Natural Hazards, Lack of Resources Hindering Efforts to Implement Sustainable Development Targets, Speakers Say, as Second Committee Concludes Debate
Droughts and floods in Mozambique were causing displacement and having disastrous effects on its gross domestic product, agriculture and food security, that country’s representative told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as it concluded its debate on sustainable development.
Mozambique had tried to reduce the effects of El Niño-related hazards by promoting studies aimed at reducing community vulnerabilities, she said. But a lack of resources severely hampered efforts to fully implement development targets, rebuild destroyed infrastructure and improve planning mechanisms.
Drawing a global picture, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s representative said El Niño-related droughts, floods and extreme weather were threatening the agriculture, food security and nutritional status of more than 60 million people worldwide. Spotlighting the vulnerability of small island developing States and mountain country needs, she said the only way forward was sustainable development.
Myanmar’s representative said her country was vulnerable to such natural hazards as cyclones, floods, earthquakes and droughts. In August, central Myanmar was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, damaging about 200 Buddhist temples in the ancient city of Bagan. Dating as far back as the ninth century, the temples were of great cultural and archaeological importance to the country’s people.
Ethiopia’s representative emphasized the disproportionate loss developing country economies suffered due to natural hazards, which threatened to undermine hard-earned gains. The socioeconomic impact of El Niño in Ethiopia was one of the strongest on record, causing the worst drought in five decades and floods affecting 10 million people. To minimize the impact of the phenomenon, the Government had woven disaster risk measures into its development plan.
Nigeria’s representative urged the international community to tackle the root causes of natural hazards. Moreover, it should boost exchanges of hazard relief technology and information as well as establish mechanisms of regional cooperation for monitoring, early warning and assessment of major natural hazards.
Cuba’s delegate said her country was accustomed to minimizing the risks of natural hazards due its geographical location in the Caribbean Sea. But nature was now striking with full force due to climate change, she said, highlighting the recent devastating effects of Hurricane Mathew.
Speakers also stressed the need to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Paris Agreement on climate change and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development. They also urged the international community to honour financing commitments to assist developing States to implement those agreements.
Also speaking today were representatives of Malaysia, El Salvador, China, Kuwait, Tonga, Ukraine, Togo, Fiji, Turkey, Croatia, Senegal, Namibia, Equador, Canada, Egypt and Congo, as well as the Holy See. Representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Renewable Energy Agency also spoke.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 13 October.
Statements
ALBERTINA MAC DONALD (Mozambique), associating herself with the “Group of 77” developing countries and China and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said her country was vulnerable to natural hazards. Those impacts undermined efforts to reduce poverty and promote social and economic development. Droughts and floods were affecting gross domestic product (GDP), agricultural performance and caused hunger and displacement. Mozambique had taken a number of measures aimed at reducing such impacts by promoting studies and research aimed at disaster risk reduction and reducing the vulnerabilities of communities. Mozambique had also coordinated responses at the national, provincial and district levels and was strengthening infrastructure where deemed fit. However, a lack of resources severely hampered efforts to fully implement development targets, rebuild destroyed infrastructure and improve mechanisms of planning.
RAMLAN BIN IBRAHIM (Malaysia), associating himself with the Group of 77, said inclusivity was a key principle in Malaysia’s national socioeconomic development agenda. That development approach had significantly reduced poverty and narrowed income inequality. Malaysia had introduced an index of 14 components and 68 indicators that measured how development efforts translated into a better quality of life for people. On extreme weather, Malaysia said that if left unchecked, “we are afraid” climate change could constitute the greatest threat to global security. His country was fully committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emission intensity by up to 45 per cent by 2030 and was currently undertaking domestic processes towards ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change. It was also in the process of setting up a high-level committee with membership from the Government, private sector and civil society to oversee implementation of sustainable development.
RUBÉN IGNACIO ZAMORA RIVAS (El Salvador), associating himself with the Group of 77 and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said the international community must work to lay the groundwork for implementation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Implementation could only function through public policies yielding tangible results for citizens. It must be a shared aspiration among citizens, universities and other organizations or institutions. He called for a clearly defined role the United Nations would play in implementing the agreements, as the various goals could not be achieved without the participation and support of the United Nations. The Organization should assist each country in its efforts to fulfil the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in line with its national development plans. He also noted that developed countries suffered the worst impacts of climate change and called for measures to help them adapt to those effects.
HUA YE (China), associating herself with the Group of 77, said that the international community needed to take proactive steps to implement the 2030 Agenda in a forward looking manner, upholding its basic principles. Countries were encouraged to implement the Agenda into their national plans under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. She stressed the importance of optimizing development partnerships. North-South cooperation remained essential and official development assistance (ODA) commitments needed to be fulfilled, but South-South cooperation could also be improved. It was necessary to seek win-wins on climate, food and energy. It was necessary to seek a fair, reasonable, and sustainable agricultural trade order, cut back on protectionism and ensure food security. It was also vital to build a low-carbon economic system. As the world’s largest developing country, China had set sustainable development as its national policy. It had completed domestic procedures for the ratification of the Paris Agreement on 3 September, and stood ready to continue strengthening cooperation in the global common effort to respond to climate change.
AYE MYA MYA KHAING (Myanmar) said the Sustainable Development Goals must be included and mainstreamed into national policies and plans for their successful implementation. Myanmar’s commitment to the Goals was reflected in its economic and development policy 2016. Her country fully believed that science, technology and innovation were key enablers in achieving the Goals. Technology transfer and capacity-building assistance to developing countries consistent with their respective capabilities and national circumstances and priorities was vital. She also stressed that peace and national reconciliation were vital in achieving sustainable development, given that the lack of security triggered by decades-long internal armed conflicts had hindered inclusive development in Myanmar. In addition, the country was vulnerable to a wide range of natural disasters, such as cyclones, floods, earthquakes and droughts. Climate change had disrupted its path towards development and had negative impacts on other vulnerable countries. In late August, central Myanmar was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, damaging about 200 Buddhist temples in the ancient city of Bagan. Dating back to the ninth and tenth centuries, the temples were not only of historical but of cultural and archaeological importance for the people of Myanmar.
HEBA ALSABAH (Kuwait) said it was necessary to implement the agreements of 2015. She highlighted the need to cooperate to overcome challenges that included countries in special situations. It was necessary to share responsibility and cooperate between developed and developing countries. Partnerships were key. It was essential to fulfil commitments to finance development in developing countries. Kuwait had established a programme to carry out the 2030 Agenda. Sustainable development required awareness being placed on climate change as one of the main challenges. She was pleased that the Paris Agreement would enter into force in November, and Kuwait sought to diversify its energy resources to reduce greenhouse emissions. Her State had also taken actions to prevent desertification.
MAHE’ULI’ULI SANDHURST TUPOUNIUA (Tonga), associating himself with the Pacific Small Island Developing States, the Alliance of Small Island States and the Group of 77, said the Committee’s work on sustainable development was particularly relevant to his country as a sea-locked developing nation. Underscoring the importance of the integrated and complementary nature of the Samoa Pathway and the 2030 Agenda, he stressed that the interlinked challenges related to the oceans, climate change and hazard risk must be addressed holistically. “A broad brush is not appropriate,” he said in that regard, urging partners to be specific and strategic in their common approaches. Describing his Government’s second 10-year development plan — which drew linkages between the Samoa Pathway and the Sustainable Development Goals — he said Tonga had taken a “whole-of-country” approach in the development of its climate change policy, which had been drawn from community priorities, non-governmental organization work plans and private sector vulnerabilities in relation to climate change.
TEKEDA ALEMU (Ethiopia), associating himself with the Group of 77, said it was vital to strengthen United Nations synergy and coherence as well as boost it system-wide cooperation in implementing the 2030 Agenda and other agreements. It was also important to promote the sharing of best practises and experiences among Member States in achieving the Goals. Turning to natural hazards, he said they continued to cause a disproportionate loss to the economies of developing countries, threatening to undermine their hard-earned gains. As disasters became the “new norm” by reaching unacceptable levels, it was necessary to change the global approach to them by integrating disaster preparedness into long-term development plans. The socioeconomic impact of the El Niño phenomenon in Ethiopia was one of the strongest on record. It had been one of the countries that faced serious drought, the worst in five decades, and floods that affected 10 million people. To mitigate the impact of El Niño, the Government, in collaboration with international partners, had integrated disaster risk measures into its development plan. The productive safety net programmes, health system and emergency food reserve mechanisms and the $400 million the Government had allocated had helped the country reduce the damage of disasters and prevent loss of life. As the full impact of the El Niño was not over, Ethiopia continued to work closely with partners to further consolidate its disaster risk institutional capacity and resilience.
VITALII BILAN (Ukraine) said that despite external aggression his country was fully committed to the implementation of sustainable development and would keep working to fulfil its commitments related to improving the quality of education, promoting gender quality and ensuring environmental sustainability. On the development of Chernobyl-affected areas, Ukraine believed it was important at the United Nations level to provide a stronger voice to the human dimension of preparedness for and recovery from nuclear emergencies. External aggression aimed at Ukraine had led to new forms of poverty that affected the lives of about 1.5 million internally displaced persons in his country. The crisis of internally displaced persons was the biggest problem not only for Ukraine but for the whole region. Confronting Russian military aggressions, Ukraine was going through one of the most difficult periods in its modern history. It was obvious that no country alone could achieve sustainable development without peace and security.
PTANGME PEKETI (Togo), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said his country was taking an active role in international fora and towards fulfilling the 2030 Agenda. In July, Togo was one of 22 voluntary States that presented their reports during the Economic and Social Council’s high-level political forum on sustainable development. Institutional reforms were taken at the national level to reduce poverty and increase economic growth. In economic governance, the Government had opted for a proper management of public financing and improving the financial sector, with an emphasis on transparency and fighting corruption. The Government also implemented an emergency community development programme, accelerating social inclusion and initiating targeted actions towards vulnerable populations. Despite those significant efforts, challenges remained. Togo reaffirmed the necessity of a truly inclusive process in achieving the 2030 Agenda, which required fulfilling the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development.
SEMISI SERUITANOA (Fiji), associating himself with the Group of 77, Alliance of Small Island States and the Pacific Small Island Developing States, said his Government had placed sustainable development at the core of its national agenda. Small island developing States faced special vulnerabilities, and he highlighted the importance of the Samoa Pathway and the Mauritius Strategy. Fiji highlighted the importance of the Paris Agreement, noting that it was the first country to ratify the document. He also stressed the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals, notably Goal 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. The implementation of the 2030 Agenda was the moral imperative of our time, he said.
ABEL ADELAKUN AYOKO (Nigeria) said the global community must redouble its efforts to move forward with the sustainable development agenda. Developed States should honour their commitments to developing countries in the areas of finance and technology, as well as increase development assistance and transfer environment-friendly technology. Small island developing States faced unique structural and external challenges in achieving sustainable development, and the United Nations had a fundamental role to play in mobilizing financial assistance, transfer of applicable technology and capacity-building for those States. He also noted that natural hazards were a serious impediment in achieving sustainable development. Accordingly, it was vital for the international community to collectively address the root causes of existing and future natural hazards. He underscored the need for it to strengthen exchanges in disaster relief technology and information, establish mechanisms of regional cooperation for monitoring, and early warning and assessment of major natural disasters to minimize the consequences of them.
ADNAN ALTAY ALTINÖRS (Turkey), noting that his country was in the process of fully integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into its national development plans, said it was “high time” to gain momentum in human-centred development. As a candidate for a number of major United Nations environmental summits, and having hosted in 2015 the twelfth Conference of Parties of the Convention on Combating Desertification, Turkey believed that the accelerated implementation of such conventions and the relevant Sustainable Development Goals required adequate capacity, resources and assistance to developing countries. In that context, Turkey had launched the Ankara Initiative for 2016-2019 to strengthen the implementation of the Convention on Combating Desertification and leverage the lessons learned from the country’s past experiences on land management.
VESNA BAUS (Croatia), associating herself with the European Union, said next week’s conference on sustainable urban development in Ecuador — and the adoption of the New Urban Agenda — offered a unique opportunity and an important step towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. There was a clear synergy between urbanization, sustainable development and climate change, where cities had an important impact on the environment and the climate. As the major challenge for countries was granting their citizens a decent quality of life, there was a need for qualitative development in order to address the increased levels of inequality in societies. Turning to the issue of entrepreneurship for development, she said small and medium-sized enterprises lay at the heart of every successful sustainable development strategy as they nurtured the entrepreneurial spirit and fostered the quest for innovation and technological development. In that regard, she expressed her support for the ongoing negotiations for drafting and adopting a Second Committee resolution on entrepreneurship for development, and appealed to Member States to adhere to it to the largest extent possible.
ABDOULAYE BARRO (Senegal), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that the adoption of the 2030 Agenda was a decisive turning point in the world’s search for solutions to the threats and challenges that States faced. The grave nature of those challenges required that countries adopt inclusive strategies seeking performance that would integrate relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and viability. Inclusive and sustainable economic growth was necessary, which required multi-stakeholder partnerships based on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. He highlighted the Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Senegal had already ratified the Paris Agreement, which now needed to be implemented. Senegal had worked towards an overarching reorientation of its policies, holding a national conference on sustainable development.
YILIANNE SÁNCHEZ RODRÍGUEZ (Cuba) said that signs of environmental degradation reflected the need to change unsustainable patterns of consumption worldwide. For small island developing States, degradation was a particular burden, needing special and differentiated global treatment. Owing to its geography, Cuba was susceptible to climate change, so the country had strengthened its capacity and conducted research into the phenomenon. Cuba’s role was well-known in organizing and coordinating tasks related to hazard risks. It had learned lessons in the process, but nature was now striking with full force due to climate change. Alluding to the devastating effects of Hurricane Mathew, she stressed the need to preserve human lives and property. Her delegation fully supported protection of the Caribbean Sea and would be promoting its preservation and sustainable use through a resolution to be presented in the Second Committee.
WILFRIED I. EMVULA (Namibia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, said achievement of sustainable development required a multidimensional approach that encompassed several social, political and economic processes. That entailed focusing on education and skills, expanding international trade and facilitating the movement of goods and people across borders. Africa needed to transition out of a commodity-based production model into a producer of higher-value goods and services. On climate change, Namibia urged the international community to assist hard-hit areas, most recently Haiti, in rebuilding homes. The harsh environmental constraints of Namibia made the country extremely vulnerable to drought and desertification, impeding efforts to achieve sustainable development.
HORACIO SEVILLA BORJA (Ecuador), associating himself with the Group of 77 and CELAC, welcomed the clear goal of the 2030 Agenda of eradicating poverty as the major challenge facing the world. Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals required global commitments. Beyond ODA and North-South cooperation, what was required was mobilizing new resources and utilizing South-South and triangular cooperation. Nevertheless, a great part of the resources would be of domestic resources coming from tax revenues, and a great amount of Ecuadorian wealth was hidden in tax havens. Neoliberal propaganda reflected the State as representing every evil, and that view could not distract from the responsibility States had to combat poverty and hunger. Poverty was not the result of a lack of resources but from the existence of exclusionary systems. Asymmetries that affected the planet could not be ignored. He underscored the adoption of sustainable production and consumption patterns, and welcomed the creation of a forum of Latin American and Caribbean countries for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda at the regional level.
CAMILLE BOUILLON-BÉGIN (Canada) said that her country had in June issued a statement announcing its intention to re-join the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification at the earliest opportunity. The statement also recognized that desertification was linked to many of Canada’s development priorities, such as food security, agriculture, peace and security, access to water, livestock production and renewable energy, as well as the risks that desertification posed to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals.
MOHAMED OMAR GAD (Egypt) said progress had been made in institutionalizing the 2030 Agenda, but implementation remained incomplete. Stressing that many nations needed support, especially in financing, he said the United Nations had decades of experience in sustainable development. The Rio Conference in 1992 was a historic turning point which laid down the basis for future sustainable development. The international community must protect its rich heritage by dealing with sustainable development issues. Finding appropriate implementation methods was vital in achieving progress. One way implementation could be supported was through international partnerships. He said all nations were facing climate change, especially in Africa, but that could not be dealt with unless sufficient financing was made available for adaptation.
BERNARDITO CLEOPAS AUZA, Permanent Observer of the Holy See, said the success of the 2030 Agenda depended on going beyond the language of economics and statistics, and needed to focus on the human person. Moral and spiritual concerns needed to be addressed as well. A paradigm shift in development thinking was necessary and it demanded a change in the relationships among peoples and between people and the environment. The dignity of each person and the centrality of the common good to all goals and experts needed to be at the beginning of such a rethinking. It was necessary to avoid a social and economic analysis that pursued only the greatest financial margins, as that could not lead to sustainable development and would instead lead to a Darwinian model of survival of the fittest that would exacerbate inequality. That was not against the proper role of markets, business or entrepreneurs, he stressed, but said there was more to life than profit margin. Sustainable development would always be a public-private partnership requiring honest Governments and businesses. The Holy See encouraged national efforts that fostered both good governance and good business that sustained and fostered human development.
YERA ORTIZ DE URBINA, International Renewable Energy Agency, said renewables offered an economically attractive answer to climate and energy security concerns, as well as new opportunities for sustainable livelihoods for the millions who lacked access to energy. Today, 173 countries had renewable energy targets, up from 43 countries in 2005, and renewable generation capacity had increased by about one-third in the last five years. Stressing that energy would be crucial to meeting nearly all Sustainable Development Goals, she said the world was entering a new era in which energy transformation would drive economic transformation. In its current session, the Second Committee should take stock of that transformation and provide the guidance necessary to ensure that it reached all people.
APPOLINAIRE DINGHA (Congo), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, highlighted the importance of implementing Agenda 21, protecting biodiversity, and promoting new renewable sources of energy, and welcomed the reports of the Secretary-General on those issues and the recommendations therein. The Paris Agreement was a landmark event, and implementation was urgent. Climate change was a major challenge of the time, and the scientific evidence for warming was clear, with CO2 levels exceeding 400 parts per million for the first time. All actions to address climate change needed to also address sustainable development. Congo had taken measures to address the threats of climate change, and had started ratification of the important instrument and would participate actively in the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Congo had a national policy on forests and carbon stocks, and had implemented a deforestation and reforestation programme to plant more than 1 million trees every year.
CARLA MUCAVI, of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said food security, nutrition and sustainable agricultural and rural development were central to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda’s vision. Noting that the importance of food and agriculture had been reflected in the Paris Agreement and related national commitments, she underscored the need to act together on multiple fronts, breaking down silos and ensuring consistency and coherence across United Nations pillars. “There is no time to lose,” she stressed in that regard, adding that El Niño-related droughts, floods and extreme weather were putting at risk the agriculture, food security and nutritional status of more than 60 million people globally. Spotlighting the particular vulnerability of small island developing States, as well as the needs of mountain communities, she concluded by emphasizing that “there is no way forward without sustainable development”.