock of the challenges we face in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. World leaders reflected on the assessment of the Global Sustainable Development Report and the special edition of the Secretary-General’s SDG progress report.
We continue to score significant achievements. Global poverty remains on the decline. The trajectory of positive health outcomes – reduced maternal and child mortality rates, and reduced HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B infections – reaffirm our hope for a healthy future for all.
However, achieving sustainable development is facing formidable challenges. Slowing economic growth, rising inequality and climate change are squeezing the prospects of sustainable development. People’s livelihoods are increasingly at risk. Nearly 1.8 billion people – one in three adults – will face chronic employment risks or remain outside the job market, if we stay on the current trajectory. Leaving no one behind will remain elusive unless we fundamentally shift to a more inclusive and sustainable growth model.
Distinguished Delegates,
The 2030 Agenda gives us, not only a set of goals, but also new opportunities to do things differently. It is upon us to avail them and pave the way for a sustainable future. We need to move away from the business-as-usual approach and repurpose economic growth, tame inequality, reverse environmental degradation and stop global warming. The Political Declaration adopted by the SDG Summit is an urgent call to action. Humanity is at its best when it confronts the gravest challenge. We are at that inflection point. Unbending determination, resilience and ingenuity are our assets to overcome the challenges impeding sustainable development.
The Second Committee has many of these challenges and their potential solutions on its agenda. You are at the forefront of the UN’s work to chart the new pathway that will lead us to sustainable development. I would like to highlight four inter-related mega trends that are shaping the trajectory of sustainable development.
First, economic growth. Longer term growth prospects are at best weak amid lingering trade tensions and uncertainties. Growth in all major economiesis slowing. The contagion of slow growth is spreading to some developing economies. Unfolding political crises – particularly in the Middle East – are exacerbating uncertainties and trimming growth prospects. Unfortunately, both developed and developing countries have less policy space today – than in 2008 during the global financial crisis – to maneuver and stimulate growth. Therefore, it is critical to find new and alternative sources of growth. Indeed, we cannot afford to rely on economic growth alone to deliver the SDGs. The greening of economic growth – transitioning to low-carbon production and consumption – present the best hopes for stimulating economies and creating millions of jobs.
Second, the issue of inequality, both among countries and within countries, poses immense challenges to achieving the 2030 Agenda. Inequality remains stubbornly high in many developed and developing countries. Experiences of many countries now show that inequality – depressing human capital accumulation and improvements in productivity – impedes growth. Inequality deprives countless people of their rights to live in dignity and undermines their wellbeing. Inequality reinforces economic uncertainties, which, in turn, corrode social cohesion and trust in institutions, including trust in multilateral institutions. This is perhaps the costliest casualty of inequality. We must rebuild trust to foster sustainable development. It must begin with fighting inequality in all forms and manifestations.
Third, climate change – the all-encompassing and consequential mega-trend – is quickly snowballing to a crisis. Increasing frequency and intensity of disasters are bringing on disastrous consequences. The small island developing states – for example – are losing about 10 percent of their GDP every year due to climate-related disasters. This is an enormous cost – an unwarranted surcharge – on sustainable development that countries can ill afford. Our ecosystem is increasingly fragile. Biodiversity is on a rapid decline, threating the existence of many species. Climate change is also emerging as a new trigger of instability, conflict and migration. It is also exacerbating income and wealth inequality. Lives and livelihoods are literally at stake.
Fourth, rapid technological innovation is unleashing new and unprecedented potentials. It is reshaping economic structures and making the unimaginable, a reality. New technologies, however, present both an opportunity and responsibility. As they can deliver good for humanity, they also pose major threats, including the possibility of destroying millions of jobs and widening the technological divide. It is critical to choose and prioritize technologies that are most needed for sustainable development. Renewable technologies herald immense hopes. So do 3-D printing, artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. Yet we need to ensure that new technologies foster sustainable development. The Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation provides us a framework that we must leverage to strengthen cooperation and harness the full potential of technological breakthroughs.
Distinguished Delegates,
Both the challenges we confront – and the opportunities they present – are unprecedented in scale and scope. We must succeed to protect our planet and our people and ensure that no one is left behind. Nationally-owned strategies are needed to maximize the inter-linkages and synergies among the SDGs. We need – more than ever before – integrated and coherent social, economic and environmental policies that are firmly rooted in the principles of social justice and inclusion. The Global Sustainable Development Report described a way forward to motivate practical, science-based action to accelerate SDG implementation.
This will require also to strengthen the financing framework for the SDGs. Participants at the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, convened last week, underscored that financing the SDGs is about more than money. It is also about collaboration and coordination at all levels. While countries are increasingly incorporating the SDGs into national sustainable development plans, only around a quarter of countries have concrete financing plans. With only 10 years left to achieve the SDGs, we are yet to mobilize resources in the scale and speed needed to achieve sustainable development. Nor have we been able to channel resources to the people and places in greatest need. We must augment domestic and international financing, and align them with sustainable development priorities, to close the financing gap to achieve the SDGs.
Distinguished Delegates,
2019 has been a landmark year in our journey to implement the 2030 Agenda. Last week, on 24 September, an important decade of action and delivery for sustainable development was launched when the Political Declaration of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit was adopted. Member States affirmed their strong commitment to advance SDG progress, and identified eight cross-cutting areas of action to get us on the right path. They announced ambitious SDG acceleration actions.
During that same week, many countries and actors raised the level of ambition of their commitment to combat climate change. The General Assembly High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development brought new actors and renewed energy to mobilize the investments we need for the SDGs. And the High-level Midterm Review of the SAMOA Pathway brought renewed dedications and new measures to help SIDS in addressing the major challenges they face.
This Committee can build on those advances this year. You can take the first steps in initiating the new decade of action for the SDGs. The road ahead – and critical upcoming events – are important for accelerating progress. In addition to COP25 on Climate Change to be held in December, some of these events in 2020 include:
• the second Global Sustainable Transport Conference, in May,• the second UN Ocean Conference in June,• the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development in July,• the UN Anniversary summit in September,• Also, the mid-term review of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked developing countries, and• the Conference of Parties on Biodiversity.
These will all be important milestones for assessing progress and reaffirming our commitments.
Also important will be events beyond the remit of your Committee, such as the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action on Women and 25th anniversary of the Copenhagen World Summit on Social Development, which I hope we will duly celebrate. I am confident that your discussions and resolutions will help bring us closer to a sustainable future.
Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,
Sustainable development is a global endeavour, both at inception and its outcomes. The challenges we face today – rising inequality, uneven growth, climate change and fast-paced technological change – among others, demand a collective effort and a stronger multilateral response. Let us, together, make sustainable development a reality.
Thank you.
I have the honour to welcome you to this organizational meeting and the opening of the Second Committee of the 74th session of the General Assembly. Let me begin by congratulating you, Ambassador Niang, and the other members of the Bureau on your election. I also wish to thank the previous Chair of the Committee, Ambassador Arenales, and the members of the Bureau for their excellent efforts in advancing the work of the Committee and improving its working methods.
Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,
The SDG Summit convened last week gave us an opportunity to reflect on our achievements and take stock of the challenges we face in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. World leaders reflected on the assessment of the Global Sustainable Development Report and the special edition of the Secretary-General’s SDG progress report.
We continue to score significant achievements. Global poverty remains on the decline. The trajectory of positive health outcomes – reduced maternal and child mortality rates, and reduced HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B infections – reaffirm our hope for a healthy future for all.
However, achieving sustainable development is facing formidable challenges. Slowing economic growth, rising inequality and climate change are squeezing the prospects of sustainable development. People’s livelihoods are increasingly at risk. Nearly 1.8 billion people – one in three adults – will face chronic employment risks or remain outside the job market, if we stay on the current trajectory. Leaving no one behind will remain elusive unless we fundamentally shift to a more inclusive and sustainable growth model.
Distinguished Delegates,
The 2030 Agenda gives us, not only a set of goals, but also new opportunities to do things differently. It is upon us to avail them and pave the way for a sustainable future. We need to move away from the business-as-usual approach and repurpose economic growth, tame inequality, reverse environmental degradation and stop global warming. The Political Declaration adopted by the SDG Summit is an urgent call to action. Humanity is at its best when it confronts the gravest challenge. We are at that inflection point. Unbending determination, resilience and ingenuity are our assets to overcome the challenges impeding sustainable development.
The Second Committee has many of these challenges and their potential solutions on its agenda. You are at the forefront of the UN’s work to chart the new pathway that will lead us to sustainable development. I would like to highlight four inter-related mega trends that are shaping the trajectory of sustainable development.
First, economic growth. Longer term growth prospects are at best weak amid lingering trade tensions and uncertainties. Growth in all major economiesis slowing. The contagion of slow growth is spreading to some developing economies. Unfolding political crises – particularly in the Middle East – are exacerbating uncertainties and trimming growth prospects. Unfortunately, both developed and developing countries have less policy space today – than in 2008 during the global financial crisis – to maneuver and stimulate growth. Therefore, it is critical to find new and alternative sources of growth. Indeed, we cannot afford to rely on economic growth alone to deliver the SDGs. The greening of economic growth – transitioning to low-carbon production and consumption – present the best hopes for stimulating economies and creating millions of jobs.
Second, the issue of inequality, both among countries and within countries, poses immense challenges to achieving the 2030 Agenda. Inequality remains stubbornly high in many developed and developing countries. Experiences of many countries now show that inequality – depressing human capital accumulation and improvements in productivity – impedes growth. Inequality deprives countless people of their rights to live in dignity and undermines their wellbeing. Inequality reinforces economic uncertainties, which, in turn, corrode social cohesion and trust in institutions, including trust in multilateral institutions. This is perhaps the costliest casualty of inequality. We must rebuild trust to foster sustainable development. It must begin with fighting inequality in all forms and manifestations.
Third, climate change – the all-encompassing and consequential mega-trend – is quickly snowballing to a crisis. Increasing frequency and intensity of disasters are bringing on disastrous consequences. The small island developing states – for example – are losing about 10 percent of their GDP every year due to climate-related disasters. This is an enormous cost – an unwarranted surcharge – on sustainable development that countries can ill afford. Our ecosystem is increasingly fragile. Biodiversity is on a rapid decline, threating the existence of many species. Climate change is also emerging as a new trigger of instability, conflict and migration. It is also exacerbating income and wealth inequality. Lives and livelihoods are literally at stake.
Fourth, rapid technological innovation is unleashing new and unprecedented potentials. It is reshaping economic structures and making the unimaginable, a reality. New technologies, however, present both an opportunity and responsibility. As they can deliver good for humanity, they also pose major threats, including the possibility of destroying millions of jobs and widening the technological divide. It is critical to choose and prioritize technologies that are most needed for sustainable development. Renewable technologies herald immense hopes. So do 3-D printing, artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. Yet we need to ensure that new technologies foster sustainable development. The Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation provides us a framework that we must leverage to strengthen cooperation and harness the full potential of technological breakthroughs.
Distinguished Delegates,
Both the challenges we confront – and the opportunities they present – are unprecedented in scale and scope. We must succeed to protect our planet and our people and ensure that no one is left behind. Nationally-owned strategies are needed to maximize the inter-linkages and synergies among the SDGs. We need – more than ever before – integrated and coherent social, economic and environmental policies that are firmly rooted in the principles of social justice and inclusion. The Global Sustainable Development Report described a way forward to motivate practical, science-based action to accelerate SDG implementation.
This will require also to strengthen the financing framework for the SDGs. Participants at the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, convened last week, underscored that financing the SDGs is about more than money. It is also about collaboration and coordination at all levels. While countries are increasingly incorporating the SDGs into national sustainable development plans, only around a quarter of countries have concrete financing plans. With only 10 years left to achieve the SDGs, we are yet to mobilize resources in the scale and speed needed to achieve sustainable development. Nor have we been able to channel resources to the people and places in greatest need. We must augment domestic and international financing, and align them with sustainable development priorities, to close the financing gap to achieve the SDGs.
Distinguished Delegates,
2019 has been a landmark year in our journey to implement the 2030 Agenda. Last week, on 24 September, an important decade of action and delivery for sustainable development was launched when the Political Declaration of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit was adopted. Member States affirmed their strong commitment to advance SDG progress, and identified eight cross-cutting areas of action to get us on the right path. They announced ambitious SDG acceleration actions.
During that same week, many countries and actors raised the level of ambition of their commitment to combat climate change. The General Assembly High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development brought new actors and renewed energy to mobilize the investments we need for the SDGs. And the High-level Midterm Review of the SAMOA Pathway brought renewed dedications and new measures to help SIDS in addressing the major challenges they face.
This Committee can build on those advances this year. You can take the first steps in initiating the new decade of action for the SDGs. The road ahead – and critical upcoming events – are important for accelerating progress. In addition to COP25 on Climate Change to be held in December, some of these events in 2020 include:
• the second Global Sustainable Transport Conference, in May,• the second UN Ocean Conference in June,• the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development in July,• the UN Anniversary summit in September,• Also, the mid-term review of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked developing countries, and• the Conference of Parties on Biodiversity.
These will all be important milestones for assessing progress and reaffirming our commitments.
Also important will be events beyond the remit of your Committee, such as the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action on Women and 25th anniversary of the Copenhagen World Summit on Social Development, which I hope we will duly celebrate. I am confident that your discussions and resolutions will help bring us closer to a sustainable future.
Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,
Sustainable development is a global endeavour, both at inception and its outcomes. The challenges we face today – rising inequality, uneven growth, climate change and fast-paced technological change – among others, demand a collective effort and a stronger multilateral response. Let us, together, make sustainable development a reality.
Thank you.
File date:
Wednesday, October 2, 2019