Remarks of the President of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, to the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development
Monday, 21 September 2015
Excellencies, ladies and Gentlemen, friends,
Thank you for inviting me to join in your observance of the International Day of Peace and the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations.
The UN Charter, which has guided us all these years, embodies the enduring hope of a sustained, peaceful and secure global community – a world of good governance, rule of law and respect for human rights.
It places a responsibility on all UN member states, and the Security Council in particular, to help translate that hope into reality.
Sadly, we, the member states, do are not always live up to our responsibilities.
And in such cases, it is essential that civil society organisations hold us to our promises and play an ever more important role in the work of the UN.
Today, we need your support to ensure the United Nations meets the expectations of citizens in terms of transparency, inclusiveness, effectiveness and accountability.
We need you to encourage world powers to agree on more effective global peacebuilding and peacekeeping, and to bring an end to devastating conflicts and terrorism.
We need you to argue for investment in peace, not arms. And to press for both a strong regime of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and for renewed progress in the stalled UN disarmament negotiations.
And, today, we need you to raise your voices to ensure that governments uphold their commitments under International Refugee Law, and fulfill their pledges to humanitarian assistance and official development assistance.
As you all know, peace and security and respect for basic human rights are fundamental preconditions for sustainable global development.
This is clearly captured by the revolutionary 2030 Agenda which we will adopt later this week. One of the hallmarks of that Agenda is that it evolved through a multi-stakeholder, participatory and bottom up process.
The Summit however is only the beginning. The hardest work lies ahead. Therefore one of my key priorities for this 70th session is to focus on rapid implementation of all aspects of the Agenda – and to do so we must continue to involve all relevant actors, including civil society.
It is absolutely essential that we communicate the essence of the Agenda and bring its key messages to publics right around the world – you have a key role to play in this regard.
It is also crucial that Governments understand the urgency to act now, to make early progress, before it is too late – too late for the hundreds of millions of men, women and children living in extreme poverty; for the workers who barely receive a living wage, and for our planet and our grandchildren. Again, you must play your role by ensuring leaders stay true to their promises.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we must all work together – governments, civil society and other stakeholders – to truly honour this day of Peace. Because, as the 2030 Agenda says, there will be no peace without sustainable development, and no sustainable development without Peace.
Thank you.