Text Must Become 'More Than a Piece of Paper', Urge Speakers, amidst Calls for Action, International Finance Reform
Kicking off the second half of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, world leaders at the SDG Summit 2023 today adopted a sweeping Political Declaration to reaffirm their shared commitment to end poverty and hunger everywhere, combat inequalities within and among countries and build peaceful societies that leave no one behind.
The adoption of the 10-page document, by the Heads of State and Government and high representatives gathering at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, came at a critical juncture as global crises — including armed conflict, adverse climate impacts and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“The SDGs need a global rescue plan,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his opening remarks to the SDG Summit, known formally as the high-level political forum on sustainable development, under the auspices of the General Assembly. “At the halfway point to the SDG deadline, the eyes of the world are on you once again,” he added.
Welcoming the endorsement by the Political Declaration of the need to reform today’s outdated, dysfunctional and unfair international financial architecture, he stressed that “this can be a game-changer in accelerating SDG progress”.
Following the Political Declaration’s adoption, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, and co-facilitator of negotiations on the Declaration alongside Ireland, emphasized that the commitment to the peaceful settlement of differences and respectful dialogue are best for safeguarding development gains worldwide. “Together we can turn out commitments to action,” he asserted.
Paula Narvaez (Chile), President of the Economic and Social Council, underlined that this week — also featuring the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development and the Climate Ambition Summit — should serve as “a turning point” to rescue the Goals. “We must not let this moment slip away,” she said, stressing that the Council stands ready to support countries’ efforts to turn commitments into action.
Setting the stage for the ensuing discussions, Mayada Adil of Sudan and Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, declared: “We are ready to take actions rather than promises.” However, the General Assembly Hall is filled with Heads of States, decision-makers and power holders but not youth. “What have you done to include young people in decision-making space?” she asked, stressing the need to involve youth, who make up half of the world’s population, in all decision-making spaces.
Throughout the day, representatives from Member States, UN entities and civil society engaged in plenary and leaders’ dialogue sessions, taking stock of progress and gaps in implementing the Goals while charting the way forward. With only seven years left to the 2030 deadline, the need for scaling up SDG finance emerged as a central theme.
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