Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly
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Special event of CCPCJ on achieving SDG16
22 May 2023
(As delivered in Vienna)
Let me start by saying — I’m the one in New York who used to dis-advise side events. You may ask why I came here?
I came here because I need your advice. We need your advice on SDG16.
We are way off track on almost every SDG, including 16.
We are so far off track that doing the same will not save the game. Doing the same but much faster, will not save the day.
Doing something different, what we call game-changers, may do something.
So my plea to you is to identify 2-3 of these game changers, and these may make the difference.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to be here in Vienna, where so many of the international treaties that have defined peace, justice, diplomacy and human rights over the last 400 plus years were forged.
Sincere thanks to the Commission’s Chair, Ambassador Mary Mugwanja of Kenya, for extending this generous invitation to speak today.
Access to justice and the rule of law enable societies to resolve conflicts, claim rights and both seek and secure remedies.
Indeed, our multilateral system is defined by the principles underpinning the rule of law – equality, inclusion, fairness and respect for human rights.
They are embodied in SDG 16 and embedded through the whole Sustainable Development Goals ecosystem.
Yet, at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda – and just four months until the SDG Summit – we are far from achieving most of the goals, including Goal 16.
Some data has been announced already.
One quarter of our global population lives in conflict-affected countries – 2 billion people.
One third of the population – mostly women – fear walking alone in their neighborhood at night. Some places, 24 hours.
Amid today’s interlocking crises of food, energy, conflict and climate, a law-based order is or would be critical to our global response.
Without the rule of law and stable, strong institutions, we simply do not have the infrastructure to bring the SDGs to fruition, including SDG16.
At the same time, well-crafted international and domestic law provides answers, assurances, order and justice in the face of political turmoil, natural disasters and health challenges. Even in times of geopolitical crisis.
The massive reach of SDG 16 anchors our aspirations in crucial actions that reduce violence and corruption, eliminate discrimination and impunity, foster equality, create economic growth, and promote stability.
Solutions for SDG16 are the solutions and game-changers for many other SDGs.
In the General Assembly, we are working daily to support the achievement of SDG 16 – but as you heard, we are very far from where we would like to be by the end of this year.
We see this prominently in the work of the Sixth – or Legal – Committee, where Member States discuss and develop international law to meet the emerging needs of the international community, to help our sustainable development.
It is also where they provide interpretive guidance on existing international law.
Let me stop here for a minute. The roles and rules we have today may not be the roles and rules we need for tomorrow. We need to stick to the rule of law, to adherence to the rule of law, in a very transparent manner.
More broadly, the General Assembly is briefed annually by the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
As the backbone of the rule of law in the global context, these institutions represent multilateralism at its best.
I have met with the Presidents of these tribunals as an expression of the Assembly’s unfaltering support for their work.
I am greatly encouraged by the General Assembly’s recent decision to seek an advisory opinion from the ICJ on state obligations to address climate change. It might be a game-changer, if we see a result, the opinion from the ICJ.
This ground-breaking referral promises to support ongoing climate negotiations and political processes with an indisputable opinion.
An opinion from the world’s most reputable Court, based firmly on solid knowledge, science and jurisprudence.
Today, I am here, even symbolically, to ask from you.
Today, I would like to hear from you on how we can spark action on Goal 16.
How to support implementation of Agenda 2030?
I look forward to welcoming the Commission’s Chair and the UNODC Executive-Director to New York in June for the high-level debate on “Equal access to justice for all”.
And if I may have a second request – if you have those suggestions that can make the ‘game change’, please task them to bring them over on 15 June. This is the time we will listen to them, and build them into our future thinking and implementation plans.
Along with the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July, it will offer a prime opportunity to highlight the Commission’s important work across the 2030 Agenda.
We should send a strong message to the SDG Summit in September that it is our highest priority to uphold the values of the UN Charter.
To make sure that as it stands in the UN Charter, all of us can benefit. But now the ball is over to you.
For “we the peoples”. For all of us.
