As Economic and Social Council Concludes 2023 Management Segment, Speakers Stress Clear Calls for Action Needed to Advance 2030 Agenda, Tackle Global Crises
There must be clear calls to action in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, resolving global tax unfairness and bridging a dangerously widening digital divide, speakers stressed, as the Economic and Social Council concluded its 2023 management segment today.
Opening the meeting, Paula Narváez Ojeda (Chile), Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, shared highlights from its coordination segment in February, with the Sustainable Development Goals representing a “judgment day” amid immense remaining challenges. Three main messages were summed up, namely, interlinkages, self-evaluation and concreteness. She underscored that silos must be broken down and critical bottlenecks resolved, including on data and digital technologies, effective institutions and financing for sustainable development.
She also spotlighted key questions on whether the international community has built an inclusive, just and responsive institutional framework essential to enable effective development policy and asked if emerging challenges and opportunities, such as climate change and digital transformation, have been integrated into policy design and concrete action. An annex listing transformative policies and initiatives of the United Nations system has been launched as one of the outcomes of the coordination segment, including more than 105 policies and initiatives from 50 bodies and entities, to be presented together with the Summary of the Council President at the high-level political forum.
The Council then held an interactive dialogue on the theme on developing action-oriented recommendations for the high-level political forum on sustainable development. It featured panellists Mary Wangui Mugwanja (Kenya), Chair of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at its thirty-second session, joining by videoconference; Ana Cristina Amoroso das Neves, Chair of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development at its twenty-seventh session; Javad Momeni, Vice-Chair of the United Nations Forum on Forests at its nineteenth session; Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; and Adnan Aliani, Director of the Strategy and Programme Management Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), joining by videoconference.
Ms. Mugwanja, speaking via videoconference, gave an overview of the six resolutions adopted at the Commission’s thirty-second session, including the text, “Equal access to justice for all”, which encourages Member States to explore cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approaches. Further, in the resolution, “Enhancing the contributions of the CCPCJ to the accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the Commission would continue developing policies focused on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, she said.
Ms. Amoroso das Neves cited five challenges in digital transformation, including funding and resource allocation; coordination and collaboration; regulatory and legal frameworks; skills and talent development; and public trust and ethical considerations. Spotlighting the digital divide, she noted that least developed countries still only count 27 per cent of their populations as Internet users, calling for a Global Digital Compact. Conflicts involving digital technology have become one of digitalization’s most salient effects on society and politics globally, with digital technology increasingly weaponized, she observed. However, digital technologies can also provide solutions in conflict situations.
Mr. Momeni said that despite their critical importance, forests continue to be lost and degraded in many regions, with the United Nations Forum on Forests spotlighting the interlinkages between forests, biodiversity and climate change. The Forum also highlighted that forests are under threat from deforestation for conversion to agricultural lands, illegal logging and forest degradation. “We must send a clear call to action to foster concerted efforts and advance implementation of the global commitments, goals, and targets related to forests,” he stressed.
Mr. Hanif said the United Nations Tax Committee, through a tax and Sustainable Development Goal approach, is addressing the fundamental question of how it can make good on the transformational promise of the 2030 Agenda. The United Nations must set forth policies and practical guidance for countries to strengthen revenue, fight illicit financial flows and build resilient economies towards development. He further called for global tax cooperation, including tax treaties and improving the fairness of tax systems. His recommendations for the high-level political forum and the SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Summit includes an unambiguous call for enhanced global tax cooperation, and a massive global initiative for capacity-building of national tax authorities.
Mr. Aliani, speaking via videoconference, noted that progress on implementing the 2030 Agenda in the Asia-Pacific region stands at 14.4 per cent. At this pace, the region will miss 90 per cent of the 118 measurable targets by 2030. ESCAP is coordinating efforts across five regional commissions focusing on three key priorities, including contributing to the SDG Summit; amplifying the level of ambition at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and the Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit; and enhancing financing for development, he reported.
As the floor opened for discussion, delegates and United Nations officials emphasized the need for greater cooperation on all interlinked and relevant issues at all levels.
The representative of Indonesia stressed that unleashing the full potential of the Council’s system will require breaking down silos. Noting that the annex document can be a good foundation for partnership, he underscored that the Council must lead in addressing financing for development, reforming international financial institutions and assisting countries in developing new areas of economic growth.
The representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, drew attention to the Council’s endorsement in 2018 of 11 principles on effective governance for sustainable development. Principle 4 (on integrity) recommends anti-corruption policies codes of conduct for public officials, including competitive public procurement; conflict of interest policies; whistle-blower protection; and adequate salaries for public servants.
The representative of the Russian Federation cited the need for a scientific view of solving problems, requiring expertise from academia from various geographical regions and socioeconomic development models. As the key platform for multilateral interaction and non-politicized international cooperation, he said the Council should bring different viewpoints to prioritize international cooperation.
Huw Beynon, United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction underscored the need for managing risk and preventing disasters, highlighting the need for strong data and capacity-building, including improving legal frameworks and conducting legislative reviews. Calling for transforming the global financial system to better price risk and take financial decisions from a multi-hazard perspective, he reported that the cost of disasters to the global economy constitutes over $5 billion annually.
Juan José Martinez Badillo, Chief, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) New York Office, noted that Member States are engaged in revitalizing that agency’s intergovernmental machinery to effect the necessary transformations for a more resilient, digital and inclusive world. Digitalization can be harnessed to ensure that its benefits are shared by all but requires increased dialogue and international cooperation — including through inclusive global governance of data — to broaden and strengthen the meaningful participation of developing countries. That process will necessitate a deeper understanding of data governance, as well as recognizing the multidimensional character of data and the varying perspectives of multiple stakeholders.
Responding, Ms. Mugwanja encouraged Member States to mainstream crime prevention and criminal justice into COVID-19 recovery plans, while also urging them to allocate sufficient funding in the national post-COVID-19 budgets to this end.
Ms. Amoroso das Neves, highlighting different forums within the Economic and Social Council, underscored the importance of joint efforts in developing action plans that would influence national policies. Calling for a reinvention of multilateralism, she further underlined the need for North-South and South-South cooperation aside from formal meetings.
Mr. Momeni stressed that the United Nations’ strategic plan for forests — promoting sustainable forest management — is hampered by a lack of adequate means of implementation to achieve forest goals. He cited the highly important role of multilateralism and international cooperation, while noting that regional commissions offer huge opportunities to support countries.
Mr. Hanif observed that Council recommendations are not being embraced, including on anti-corruption and guidance on technology from the Commission on Science and Technology for Development. Responding to the representative of Indonesia, he said the Council is not short in terms of proposals, but rather on the ability of Member States to advance those ideas through their decisions.
Mr. Aliani noted that it might be easier to achieve consensus at regional and subregional levels and then bring it to the global level for consensus-building. He recalled the work relating to persons with disabilities that started in the Asia and Pacific region 20 years ago and then was taken up by other intergovernmental organs of the Economic and Social Council globally.