Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Dennis Francis,

at the LLS Advisory Board Meeting on Sustainability Week

[As Delivered]

18 March 2024

 

Excellencies,

 

Distinguished Members of the Advisory Board,

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

Thank you all for joining me today, for this reconvening of the Advisory Board.

 

At the very outset, I should like to acknowledge a new member of the Advisory Board, Mr. Ralf Bredel, who is representing the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), which has been invited belatedly to join the Advisory Board. Thank you very much, we look forward to collaborating.

 

What I envision for our meeting this afternoon is a focused discussion around the forthcoming Sustainability Week – a consolidated series of mostly mandated, as well as my own signature events – aimed at stimulating accelerated progress towards the 2030 Agenda and as well, feeding into preparations for the Summit of the Future.

 

As we intensify our focus on the Summit in September 2024, the urgency of charting a sustainable course to achieve a prosperous and equitable future for all has never been more apparent.

It is imperative that we acknowledge the peculiar challenges faced by LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS – particularly their struggles with a debilitating debt burden and their high susceptibility to external shocks.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and multiplied these manifold challenges in key economic sectors like tourism – which is a vital economic lifeline for government revenue, foreign exchange receipts and employment, especially for many SIDS.

 

Furthermore, the infrastructure drawbacks and financing gaps faced by countries in special situations demand a concerted, risk-informed approach to development.

 

 

As already announced, I am pleased to convene the General Assembly’s first-ever Sustainability Week in April.

 

These back-to-back events during this important Week are intended to address debt sustainability and to focus on certain critical sectors that hold great transformational promise for sustainable development – that is tourism, transport, infrastructure connectivity, and energy.

 

The Concept Notes and invitations to several speakers – including at the Heads of State and Government level – have recently been circulated. The programmes for each event are being finalized and will be published very shortly.

 

Media and other targeted awareness campaigns are underway – and I seek your assistance and support in facilitating both the awareness and participation of your delegations and constituencies, at the highest possible level.

 

It is my hope that the outcomes of this Week will identify actionable solutions – prioritizing especially the needs of LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, ahead of upcoming major conferences and summits – notably, the Fourth SIDS Conference in Antigua and Barbuda in May and the Third LLDC Conference in Rwanda in June as well as Summit of the Future.

 

I invite each of you to share your insights, expertise and to actively participate in these critical dialogues – as we recommit to not leaving behind any member of these vulnerable groups of countries.

 

Together, let us strengthen the universal recognition of frameworks such as the Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainability of Tourism.

 

Let us actively contribute insights to the implementation plan of the UN Decade on Sustainable Transport.

 

And let us ignite a powerful Call to Action on Sustainable Energy – ensuring that access and affordability are not just lofty ideals, but a tangible reality for all.

 

Excellencies,

 

As indicated, along with the mandated events, my team is developing a “Choose Sustainability” campaign for the Membership of the UN and other stakeholders to align themselves with – personally and organizationally – behind sustainable practices.

 

The campaign will mobilize suggestions on how to reduce our individual carbon footprints; how to prevent food waste; and how to travel to our favourite destinations sustainably – amongst many other sustainability considerations.

 

I will launch the “Choose Sustainability” initiative in the coming weeks – and I would be grateful to all members of the Board for your support in participating in the campaign on adopting sustainable practices by all, and for all.

 

Distinguished Board members,

 

As we turn to discuss the potential outcomes of the Sustainability Week, I am eager to hear your insights on the following three questions:

 

1. How can the high-level events of Sustainability Week best feed into the upcoming SIDS4 and LLDC3 conferences?

 

2. How can we garner heightened political support for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS during the events of Sustainability Week?

 

3. And how can our deliberations spotlight the specific challenges faced by countries in special situations?

 

Treating these questions as guiding principles for our discussions, I urge you to reflect on how we can shape a more just, equitable and sustainable global landscape – our shared, overarching goal.

 

Let us seize this moment to harness the power of collective action, and pave the way for a brighter tomorrow – for ourselves and for future generations.

 

I look forward to hearing your expert guidance.

 

I thank you.