High-level Meeting on Middle-Income Countries

– As delivered –

Remarks by H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly

17 June 2021

Mr. Secretary-General,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for joining today’s High-Level Meeting on Middle-Income Countries. As we begin to emerge from the global pandemic and continue to undertake the largest socio-economic recovery in our history, we have a rare opportunity to address some of the biggest obstacles to sustainable development in Middle-Income Countries.

For decades Middle-Income Countries have struggled against structural and systemic challenges that have not taken into account contextual and circumstantial realities. Simultaneously rich in resources and population capacity, Middle-Income Countries have been held back by archaic GDP criteria; inequality; multidimensional vulnerabilities, such as those associated with climate change; an overreliance on commodity exports; and obstacles to accessing emerging technologies, such as renewables.

Against these obstacles, Middle-Income Countries have seen their efforts to advance the sustainable development agenda hampered by rules and perceptions that at times seem distorted from the world around us, and static in their inability to evolve to meet today’s needs. 

At the same time, our global and multilateral demands upon Middle-Income Countries continue to grow. Think of the Paris Agreement or the 2030 Agenda. Progress on each of these frameworks requires progress within Middle-Income Countries. Yet, how can we expect countries to undertake the necessary development efforts and reforms if all available resources are being consumed by debt burdens, or if investments in new technologies remain out of reach. As an international community, we are simultaneously asking Middle-Income Countries to step up and lead, and in the same breath hampering their capacity to do just that.

As we move to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in this Decade of Action, removing the barriers to progress in Middle-Income Countries is a sure way to expedite and deepen success. With 75% of the world’s population and 62% of the world’s poor, Middle-Income Countries constitute an economic powerhouse that if unleashed can boost global economic growth, enhance trade, and support the development of new and innovative sectors. This will not only help alleviate poverty in Middle-Income Countries themselves, but support growth the world over. This is a win-win for all involved.

Furthermore, removing the barriers to growth and empowering Middle-Income Countries will allow for a more prominent role for Middle-Income Countries on the global, multilateral stage, including in pushing forward on agendas related to climate change, biodiversity, desertification and sustainable development – all areas where their support and leadership is so deeply needed. This again will have positive benefits for the entirety of the global community. 

Dear Colleagues,

All of this can change and the quickest and surest way to do so is to address the challenges associated with debt and financing.

First, our oversimplistic understanding of wealth as GDP per capita must adapt to reflect the global plight of inequality. The use of multidimensional vulnerability indexes can display the actual vulnerabilities of a country beyond what the income level would suggest and allows for more accurate assessments of the eligibility for concessionary finance. We must acknowledge that incredible wealth and deep poverty can and does exist side by side in many countries, distorting the overall picture of economic health. Likewise, the debt relief system can and must be amended to support Middle Income-Countries. This includes extending the Debt Service Suspension Initiative announced by the G20 last year.

Second, support must be provided to Middle-Income Countries to diversify their economies and to invest in end-to-end production. This requires moving away from an overreliance on commodity export and helping to develop sectors that can sustainably manage and capitalize upon resources. Linked to this is the need to ensure access and absorption capacity for new and emerging technologies, which have the potential to ignite progress across the entirety of the SDGs.

Finally, we must continue to recognize the multidimensional nature of vulnerabilities in Middle-Income Countries – from food security to inequality to climate impacts – and work with governments to address these gaps and strengthen resilience. As we have sadly learned this past year, so much progress can be lost in mere moments during a disaster or significant setback and we cannot continue to let Middle-Income Countries slide back at the first sign of trouble; they too must have the capacity to withstand and persevere.

In closing, allow me to emphasize: the global socio-economic recovery brought on by COVID-19 has given us space to address the gaps and constraints that are hampering progress globally. For Middle-Income Countries, there is clear demand for debt and financing reform; for support to address inequality; for better access to technologies; and for efforts to diversity investments and strengthen economic growth. All of this is within our reach, and as policymakers, we can quickly shift the needle in the right direction.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, suggestions, and proposals to inform the Secretary-General’s Report.

Thank you very much.

This is the foundation for a society where women feel safe to take their rightful place in the workplace, public life, politics, and decision-making.

As an International Gender Champion, I firmly believe that if we are to end AIDS, we must end gender inequality.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Over the past eighteen months the multilateral system, the private sector, civil society, and academia have galvanized action to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Our resolve remains firm.

Now is the time for Member States to re-commit to our 2030 targets and accelerate our efforts to end AIDS by 2030. To press forth, in the spirit of the Political Declaration which you will take under consideration today.

We must listen to the voices of those affected, the civil society representatives, the health workers, and the epidemiologists who have been ringing the alarm.

We must take urgent action to ensure equal access to treatment if we are to prevent the 12 million people, who are now living with HIV, from dying of AIDS-related causes.

We must end stigma and discrimination, for once and for all.

If we are to end AIDS by 2030, we must take action today.

I thank you.