President Kutesa applauds the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, as historic Third International Conference on Financing for Development Conference concludes

New York – 16 July 2015

Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly

H.E. Mr. Sam Kutesa, President of the 69th session of the General Assembly (PGA), welcomed the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, today at the conclusion of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development Conference (FfD) from 13 to 16 July 2015.

The adoption is the culmination of eight months of a preparatory process that started in New York in which the President of the General Assembly played a central role, and for which he commended the Co-Facilitators, Ambassador George Talbot of Guyana and Ambassador Geir Pedersen of Norway for their hard work.

In his statement at the closing session, President Kutesa expressed his gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for successfully hosting this Conference and for his outstanding leadership in his capacity as President of the Conference. He also thanked H.E. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, for leading the work of the Main Committee in his capacity as its Chairman.

The President of the General Assembly stressed that “by adopting the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, we have put in place a comprehensive framework for financing sustainable development with concrete deliverables, policies and actions to support the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda”.

He cited some of the key deliverables in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda including: the proposed establishment of a new forum to bridge the infrastructure gap; a commitment to invest more in promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization; and strengthening international cooperation on tax matters to combat tax evasion, corruption and illicit financial flows.

Other deliverables include: reaffirmation of ODA commitments by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 % of Gross National Income (GNI) and 0.15-0.20% to LDCs; policies to promote Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and enhance the contribution of the private sector and other stakeholders to sustainable development; scaling-up investments and international cooperation to support education; and establishment of a Technology Facilitation Mechanism.

The President of the General Assembly hailed the adoption of the Outcome as a demonstration of the international community’s collective resolve to build a better future for all in a more equal and sustainable world. He underscored that “it is now incumbent upon all of us to fully implement the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. With this outcome, we have a strong basis to build upon on our path towards historic Summits in New York in September and Paris in December.”