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Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I congratulate the City of Helsinki and the Government of Finland for hosting this important workshop in partnership with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the UN Economic Commission for Europe.

Today, the world is beset by multiple crises – from the COVID-19 pandemic, to the climate and food crises, to the war in Ukraine.

All of these crises are causing immense suffering, worsening inequalities, and increasing the cost-of-living and debt pressures on families and countries alike – reversing years of development gains.

The good news is that we have a roadmap for recovery: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This should guide us not only at the international and national levels, but also in terms of local action.

Local and regional governments must play their part to accelerate the localization of SDGs.

I commend local governments that have already undertaken Voluntary Local Reviews of their implementation of the SDGs.

Local action is critical.

It can support more integrated policymaking and coordination between national and local governments.

It can increase engagement with key groups like civil society, the private sector and academia — which are all critical to SDG implementation.

And it can enhance data collection and spark new, innovative ideas and solutions to accelerate progress.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are nearly at the half-way mark for implementing the SDGs and we are not on track.

Next year, Member States will convene an SDG Summit.

Over the next two days, I encourage you to reflect upon lessons and innovations that you can share for SDG implementation to contribute to the SDG Summit and the road ahead.

Together, we can accelerate our progress, and shape the better, more sustainable future that people and our planet deserve.

Thank you.