Excellency, Ambassador Mr. Perks Clemency Ligoya, Permanent Representative of Malawi to the United Nations and Chair of the LDC Group,Under-Secretary General, Ms. ‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States,Distinguished delegates,Colleagues,Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
It is my great pleasure and honor to welcome you all to the Voluntary National Review Lab. As many of you are aware, my department, UNDESA, launched the initiative – VNR labs – last year to foster more open, informal and pragmatic discussions on SDG experiences and challenges.
As incubators of ideas, they present a promise to better inform, and steer SDG progress.
The labs complement the formal VNR presentations by the Member States during the High-Level Political Forum.
Building on the last year’s success, this year will feature seventeen VNR Labs focused on a range of cross-cutting issues.
The theme of the first lab – achieving policy integration – is particularly relevant.
I am pleased to note the great interest it has generated among stakeholders, especially among many LDC delegations that continue to grapple with this challenge.
Given the interlinkages and inter-dependence among the goals, the SDGs indeed demand an integrated policy approach not only at national levels, but also at the international level. We can no longer think in silos. Economic, social and environmental challenges move in tandem. This is true in both national and international contexts. Yet policy integration is easier said than done. There is also no one-size-fits-all in policy integration. Nor is there a quick fix. Country contexts and political-economy considerations define the speed and trajectory of policy integration and its success.Greater coordination and cohesion among fiscal, monetary, trade and development policy objectives will remain critical for accelerating SDG progress. While considering various trade-offs, we must redouble efforts to optimize synergies and impacts of policies. This will require us to rethink and redesign policies so that they are more cross-cutting and holistic.
But policy shifts will also require change in mindsets. We must begin to view policy integration as positive-sum, not as zero-sum, to make it a reality. This is a must if we are serious about pursuing sustainable development.
Let me stop here so that you have more time to dive into the challenges of policy integration. I am confident that the discussions this afternoon will expand our understanding of how best we could integrate policies to create new momentum in SDG implementation.
Thank you.
Good afternoon.
It is my great pleasure and honor to welcome you all to the Voluntary National Review Lab. As many of you are aware, my department, UNDESA, launched the initiative – VNR labs – last year to foster more open, informal and pragmatic discussions on SDG experiences and challenges.
As incubators of ideas, they present a promise to better inform, and steer SDG progress.
The labs complement the formal VNR presentations by the Member States during the High-Level Political Forum.
Building on the last year’s success, this year will feature seventeen VNR Labs focused on a range of cross-cutting issues.
The theme of the first lab – achieving policy integration – is particularly relevant.
I am pleased to note the great interest it has generated among stakeholders, especially among many LDC delegations that continue to grapple with this challenge.
Given the interlinkages and inter-dependence among the goals, the SDGs indeed demand an integrated policy approach not only at national levels, but also at the international level. We can no longer think in silos. Economic, social and environmental challenges move in tandem. This is true in both national and international contexts. Yet policy integration is easier said than done. There is also no one-size-fits-all in policy integration. Nor is there a quick fix. Country contexts and political-economy considerations define the speed and trajectory of policy integration and its success.Greater coordination and cohesion among fiscal, monetary, trade and development policy objectives will remain critical for accelerating SDG progress. While considering various trade-offs, we must redouble efforts to optimize synergies and impacts of policies. This will require us to rethink and redesign policies so that they are more cross-cutting and holistic.
But policy shifts will also require change in mindsets. We must begin to view policy integration as positive-sum, not as zero-sum, to make it a reality. This is a must if we are serious about pursuing sustainable development.
Let me stop here so that you have more time to dive into the challenges of policy integration. I am confident that the discussions this afternoon will expand our understanding of how best we could integrate policies to create new momentum in SDG implementation.
Thank you.
File date:
Tuesday, July 9, 2019