Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly
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Closing remarks to 2nd Informal Briefing of the General Assembly on Science-based Evidence in Support of Sustainable Solutions
(As delivered)
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Before coming to the cake, let me just offer you a couple of words on this day.
I think, having heard all the three panels and despite fact we lost on the way quite a number of Member States that were still here in the first half of the day, there is no real need to further argue for the science supported decision-shaping in the United Nations and the General Assembly to strengthen the relevance of this Organization.
I think we are beyond that point already.
Nevertheless, some takeaways from me, if you wish, from the briefings and discussions today.
These briefings were very much supporting our forthcoming negotiations and High-Level Meetings on SDGs, sustainable development finance, the Summit of the Future, the Declaration on Youth, the HLPF, and I’m grateful for the briefers.
We have a great deal of knowledge to apply already.
That is encouraging news.
We also are fully aware that the key role will be played by data and data processing – and the way how we share and how we process and use data.
The transformation ahead of us, is about us.
It is not about something very abstract.
But it will be about us; our social stability and justice, about the quality of our life and the way we manage the resources on this Earth.
This transformation is possible. We heard it today.
We see the way how to make it.
What we need is an organized regular cooperation between policy making and the scientific community.
That will be absolutely necessary.
There are already some results, what we heard today.
And further possibilities will be here to develop.
And we were given some advice how to develop the system supporting our decision making.
We have some good advice for developing our supporting tools and the system itself.
The application of the acquired knowledge will happen at the global level, and the local levels alike.
Solutions – what we are trying to achieve – will come from different corners of the world.
We had excellent examples from India, Japan, Africa, Europe.
It will be a shared exercise. And it will be a shared enterprise.
The journey to the “Beyond GDP” today has started.
I would like to congratulate you on that.
The food systems we need are attainable. We heard that.
And the scientific support we need is of multidisciplinary nature, data-based, data-driven, pragmatic and solution oriented.
We will, as it was discussed in the first half of the day, we will put people at the centre.
I thank all the moderators and the briefers.
And I promise you that the written summary of what we heard today will be put together by my Office, the OPGA, and will be shared with all Member States.
Johannes promised you a chocolate cake – and I mentioned also that there will be a surprise announcement at the end.
At this point, I would like to invite my good friend and colleague, Ambassador of India, Ruchira Kamboj, to take the floor.
