Your Excellency Ambassador Shava,Excellencies,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honor for me to join you at this retreat. I greatly appreciate your initiative to facilitate our discussions here.
I would like to recognize the presence of the members of the Bureau of the Council; the various Chairpersons of functional commissions and other expert bodies of the Council; as well as high-level representatives of various regional and political groups at the United Nations.
I also welcome all representatives of countries who had stepped up to present voluntary national reviews at the HLPF; my colleagues from the UN system; and of course, representatives of civil society present with us today.
I also extend a special welcome to Ambassador Dessima Williams who represents the President of the General Assembly in these deliberations.
Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, the Secretary-General is unable to be with us today. However, he has asked me to deliver a message on his behalf. And I quote:
I welcome the initiative of President of the Economic and Social Council to organize this retreat. My message to you echoes what I recently told the Security Council, namely that we must link United Nations approaches to peace and security, sustainable development and human rights to achieve the overarching priority of preventing conflicts.
A comprehensive approach demands attention to mega trends. Globalization helped to reduce extreme poverty and improve living standards, but it also exacerbated inequality. Terrorism, organized crime and trafficking fester where institutions are weak, people are marginalized and governance is poor. Climate change, epidemics and other transnational threats also demand a coordinated international response. Gender equality is essential to progress. When women are empowered through development activities and human rights protection, they can better contribute to peace.We have strategies in place: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development, and the General Assembly and Security resolutions on sustaining peace. My priority is to strengthen UN support to Member States to realize their aims.
To lead a comprehensive reform of the United Nations development system, I intend to pursue mandates assigned to me by the General Assembly in its resolution on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review. We all have an interest in optimizing our development system and the resources entrusted to us by Member States.
We must also bring the humanitarian and development spheres closer together. This will help advance the crucially important imperative of prevention. When humanitarian and development partners join forces more effectively, they can better respond to crises and, more importantly, avert them.
I am committed to progress across these fronts, and have appointed a senior Advisor on Policy who will help bring together UN capacities so that we can detect crises earlier, respond more quickly, and link the reform of our peace and security architecture with the reform of the UN development system.
The leadership, coordination and guidance of ECOSOC are crucial to these efforts. In this spirit, I wish you productive discussions and look forward to the outcome of your retreat.
This concludes the message of the Secretary-General.
Mr. President,Ladies and gentlemen,
The 2030 Agenda requires us to break down the silos that have hindered us from working together in the past. It inspires us to look closely at the inter-linkages between sectors. It compels us to better understand specific national and local situations and challenges, and to tailor our actions accordingly.
The UN provides unique global multi-stakeholder platforms to engage in action-oriented discussions and provides policy guidance on sustainable development. The Council, then, brings all strands of work together for a unified review and follow-up that provides policy makers and practitioners with concrete guidance and policy recommendations.
Our aim must to make optimal use of the ECOSOC system for advancing sustainable development. In so doing, we will pay particular attention to the HLPF and to the ECOSOC forum on FfD follow-up.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the global level, the high-level political forum has a central role in overseeing a network of follow-up and review processes. The forum is tasked with, among other things, facilitating sharing of experiences and lessons learned, as well as providing guidance and recommendations for follow-up.
At this year’s meeting the forum will discuss a set of six goals as well as their interlinkages. While facilitating in-depth review, the consideration of these goals must be done without prejudice to the integrated, interlinked and indivisible nature of the SDGs.
Voluntary national reviews at the HLPF form an integral part of global follow-up and review framework. Last year’s HLPF kicked off the voluntary national reviews with 22 volunteering countries. This year almost double that number of countries will conduct voluntary national reviews. This is a strong sign of commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
My Department will do its utmost to support the voluntary national reviews at the HLPF. The 2017 volunteers can draw on the valuable experience and lessons learned from the 2016 high-level political forum. In this regard, we organized a meeting of the 2017 volunteers last month, and have another workshop scheduled for early March.
Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,
The ECOSOC forum on financing for development follow-up is the centrepiece of a dedicated and strengthened FfD follow-up process, established by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The inaugural FfD forum, held last April, provided an inclusive platform for substantive deliberations on all action areas, as well as the monitoring framework of the Addis Agenda. Member States welcomed the launch of the forum and its conclusions and recommendations.
The 2017 forum will provide further impetus to the implementation of financing for development outcomes and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda. For this reason, effective and coherent follow-up and review of the SDG MoIs must begin with strengthening the linkages and mutual contribution between the FfD forum and the HLPF.
This task, first and foremost, must be anchored in a better understanding of actions taken at the national level. Sharing the lessons learned from national experiences is a key function of the FfD forum. I am pleased to note that the ECOSOC Bureau is considering innovative ways to carry out this important function, including through voluntary country presentations.
The second report of the Inter-Agency Task Force will serve as the main substantive background document for the FFD forum. This year’s report will include a discussion of the global context and its implications for the follow-up process. It will also present an overview of each chapter of the Addis Agenda, highlighting their synergies, as well as analyses of thematic issues. A comprehensive online annex will bring together the latest data across all the chapters and cross-cutting issues.
Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,
The main themes of ECOSOC, its Youth Forum, Integration Segment, Partnerships Forum and other platforms are all essential for promoting the implementation of the 2030 agenda. My department is honoured to be supporting all these platforms.
As the head of DESA, I am pleased that this retreat has been prepared jointly by the Division for Sustainable Development, the Financing for Development Office, and the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination. My colleagues in these three divisions have worked tirelessly to support the President and have done their very best to make the retreat a success.
Together we are the DESA Team, here to support you. I look forward to engaging with you, not only at the plenary sessions, but also at a personal and bilateral level in the hours ahead.
Thank you.
It is a great honor for me to join you at this retreat. I greatly appreciate your initiative to facilitate our discussions here.
I would like to recognize the presence of the members of the Bureau of the Council; the various Chairpersons of functional commissions and other expert bodies of the Council; as well as high-level representatives of various regional and political groups at the United Nations.
I also welcome all representatives of countries who had stepped up to present voluntary national reviews at the HLPF; my colleagues from the UN system; and of course, representatives of civil society present with us today.
I also extend a special welcome to Ambassador Dessima Williams who represents the President of the General Assembly in these deliberations.
Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, the Secretary-General is unable to be with us today. However, he has asked me to deliver a message on his behalf. And I quote:
I welcome the initiative of President of the Economic and Social Council to organize this retreat. My message to you echoes what I recently told the Security Council, namely that we must link United Nations approaches to peace and security, sustainable development and human rights to achieve the overarching priority of preventing conflicts.
A comprehensive approach demands attention to mega trends. Globalization helped to reduce extreme poverty and improve living standards, but it also exacerbated inequality. Terrorism, organized crime and trafficking fester where institutions are weak, people are marginalized and governance is poor. Climate change, epidemics and other transnational threats also demand a coordinated international response. Gender equality is essential to progress. When women are empowered through development activities and human rights protection, they can better contribute to peace.We have strategies in place: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development, and the General Assembly and Security resolutions on sustaining peace. My priority is to strengthen UN support to Member States to realize their aims.
To lead a comprehensive reform of the United Nations development system, I intend to pursue mandates assigned to me by the General Assembly in its resolution on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review. We all have an interest in optimizing our development system and the resources entrusted to us by Member States.
We must also bring the humanitarian and development spheres closer together. This will help advance the crucially important imperative of prevention. When humanitarian and development partners join forces more effectively, they can better respond to crises and, more importantly, avert them.
I am committed to progress across these fronts, and have appointed a senior Advisor on Policy who will help bring together UN capacities so that we can detect crises earlier, respond more quickly, and link the reform of our peace and security architecture with the reform of the UN development system.
The leadership, coordination and guidance of ECOSOC are crucial to these efforts. In this spirit, I wish you productive discussions and look forward to the outcome of your retreat.
This concludes the message of the Secretary-General.
Mr. President,Ladies and gentlemen,
The 2030 Agenda requires us to break down the silos that have hindered us from working together in the past. It inspires us to look closely at the inter-linkages between sectors. It compels us to better understand specific national and local situations and challenges, and to tailor our actions accordingly.
The UN provides unique global multi-stakeholder platforms to engage in action-oriented discussions and provides policy guidance on sustainable development. The Council, then, brings all strands of work together for a unified review and follow-up that provides policy makers and practitioners with concrete guidance and policy recommendations.
Our aim must to make optimal use of the ECOSOC system for advancing sustainable development. In so doing, we will pay particular attention to the HLPF and to the ECOSOC forum on FfD follow-up.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the global level, the high-level political forum has a central role in overseeing a network of follow-up and review processes. The forum is tasked with, among other things, facilitating sharing of experiences and lessons learned, as well as providing guidance and recommendations for follow-up.
At this year’s meeting the forum will discuss a set of six goals as well as their interlinkages. While facilitating in-depth review, the consideration of these goals must be done without prejudice to the integrated, interlinked and indivisible nature of the SDGs.
Voluntary national reviews at the HLPF form an integral part of global follow-up and review framework. Last year’s HLPF kicked off the voluntary national reviews with 22 volunteering countries. This year almost double that number of countries will conduct voluntary national reviews. This is a strong sign of commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
My Department will do its utmost to support the voluntary national reviews at the HLPF. The 2017 volunteers can draw on the valuable experience and lessons learned from the 2016 high-level political forum. In this regard, we organized a meeting of the 2017 volunteers last month, and have another workshop scheduled for early March.
Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,
The ECOSOC forum on financing for development follow-up is the centrepiece of a dedicated and strengthened FfD follow-up process, established by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The inaugural FfD forum, held last April, provided an inclusive platform for substantive deliberations on all action areas, as well as the monitoring framework of the Addis Agenda. Member States welcomed the launch of the forum and its conclusions and recommendations.
The 2017 forum will provide further impetus to the implementation of financing for development outcomes and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda. For this reason, effective and coherent follow-up and review of the SDG MoIs must begin with strengthening the linkages and mutual contribution between the FfD forum and the HLPF.
This task, first and foremost, must be anchored in a better understanding of actions taken at the national level. Sharing the lessons learned from national experiences is a key function of the FfD forum. I am pleased to note that the ECOSOC Bureau is considering innovative ways to carry out this important function, including through voluntary country presentations.
The second report of the Inter-Agency Task Force will serve as the main substantive background document for the FFD forum. This year’s report will include a discussion of the global context and its implications for the follow-up process. It will also present an overview of each chapter of the Addis Agenda, highlighting their synergies, as well as analyses of thematic issues. A comprehensive online annex will bring together the latest data across all the chapters and cross-cutting issues.
Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,
The main themes of ECOSOC, its Youth Forum, Integration Segment, Partnerships Forum and other platforms are all essential for promoting the implementation of the 2030 agenda. My department is honoured to be supporting all these platforms.
As the head of DESA, I am pleased that this retreat has been prepared jointly by the Division for Sustainable Development, the Financing for Development Office, and the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination. My colleagues in these three divisions have worked tirelessly to support the President and have done their very best to make the retreat a success.
Together we are the DESA Team, here to support you. I look forward to engaging with you, not only at the plenary sessions, but also at a personal and bilateral level in the hours ahead.
Thank you.
File date:
Friday, January 20, 2017