By Incorporating Developing Country Priorities, New Agenda Is ‘Promise and Message of Hope’ for Most Vulnerable, Secretary-General Tells Ministers
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the ministerial meeting of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, in New York, today:
It is a great pleasure to participate in this meeting. I would like to commend the Government of South Africa for providing visionary leadership to the Group.
Madame Chair, before speaking on substantive issues, I would like to join the President of the General Assembly in expressing my deepest condolences [for] the many hundreds of people who died, and my deepest condolences to the families and friends and Governments and people of those affected. I sincerely hope that, under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, there will be immediate and necessary assistance for those people. I hope that the injured people will get a speedy recovery.
Tomorrow is a historic day. The world will unite around a universal and transformative agenda to guide development efforts to 2030.
It is a visionary agenda aimed at eradicating poverty and putting the world on a sustainable development path. It is an agenda that is people-centred and planet-friendly; an agenda that pledges to leave no one behind and nurture our only home, the planet Earth. It is an agenda that understands that building a peaceful world must be guided by the principles of justice and solidarity and a concern for future generations and our planet Earth.
It is also a universal agenda. Developed countries are committing to act, not only through their development cooperation, but also through domestic plans and policies. The adoption of the agenda will kick off the revitalization of the global partnership for development.
The 2030 agenda is a promise and a message of hope to the most vulnerable. It takes on board many priorities that have been voiced by developing countries. It encompasses the agenda of the Millennium Development Goals, and makes it more ambitious. It focuses on growth and decent employment. It demands to enhance the productive capacity in developing countries, especially in the least developed countries. It addresses the preservation of the planet and the fight against climate change. It is grounded in an understanding of the complexity and interconnected nature of today’s most vexing challenges. And it builds on these connections to develop an integrated set of goals to eradicate poverty and realize sustainable development.
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda, adopted this summer, provides a framework for mobilizing the means to implement the new agenda. I particularly welcome the launch of a technology facilitation mechanism.
The Group of 77 and China has played an extremely important role in shaping this agenda. I am sure you will sustain the same enthusiasm and idealism as we move to implementation. You need to act in your countries to build awareness and commitment to this agenda.
At the international level, you will need to engage in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development that will be the overarching follow-up and review platform, working coherently with the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the rest of the UN system.
This year’s visionary global events — including the Sendai Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, and those to come, including COP 21 on Climate Change in Paris in December; and in 2016, the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul; and Habitat III in Quito 2016 — are all elements of our collective vision to end poverty and achieve sustainable development.
I recommit to you my full support and the support of the entire United Nations system. I look forward to continuing the strong collaboration between your Group and the UN system. Let us deliver on this transformative agenda, for present and future generations. Thank you for your leadership.