Mr. Chairman,Excellencies,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,
I congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, and the other Bureau Members on your election.
I also wish to thank Ambassador Djani and the Bureau members who so ably led this Committee during the 71st Session of the General Assembly.
Distinguished Delegates,
Today, I am honoured to join you and address the Second Committee in my capacity as Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda two years ago, we have a global vision guiding our efforts towards sustainable development. This historic Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out our shared vision of humanity and demands new ways of working together within and across our institutions.
It requires us to develop integrated and cross-sectoral approaches and to better understand specific national situations, tailoring actions accordingly.
It compels us to leave no one behind.
We have already seen signs of progress. However, we must work faster. As the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2017 demonstrated earlier this year, the rate of progress in many areas is far slower than needed to meet the targets by 2030.
Against this back-drop, the Second Committee begins its work.
Distinguished Delegates, I would like to share with you five key messages that I hope will help in your work in the coming months.
First, the world economic situation and prospects. After deteriorating last year, industrial production and world trade have rebounded and are strengthening. Economic sentiment has generally improved.
Yet, the longer-term potential remains hampered by weak investment and low productivity growth. This is compounded by high levels of economic and policy uncertainty, which cloud prospects in vital areas such as world trade, migration, development cooperation and climate action.
Last year, several countries experienced setbacks in progress towards the SDGs. Average incomes declined in several regions, putting at risk efforts to reach the Goals. And extreme weather events which wreaked devastation in several countries, have highlighted the importance of addressing environmental impacts and climate change.
Second, all countries need to join forces to foster a globalization process that is more inclusive, equitable, sustainable and leaves no one behind. Many provisions of the 2030 Agenda and Addis Ababa Action Agenda reflect this demand. We must work to better realize the positive potential of globalization, while minimizing its negative consequences.
For its part, DESA is intensifying its research on globalization. We are determined to assist you to identify effective policies to guide the cross-border movements of trade, capital flows, people, knowledge and technology.
Third, we need concrete and accelerated action on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The Addis Agenda provides the global framework to engage all stakeholders in mobilizing the different means of implementation for sustainable development. This framework calls for dramatic increases in financing – domestic, international, public, private. It also addresses the need for capacity building, technology development and transfer, coherence in domestic policies, addressing global systemic issues, and knowledge-sharing and mutual learning for better results on the ground.
National tax systems need to be strengthened, and international tax cooperation should be stepped up. We need to limit tax avoidance and illicit financial flows that drain vital resources from developing countries.
Commitments must be met on Official Development Assistance, which remains a vital and distinctive source of support for the poorest and most vulnerable countries and communities.
Boosting the contribution of South-South and triangular cooperation to sustainable development, and enhancing the role of development banks, remain strategic opportunities to be fully realized.
We need commitments to increase the supply of concessional resources for long-term investments in sustainable development, even as more finance is allocated to emergency responses.
We need to reorient incentives – through financial regulation and policymaking – to ensure that private finance is aligned with sustainable development. Long-term private investment is indispensable for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth.
And we need to marshal the needed support to developing countries in the areas of action required by our vision of leaving no one behind, including: -making new choices and larger-scale investments; -using new evidence-based tools; -strengthening domestic institutions, including in the areas of data, monitoring and review;-providing longer-term budget support; and -broadening multi-stakeholder partnerships and supporting stakeholder engagement at all levels.
My fourth key message is that science, technology and innovation are at the heart of accelerating progress towards sustainable development. They strengthen our understanding of the drivers of change and help us to deliver sustainable development impact, at scale. And through the science-policy interface, we improve our ability to monitor, plan and implement in manifold ways.
The speed of technological change could have sweeping impacts across all the SDGs. Whether artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things constitute effective tools for achieving the 2030 Agenda will depend, however, on providing opportunities to all.
Devising effective ways to mitigate the challenges and risks associated with these technologies will be critical. On-going analysis of the possible impacts will help us gain understanding and formulate options for how to prepare and respond effectively.
With my Department’s support, working with governments, the UN system and stakeholders, progress has been made in implementing the Technology Facilitation Mechanism since its launch as part of the 2030 Agenda. A multi-stakeholder partnership is emerging in support of the Mechanism’s online platform, to serve as an information gateway for STI initiatives, mechanisms and programmes for the SDGs.
As Nobel-Prize winning physicist Dennis Gabor wrote in 1963 “The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented”.
It is therefore my hope that the Joint Meeting of the Second Committee with the Economic and Social Council on “The Future of Everything” to be convened next week, will provide an opportunity for initiating forward-looking deliberations on these issues. Your presence at this event will be highly appreciated.
My fifth key message is the importance of capacity development for achieving the SDGs. The 2030 Agenda is a country led process, and National governments are ultimately responsible for its implementation. However, Member States have made it clear that they need the support of the UN system to help build national capacities in key areas such as data collection and disaggregation, translating global development commitments into national strategies and plans, and preparing for voluntary national reviews at the HLPF, among others.
This is particularly true for countries in special situations, namely Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These countries face significant challenges that must be overcome to achieve inclusive, equitable and sustainable development for all. While these countries face similar challenges, each category also faces unique circumstances and concerns that the SDGs should address.
DESA offers knowledge and expertise relevant to all the dimensions of sustainable development. We conduct impartial and neutral policy analysis on substantive issues, and connect this effectively with robust support to the UN intergovernmental processes. We also have a strong record of assisting countries by catalyzing international support and expertise to strengthen national capacities to implement the 2030 Agenda.
DESA is committed to responding to the strong call from Member States to strengthening its support in this area. I invite you all to attend a side event we are holding in early November to discuss our new approach to capacity development, which is more strategic, integrated and longer-term, to address more effectively and efficiently the needs of the new agendas.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During its previous session, the Second Committee served very effectively as a key platform leading to the landmark resolution of the General Assembly on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review of the Operational Activities of the United Nations Development System.
In response to the QCPR, the Secretary-General presented his broad vision for change in his June report, “Repositioning the United Nations development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda: ensuring a better future for all”.
Concrete recommendations will come in his follow-up report to be released in December 2017. The Secretary-General is making every effort to ensure a holistic approach, where the on-going reform efforts – development, peace and security, management – are mutually reinforcing.
Ultimately, reform is our shared responsibility.
Distinguished Delegates,
We have a strong foundation upon which to build.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development has the central role in overseeing follow-up and review at the global level working coherently with the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other relevant organs and forums. The strong interest shown by 43 countries to present Voluntary National Reviews at the 2017 HLPF, and by 48 countries to do so at the 2018 HLPF, illustrates the broad political commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
The forums and segments of the past 12-month cycle of ECOSOC have shown the strong dedication of Member States and other stakeholders.
The Second Committee can build on the policy recommendations that emerged from the HLPF and ECOSOC, as well as on the Committee’s own previous work, to further advance the 2030 Agenda.
Ladies and Gentlemen,Distinguished Delegates,
For DESA, it is our honour and privilege to support you. I am currently taking steps to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, and internal coordination of DESA, so that the Department can provide the best possible support to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda at the global level.
We stand ready to serve you and the cause of sustainable development for all. I wish you fruitful deliberations.
Thank you.
I congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, and the other Bureau Members on your election.
I also wish to thank Ambassador Djani and the Bureau members who so ably led this Committee during the 71st Session of the General Assembly.
Distinguished Delegates,
Today, I am honoured to join you and address the Second Committee in my capacity as Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda two years ago, we have a global vision guiding our efforts towards sustainable development. This historic Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out our shared vision of humanity and demands new ways of working together within and across our institutions.
It requires us to develop integrated and cross-sectoral approaches and to better understand specific national situations, tailoring actions accordingly.
It compels us to leave no one behind.
We have already seen signs of progress. However, we must work faster. As the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2017 demonstrated earlier this year, the rate of progress in many areas is far slower than needed to meet the targets by 2030.
Against this back-drop, the Second Committee begins its work.
Distinguished Delegates, I would like to share with you five key messages that I hope will help in your work in the coming months.
First, the world economic situation and prospects. After deteriorating last year, industrial production and world trade have rebounded and are strengthening. Economic sentiment has generally improved.
Yet, the longer-term potential remains hampered by weak investment and low productivity growth. This is compounded by high levels of economic and policy uncertainty, which cloud prospects in vital areas such as world trade, migration, development cooperation and climate action.
Last year, several countries experienced setbacks in progress towards the SDGs. Average incomes declined in several regions, putting at risk efforts to reach the Goals. And extreme weather events which wreaked devastation in several countries, have highlighted the importance of addressing environmental impacts and climate change.
Second, all countries need to join forces to foster a globalization process that is more inclusive, equitable, sustainable and leaves no one behind. Many provisions of the 2030 Agenda and Addis Ababa Action Agenda reflect this demand. We must work to better realize the positive potential of globalization, while minimizing its negative consequences.
For its part, DESA is intensifying its research on globalization. We are determined to assist you to identify effective policies to guide the cross-border movements of trade, capital flows, people, knowledge and technology.
Third, we need concrete and accelerated action on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The Addis Agenda provides the global framework to engage all stakeholders in mobilizing the different means of implementation for sustainable development. This framework calls for dramatic increases in financing – domestic, international, public, private. It also addresses the need for capacity building, technology development and transfer, coherence in domestic policies, addressing global systemic issues, and knowledge-sharing and mutual learning for better results on the ground.
National tax systems need to be strengthened, and international tax cooperation should be stepped up. We need to limit tax avoidance and illicit financial flows that drain vital resources from developing countries.
Commitments must be met on Official Development Assistance, which remains a vital and distinctive source of support for the poorest and most vulnerable countries and communities.
Boosting the contribution of South-South and triangular cooperation to sustainable development, and enhancing the role of development banks, remain strategic opportunities to be fully realized.
We need commitments to increase the supply of concessional resources for long-term investments in sustainable development, even as more finance is allocated to emergency responses.
We need to reorient incentives – through financial regulation and policymaking – to ensure that private finance is aligned with sustainable development. Long-term private investment is indispensable for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth.
And we need to marshal the needed support to developing countries in the areas of action required by our vision of leaving no one behind, including: -making new choices and larger-scale investments; -using new evidence-based tools; -strengthening domestic institutions, including in the areas of data, monitoring and review;-providing longer-term budget support; and -broadening multi-stakeholder partnerships and supporting stakeholder engagement at all levels.
My fourth key message is that science, technology and innovation are at the heart of accelerating progress towards sustainable development. They strengthen our understanding of the drivers of change and help us to deliver sustainable development impact, at scale. And through the science-policy interface, we improve our ability to monitor, plan and implement in manifold ways.
The speed of technological change could have sweeping impacts across all the SDGs. Whether artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things constitute effective tools for achieving the 2030 Agenda will depend, however, on providing opportunities to all.
Devising effective ways to mitigate the challenges and risks associated with these technologies will be critical. On-going analysis of the possible impacts will help us gain understanding and formulate options for how to prepare and respond effectively.
With my Department’s support, working with governments, the UN system and stakeholders, progress has been made in implementing the Technology Facilitation Mechanism since its launch as part of the 2030 Agenda. A multi-stakeholder partnership is emerging in support of the Mechanism’s online platform, to serve as an information gateway for STI initiatives, mechanisms and programmes for the SDGs.
As Nobel-Prize winning physicist Dennis Gabor wrote in 1963 “The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented”.
It is therefore my hope that the Joint Meeting of the Second Committee with the Economic and Social Council on “The Future of Everything” to be convened next week, will provide an opportunity for initiating forward-looking deliberations on these issues. Your presence at this event will be highly appreciated.
My fifth key message is the importance of capacity development for achieving the SDGs. The 2030 Agenda is a country led process, and National governments are ultimately responsible for its implementation. However, Member States have made it clear that they need the support of the UN system to help build national capacities in key areas such as data collection and disaggregation, translating global development commitments into national strategies and plans, and preparing for voluntary national reviews at the HLPF, among others.
This is particularly true for countries in special situations, namely Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These countries face significant challenges that must be overcome to achieve inclusive, equitable and sustainable development for all. While these countries face similar challenges, each category also faces unique circumstances and concerns that the SDGs should address.
DESA offers knowledge and expertise relevant to all the dimensions of sustainable development. We conduct impartial and neutral policy analysis on substantive issues, and connect this effectively with robust support to the UN intergovernmental processes. We also have a strong record of assisting countries by catalyzing international support and expertise to strengthen national capacities to implement the 2030 Agenda.
DESA is committed to responding to the strong call from Member States to strengthening its support in this area. I invite you all to attend a side event we are holding in early November to discuss our new approach to capacity development, which is more strategic, integrated and longer-term, to address more effectively and efficiently the needs of the new agendas.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During its previous session, the Second Committee served very effectively as a key platform leading to the landmark resolution of the General Assembly on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review of the Operational Activities of the United Nations Development System.
In response to the QCPR, the Secretary-General presented his broad vision for change in his June report, “Repositioning the United Nations development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda: ensuring a better future for all”.
Concrete recommendations will come in his follow-up report to be released in December 2017. The Secretary-General is making every effort to ensure a holistic approach, where the on-going reform efforts – development, peace and security, management – are mutually reinforcing.
Ultimately, reform is our shared responsibility.
Distinguished Delegates,
We have a strong foundation upon which to build.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development has the central role in overseeing follow-up and review at the global level working coherently with the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other relevant organs and forums. The strong interest shown by 43 countries to present Voluntary National Reviews at the 2017 HLPF, and by 48 countries to do so at the 2018 HLPF, illustrates the broad political commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
The forums and segments of the past 12-month cycle of ECOSOC have shown the strong dedication of Member States and other stakeholders.
The Second Committee can build on the policy recommendations that emerged from the HLPF and ECOSOC, as well as on the Committee’s own previous work, to further advance the 2030 Agenda.
Ladies and Gentlemen,Distinguished Delegates,
For DESA, it is our honour and privilege to support you. I am currently taking steps to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, and internal coordination of DESA, so that the Department can provide the best possible support to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda at the global level.
We stand ready to serve you and the cause of sustainable development for all. I wish you fruitful deliberations.
Thank you.
File date:
Monday, October 2, 2017