Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Ambassador Cardi, and your Bureau, for the excellent manner in which you have guided the work of the Committee during the 69th session. I would also like to congratulate and thank all delegations for their very constructive deliberations, and for the sense of urgency with which they have engaged on the many pressing issues before the Committee.
The Committee’s deliberations have taken place at the cusp of a number of transformative, high-level events next year. These events on financing for development, on a new and universal post-2015 development agenda, and on climate change, will shape the United Nations policy framework for years to come. We have seen vigorous debate in the Committee on some of the key elements of the post-2015 development agenda. Naturally, negotiations on some of the resolutions adopted by the Committee at this session were heavily influenced by a sense of urgency.
Yet, in this session, Member States have collectively achieved a careful balance. On the one hand, there was an urge to set new and ambitious milestones for the post-2015 era and its required institutional readiness. On the other hand, it was felt that negotiations for a framework on these key events starting next year should not be pre-empted. I congratulate the Committee on finding this balance.
Mr. Chairman,
The Secretary-General has provided new impetus to the upcoming post-2015 negotiations in his synthesis report, issued last week: “The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming all Lives, and Protecting the Planet.”
One conclusion of the report is this: Sustained development financing for longer-term support, that enables pooling of resources and brings together development and humanitarian financing, will be critical.
To achieve this, more coherent UN funding mechanisms are required that unite, rather than fragment, the development policy framework. This is the challenge that we face as we conclude the work of the Committee, and prepare for a final round of negotiations next year.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished delegates,
Looking forward, and as stated by the Secretary-General in his report, the current structure of our intergovernmental bodies is shaping itself to accommodate a new universal agenda that will require effective monitoring and review.
ECOSOC has undergone a major reorientation last year. The establishment of the HLPF, which meets under the auspices of ECOSOC and the General Assembly, as well as the United Nations Environment Assembly, were all important institutional innovations. I am proud that my Department has a strong record of providing substantive support to these processes. DESA is continuously re-orienting its capacity development initiatives in support of the monitoring and review functions that will be required at the national, regional and global levels.
We are also extending our expertise to provide cutting-edge and timely advice on statistical indicators.
As Member States embark on a process of defining a post-2015 development agenda that is universal, people-centred and planet-sensitive, I, personally, and DESA stand ready to support the work of the Committee now and in the future.
I wish everyone happy holidays.
Thank you.