Speaking on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, Amina Mohammed known as for immediate and decisive action to salvage the faltering Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and beyond are causing a devastating loss of life and diverting political attention and scarce resources from the urgent work of ending poverty and averting climate catastrophe,” she mentioned on the ministerial assembly of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable improvement.
She emphasised the necessity to slash army budgets and as a substitute channel funds in the direction of peace and improvement.
Critical stage of SDGs
Highlighting the vital state of the SDGs, Ms. Mohammed famous that solely 17 p.c of the targets are on observe because the 2030 deadline approaches.
“Future generations deserve more than 17 percent of a sustainable future,” she emphasised, outlining a four-pronged technique for urgent acceleration in a bid to meet the 2030 deadline for the Goals.
The first step, she pressured, is to set up peace, underscoring that political and monetary sources needs to be redirected from conflicts to improvement efforts.
She additionally emphasised the significance of advancing inexperienced and digital transition, urging nations to improve their local weather action plans by 2025, aligning them with the 1.5-degree Celsius restrict in line wit the Paris Agreement and spend money on increasing digital connectivity.
Invest in peace
Addressing the monetary challenges impeding SDG progress, Ms. Mohammed identified the rising financing hole and destabilizing monetary circumstances in lots of creating international locations.
She acknowledged ongoing reform of multilateral improvement banks and the recycling of particular drawing rights however known as for extra sturdy measures.
“We must go further and faster to deliver an SDG Stimulus,” she urged, calling for elevated lending capability, expanded entry to contingency financing, and complete debt options.
Keep the promise
In conclusion, Ms. Mohammed reiterated the SDGs’ promise to “leave no one behind”.
She emphasised the necessity to prioritize weak populations, uphold the rights of individuals with disabilities and fight gender inequality.
“Achieving this agenda means placing vulnerable people and groups at the forefront of national development plans, policies and budgets,” she mentioned.
Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, addresses the ministerial opening of the High-level Political Forum.
Nations should act
General Assembly President Dennis Francis echoed this urgency, highlighting the plight of 1.1 billion folks dwelling in multidimensional poverty.
“Today, 1.1 billion people are living in multidimensional poverty. If we do nothing impactful, eight per cent of the global population – or 680 million people – will still languish in hunger by 2030,” he warned, urging immediate and comprehensive action.
He underscored the need to address the root causes of poverty and hunger, emphasizing their interconnectedness with conflict, climate change, and economic shocks.
Be creative and bold
Mr. Francis also highlighted the importance of last year’s SDG Summit, which adopted a strong political declaration and launched a new phase of accelerated action to realize the global development goals by 2030.
Looking forward, he expressed optimism for the upcoming Summit of the Future, anticipated to be a transformative event that would reinforce political will and address the global financial system’s inequities.
“The Summit’s anticipated outcome – a Pact for the Future – must be transformative enough to justly telegraph the political will that will usher in a brighter tomorrow for all, everywhere,” he mentioned, urging Member States to be inventive, inclusive and daring, making certain the Pact is genuinely transformational and restores public confidence.
Paula Narváez Ojeda, President of the Economic and Social Council, addresses the ministerial opening of the High-level Political Forum 2024.
Helping notice the Goals
Paula Narváez, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), underscored the physique’s vital function in steering the implementation of the SDGs.
“Throughout the cycle of the Economic and Social Council, I have prioritized promoting the transformative policies that the Council’s various subsidiary bodies can offer to implement the SDGs.”
She emphasised the significance of tailoring these insurance policies to meet the varied wants of individuals and the planet whereas contemplating every nation’s issues.
In that context, she highlighted the important thing Voluntary National Reviews performed on the HLPF, with 36 international locations presenting this 12 months. These evaluations present useful insights into nationwide experiences, classes realized, and obstacles encountered in implementing the SDGs.
“We were able to explore in greater depth the reasons for the delay in implementation, but we were also able to hear from governments themselves and interested parties about the good practices that we can reproduce,” Ms. Narváez famous.
Commitment to dialogue
The ECOSOC President known as for a renewed dedication to multilateralism and constructive dialogue.
“We must all commit to being fully involved in building a constructive dialogue and raising the bar with a great vision from all stakeholders,” she urged, emphasizing the necessity for collective effort to obtain the mandatory transformations.
Concluding her remarks, Ms. Narváez expressed hope that the actions taken in the present day would encourage future generations.
“We hope that the boys and girls that are watching us today can see in the future an opportunity to fulfil their potential as we are showing here today,” she mentioned, reinforcing the long-term imaginative and prescient of the SDGs.
Ministerial phase
During its three-day ministerial phase, the HLPF will maintain a basic debate on the theme From the SDG Summit to the Summit of the Future.
Ministers and high-level representatives of taking part States, in addition to intergovernmental organizations, and major teams and different stakeholders will take action to realise the Political Declaration of the 2023 SDG Summit and speed up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.
They will even contribute to the preparations of the Summit of the Future, to be held this September.
Held beneath the auspices of the ECOSOC, the Forum will conclude on 18 July with the adoption of a ministerial declaration.
