Impact of Pandemic, Worldwide Crises Must Be Overcome to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals, Speakers Stress, as High-Level Political Forum Opens
Half-way to 2030 with only 12 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals targets on track, Member States must overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple worldwide crises that threaten decades of progress in order to achieve the Global Goals, speakers stressed, as the high-level political forum on sustainable development, held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, opened today.
Convened under the theme “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”, the forum — which runs until 19 July — will explore policies and transformations needed to overcome the multiple crises that continue to threaten decades of progress made in development around the world. Particular emphasis will be placed on trends and policies related to Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation); Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy); Goal 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure); Goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities); and Goal 17 (partnerships for the Goals and their linkages to other Goals).
In opening remarks, Lachezara Stoeva (Bulgaria), Council President, noting that the forum’s theme comes at an opportune time, also stressed the need to include young people in discussions and deliberations and harness their wisdom and dedication to the future of the planet. As well, she noted that the forum’s focus will include the voluntary national reviews. These are the “bread and butter” of the Sustainable Development Goals’ implementation and monitoring as they reflect the pulse of the 2030 Agenda, she said.
Echoing that in his keynote address, Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General of Economic and Social Affairs, also emphasized that the voluntary national reviews are the heart of discussions. “Amidst the diversity of contexts and challenges, we have witnessed remarkable progress across numerous nations,” he reported, with commitment to the Global Goals reflected in constitutions, national action plans and strategies. However, presenting the Secretary-General’s report “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet”, he warned that, with only seven years left, the promise of the 2030 Agenda is in peril. If current trends continue, by 2030 575 million people will remain trapped in extreme poverty.
In that regard, Arrmanatha Nasir (Indonesia) Vice President of the Economic and Social Council, said that at this mid-point, people-centred policy design and decision-making are crucial. “Have we appropriately addressed the development challenges faced by people on the ground?” he asked. The world is living in a post-pandemic world, requiring greater agility and resilience. “This year is a ‘judgement day’ in our commitment to creating the ideal world we seek to create,” he said.
Edward Ndopu, Sustainable Development Advocate and youth representative, said that the honour to be the first person with a disability to keynote this convening is “not just my moment; it is a milestone for millions of people with disabilities across the globe”. The strides made in accessibility and inclusion are substantial, yet they are only a small fraction of the path that lies ahead. To fully grasp the magnitude of the sustainable development challenge, the world must confront the harsh statistical truths. The picture is bleak: The count of those living in extreme poverty is on the rise and hunger has once again reared its ugly head. Young people’s power must be utilized in decision-making processes. “How can we expect to adequately address the myriad challenges of our time without the full and meaningful participation of those who will bear the brunt of their consequences?” he asked.
Townhall meetings and panels were also held throughout the day, including “Overcoming the crises, driving transformation for the SDGs, and leaving no one behind”; “Financing our crisis response and investing in the SDGs”; and “Science, technology and innovation: Triggering transformation and sustaining a science driven recovery”. Presenters and panellists expressed alarm that in the last two decades there has been an 80 per cent increase in the number of people affected by disasters
It is not just the numbers that are jarring, said Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. It is about how disasters affect the world. “We saw, during COVID-19, that risk is systemic, and a public health crisis quickly emerged as a crisis in every aspect of our life,” she stressed. Risk is systemic and everything is connected, thus illustrating the need to invest in resilient infrastructure and early warning systems.
Many speakers also urged the need to pay extra attention to Member States in special situations. Enhancing capacity-building for small island developing States, least developed countries and countries in Africa, which are in special situations, is vital. But groups of people require tailored approaches as well as the world moves towards implementing policy that, leaders hope, will last for generations to come, they said.
To that point, Ovide Mercredi, Ambassador of the International Longevity Centre Canada, underscored that vulnerable people are essentially first in line to suffer from any crisis. Speaking specifically about his experience in Canada as an Indigenous person, he said that whatever action is taken by the Government must not be prescriptive. “Canada must recognize that they’re not our master, they’re not our grandfather, they’re essentially our partner,” he underscored.
“People unfortunately are being looked at from a cost-benefit perspective,” added Elham Yousseffian, Inclusive Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Adviser at the International Disability Alliance. Many policies do not lay out specific commitments to women, persons with disabilities, older persons, LGBTI people and Indigenous people. “Being included is human rights,” she said, stressing: “This is not Governments’ charity. This is not something that Governments are doing because they're good Government. This is their responsibility”.
The Economic and Social Council’s high-level political forum will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 11 July.
Opening Remarks
LACHEZARA STOEVA (Bulgaria), President of the Economic and Social Council, said that this year’s high-level political forum will focus on accelerating recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Forum this year marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Noting that the second four-year cycle of the Forum is ending, she said that this year the Forum meets twice — under the auspices of the Council in July and under the auspices of the General Assembly in September as the SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Summit. Regional forums continue to be essential platforms for evaluating progress and exchanging best practices to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Dedicated sessions will focus on certain Goals, particularly on clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, sustainable cities, and partnerships for the Goals.
She added that the Forum is informed by two key reports: The Global Sustainable Development Report and the Special Edition of the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report. A range of other inputs also inform the Forum’s work, among them the synthesis of inputs from the Council’s functional commissions and other bodies. There is a need to include young people in discussions and deliberations and harness their wisdom and dedication to the future of the planet. It is especially a critical time to do that. Discussions during this session will focus on means of implementation, and the plight of countries in special situations, including small island developing States, Africa, least developed countries and landlocked developing countries, among others. In the second part of the Forum, focus will shift to the voluntary national reviews. These are the “bread and butter” of Sustainable Development Goals implementation and monitoring as they reflect the pulse of the 2030 Agenda, she said.
Keynote Speakers
LI JUNHUA, Under-Secretary-General of Economic and Social Affairs, stressed the significance of this year’s forum — and its aim to build awareness and momentum towards the SDG Summit in September — as the centrepiece of high-level events in 2023 and the focal point of the United Nations work on sustainable development. Noting the voluntary national reviews are the heart of discussions, he cited the active participation of 38 countries, along with the European Union. Since 2015, 188 countries have conducted reviews, improving their preparation, engaging stakeholders more systematically and utilizing multiple tools of analysis. “Amidst the diversity of contexts and challenges, we have witnessed remarkable progress across numerous nations,” he reported, with institutional alignment being a key achievement and commitment to the Global Goals reflected in constitutions, national action plans and strategies. The unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have compelled countries to respond with resilience and innovation.
Achieving net-zero emissions and investing in renewable energy sources highlights the determination to combat climate change, he continued. Partnerships, particularly public-private collaborations, illustrate the power of collaboration and innovation towards realizing sustainable development. However, persistent challenges impede progress, including data availability and quality; limited financial resources also pose constraints on initiatives’ full implementation. In some instances, security crises have exacerbated the challenges, hindering progress and exacerbating humanitarian issues. In response, countries have adopted innovative strategies, including a whole-of-government approach, involving multiple sectors. Emphasizing stakeholder engagement, including civil society, the private sector, academia and local communities, he emphasized that innovative financing models and partnerships offer new avenues for mobilizing resources and driving progress. “We must take SDG follow-up to the next level,” he stressed, strengthening national accountability for progress. “Let us seize this opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to sustainable development and work collaboratively to ensure a better future for all,” he said.
ARRMANATHA NASIR (Indonesia) Vice President of Economic and Social Council, said that half-way to 2030, only 12 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals targets are on track. Equally alarming, some of the targets are regressing from the baseline set in 2015. The Council thus provides a vital platform, enabling responses to the multiple crises with transformative actions. Pointing to the Council’s coordination segment that took place in February, he highlighted the link between the pandemic and its ongoing challenges and the necessity to address these challenges through interlinked solutions and initiatives. Such efforts include breaking down persistent silos to unleash tools and transformative initiatives; resolving critical bottlenecks in key areas — such as data and digital technologies; fostering international cooperation and solidarity; and enhancing coherence and coordination between the Council, the United Nations system and the international financial institutions.
At this mid-point, people-centred policy design and decision-making are crucial, he continued. “Have we appropriately addressed the development challenges faced by people on the ground?”, he questioned, also asking, among other concerns, if efforts have been sufficiently agile and resilient in a post-pandemic world. Concrete, transformative actions to accelerate the 2030 Agenda’s implementation must be scaled up. In an annex to the coordination segment report, 106 concrete and transformative policies and actions of the United Nations system from 50 bodies and entities were compiled. The annex is a valuable resource for enhancing collaboration among Member States and the Economic and Social Council system. “We must seize the upcoming SDG Summit in September and other high-level meetings to translate our actions into the transformations required to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs,” he stressed, adding: “This year is a ‘judgement day’ in our commitment to creating the ideal world we seek to create.”
EDWARD NDOPU, sustainable development advocate and youth representative, said that the honour to be the first person with a disability to keynote this convening is “not just my moment; it is a milestone for millions of people with disabilities across the globe”. The strides made in accessibility and inclusion are substantial, yet they are only a small fraction of the path that lies ahead. “I am both a symbol of progress and also a beacon for the continued action that is urgently required,” he said. To fully grasp the magnitude of the sustainable development challenge, the world must confront the harsh statistical truths, he stressed. The count of those living in extreme poverty is on the rise. Hunger has once again reared its ugly head and gender equality remains an elusive goal, hundreds of years away at the current rate of progress. Climate change remains an unyielding adversary. Millions of children have been relegated to the sidelines of society. A digital divide widens, further obscuring the path to opportunity for the already disadvantaged. But there is hope. Young people are active contributors and their power must be utilized in decision-making processes.
“We are the digital natives, the climate warriors, the social innovators [and] we are the dreamers and the doers of a better tomorrow,” he stated. Yet, too often young people’s voices are silenced and their involvement constrained to symbolic gestures. “How can we expect to adequately address the myriad challenges of our time without the full and meaningful participation of those who will bear the brunt of their consequences,” he asked. Young people must demand a global financial system that serves all, not just a privileged few. “My wheelchair is not a mark of my limitation, but a testament to the boundless progress that inclusion offers,” he pointed out. The Sustainable Development Goals are not simply targets on a sheet. They represent the hopes, dreams, and “the survival of millions depends on us to get this right”. It is vital to envision a world where resources are shared equitably, where every person has access to opportunity, and where no one is left behind. “The whistle for the second half is about to blow,” he said, stressing: “The stakes are high, but so too is our resolve.”
Driving Transformation for Sustainable Development Goals
Mr. JUNHUA, presenting the special edition of the Secretary-General’s report, “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet” (document E/2023/64), emphasized that, with only seven years left, the promise of the 2030 Agenda is in peril. If current trends continue, by 2030 575 million people will remain trapped in extreme poverty; 84 million children will be out of school; 2 billion people will rely on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking; and it will take nearly 300 years to close gender gaps in legal protection and end child marriage. “War, conflict and human rights violations had displaced a staggering 110 million people by May 2023, of whom 35 million were refugees — the highest figures ever recorded,” he reported. In addition, the climate crisis is worsening, with global temperature likely to reach the critical 1.5ºC tipping point above pre-industrial levels by 2035. The report is “a vital wake-up call, sounding the alarm on the considerable challenges”, he stressed. However, it also notes progress the world has made, including important gains in poverty reduction, child mortality, electricity access and the battle against certain diseases, with 95 per cent of the world’s population now within reach of a mobile broadband network.
Calling for bold and innovative changes in a number of areas, he urged Governments to advance concrete, integrated and targeted policies to leave no one behind and end the war on nature, as well as strengthen national and subnational capacity, accountability and public institutions. Noting that the Secretary-General has urged Member States to endorse and deliver a stimulus of at least $500 billion per year between now and 2030, he also said reforms of the international financial architecture are needed to ensure that the voice of developing countries is fairly represented. “Well-functioning and well-funded data ecosystems are critical to understanding where we stand now and what we need to achieve the SDGs,” he stated. Calling the 2030 Agenda the clearest blueprint of humanity’s highest aspirations, he stressed: “When historians write about the twenty-first century, they will judge leaders and policymakers by whether they have succeeded in building the future that this blueprint is meant to invoke.” In September 2015, when leaders met to adopt the Global Goals, they declared that “the future of humanity and of our planet lies in our hands”. This is truer today than ever before.
Moderating the first townhall meeting on “Overcoming the crises, driving transformation for the SDGs, and leaving no one behind” was Sherwin Bryce-Pease, Bureau Chief and Correspondent, South African Broadcasting. The featured speakers included: Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization; Catherine Mary Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction; and Ovide Mercredi, Ambassador of the International Longevity Centre Canada.
Mr. DONGYU voiced concern over the increasing number of people who face hunger and malnutrition. The international community is not advancing towards zero hunger, as set by the 2030 Agenda. Accordingly, innovative, efficient and sustainable solutions are needed, he said, highlighting the importance of investing in the most vulnerable countries. In addition to food aid, he stressed the need to support local production of food; invest in digital technologies; reduce food loss and waste; ensure more efficient use of available fertilizers; and improve water resource management.
Ms. RUSSELL said children today are facing an array of complex and interconnected crises — from conflict and climate change to soaring rates of malnutrition and the ongoing socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic. “In the past three years, decades of progress in children’s well-being have begun to unravel,” she pointed out, adding that the number of children living in multidimensional poverty has increased by 15 per cent to 1.2 billion globally in just the last three years. Each day, nearly 14,000 children under the age of five are dying from largely preventable causes like diarrhoeal diseases and malaria. Globally, over 1 billion children live in countries that are at extremely high-risk from the impacts of climate change, including 559 million children who are exposed to high heatwave frequency. Against this backdrop, she emphasized that children must be put at the heart of ongoing pandemic recovery and collective efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. MIZUTORI said that, since 2005, there has been an 80 per cent increase in the number of people affected by disasters. But it is not just the numbers that are jarring; it is really about how disasters affect the world. “We saw, during COVID-19, that risk is systemic, and a public health crisis quickly emerged as a crisis in every aspect of our life,” she said. People lost jobs, children lost access to education and there was a surge in domestic violence and child marriage. “This is why we need to think about prevention, building resilience and reducing disaster risk,” she stressed. Risk is systemic and everything is connected, thus illustrating the need to invest in resilient infrastructure and early warning systems. Enhancing capacity-building for small island developing States, least developed countries, and countries in Africa, which are in special situations, is vital. “And if we can't do that, we really cannot change those words of ‘leaving no one behind’ to a reality,” she warned.
Mr. MERCREDI said that disasters, including COVID-19, had a serious impact on Indigenous populations around the world, in part because their socioeconomic conditions are not on par with other citizens in the countries where they reside. Vulnerable people are essentially first in line to suffer from any crisis. When it comes to addressing the needs of Indigenous peoples and older persons, every single country has to take a look at what they can do now to immediately address areas that are lacking, such as access to health care or even long-term care for elders. Speaking specifically about his experience in Canada, he said that whatever action is taken by the Government must not be prescriptive. “Our people have a right to participate in action and they also have a right to self-determination,” he noted. “Canada must recognize that they’re not our master, they’re not our grandfather, they’re essentially our partner,” he underscored. Alleviating disparity, inequality, discrimination and racism requires a partnership between the nation-State and the Indigenous people themselves.
As the floor opened to delegations, speakers underlined the importance of redoubling efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and meeting the daunting challenges.
The representative of Nepal, speaking for the Group of Least Developed Countries, pointed out that half of the 575 million people expected to remain in extreme poverty by 2030 will be in those countries. He called on Member States to implement the stimulus of at least $500 billion by 2025. Burkina Faso’s delegate, citing her country’s security and humanitarian crisis, asked what UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the broader United Nations will do to help the 3 million people threatened by food insecurity and other hazards.
Calling on developed countries to honour their official development assistance (ODA) and climate finance obligations, China’s delegate reported that his Government has set up 1,000 human resource development cooperation projects. The United States’ representative noted that, since last year, his country has provided over $14 billion to fight food insecurity, and over the past two years has delivered over $50 billion in ODA.
Representatives of marginalized groups also called on the United Nations to address their issues. The representative of the Major Group on Aging, reporting that older persons represented the majority of COVID-19 fatalities, asked: “At what age are we considered of no value?”, adding that every person in the room aspires to be an older person. The representative of the LGBTI Stakeholder Group noted that some of the worst cases of exclusion during the pandemic were experienced in that community. Asking how LGBTI persons are meaningfully involved in development conversations, she added: “It is time to walk on the talk”.
Ms. RUSSELL responded that the United Nations must act in partnership with countries if progress is to be made. Mr. DONGYU agreed with Burkina Faso’s delegate that “we need action to walk the talk”, citing the importance of the use of big data, cutting edge technology and comprehensive investment, alongside food and fertilizer availability and affordability.
Ms. MIZUTORI said the flow of money determines everything, noting the importance of not just protecting marginalized groups and people during disaster, but bringing their voices to the forefront. Mr. MERCREDI, emphasizing the vulnerability of older people, said the majority of them are not rich people and that sharing wealth between rich and poor countries should be the same principle for sharing it with older and Indigenous people. “The best way not to leave anybody behind is to include them,” he stated, as “the role of the State is to lift up the people. The countries need the people, not vice-versa.”
Moderating the second townhall meeting on “Overcoming the crises, driving transformation for the SDGs, and leaving no one behind” was Mr. Bryce-Pease. The featured speakers included: Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Coordinator of United Nations Regional Commissions; Steve Macfeely, Co-Chair of the Committee for the Chief Statisticians of the United Nations System, Director of Data and Analysis of World Health Organization (WHO); and Elham Yousseffian, Inclusive Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Adviser, International Disability Alliance.
Mr. GRANDI recalled that a few years back, the incoming Sudanese authorities asked the High Commissioner to draft a strategy to solve problems of displacement in and around Sudan. Seven million people would have been affected by a positive strategy towards a solution which would have solved a humanitarian problem and contributed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in a region that badly needs it. However, “it’s all up flames,” with 2 million people freshly displaced, in addition to the 7 million already displaced. He highlighted the impact of the recent shocks — including the pandemic, climate change, the conflict and Ukraine, all further compounded by poverty and inequality. Refugees are not the problem of rich countries as 90 per cent of countries most severely impacted by displacement are lower and middle-income countries. In light of the above, he stressed the importance of economic self-reliance to those displaced and to the communities supporting them.
Ms. ALISJAHBANA underscored that climate finance — including adaptation and mitigation funding — falls short of commitments made. In addition, insufficient public resources hinder the development of comprehensive social protection systems, leaving vulnerable groups behind. Calling for collective action, she said that the transboundary impacts of diseases, disasters and climate change necessitate holistic approaches. Overcoming the crises will require transformative policies, social protection and debt management. In this regard, regional commissions help countries respond to crises, she said, highlighting that the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) — together with FAO and WHO — launched a policy brief on food security that contains concrete proposals to reinforce the regional plan for food security, nutrition and the eradication of hunger by 2025.
Mr. MACFEELY said that data is at the heart of almost everything. It is a ubiquitous globalized resource, easily shared, easily duplicated, easily traded and exchanged. Data transcend borders, challenge national sovereignty, and are increasingly thought of a new form of capital. Still, many countries struggle to produce Sustainable Development Goals-relevant data and, at the same time, meet their own national data and statistical obligations. The pandemic exacerbated this, especially in countries with low adaptation of digital solutions, and where access to and use of administrative data are low. But the pandemic also highlighted many opportunities for the future. Countries who have invested in their national registries and in their data systems have reaped significant rewards. They have realized greater administrative efficiency, including reduced duplication, and have been able to tackle fraud. “By investing in data infrastructure, an area that’s been neglected for many decades, we will see significant economic returns, better lives, and safer and cleaner environments,” he said.
Ms. YOUSSEFFIAN said that many policies do not lay out specific commitments to women, persons with disabilities, older persons, LGBTI people and Indigenous people. “People unfortunately are being looked at from a cost-benefit perspective,” she added. For example, older persons are being perceived as not being able to contribute as much, so less investment is being made on them, a perception that is not true. Spotlighting persons with disabilities, she said that if access to information is guaranteed in accessible formats, they can contribute to policymaking. But without these initiatives, unfortunately, they cannot. “Being included is human rights,” she said, adding: “This is not Governments’ charity. This is not something that Governments are doing because they’re good Government. This is their responsibility”. A lack of an intersectional approach is why many people are being left behind. “It’s also something that needs to be considered when planning,” she said. For example, policy on access to water and sanitation will be much more affective if it also considers and addresses the needs of women, Indigenous women with disabilities and young LGBTI people, among others.
As speakers took the floor, Kenya’s delegate described national initiatives to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, including financial inclusion and a fertilizer fund, and underlined the importance of human capital development.
The representative of the International Development Law Organization called for restoring trust in public institutions and renewed social contracts, as well as effective legal frameworks and institutions. “Sometimes the laws on the books are not the laws on the streets,” she said, calling for a people-centric lens on marginalized groups.
In another vein, the representative of the Business and Industry Major Group said no successful economy can thrive in a failed ecosystem; systematic transformation is integral to drive truly holistic change, as it is not just about growing economies but making them inclusive.
Responding, Mr. GRANDI noted that Kenya as one of the longest-standing refugee-hosting country; it was successfully abandoning short-term initiatives for a long-term approach, as crises also require a development approach. Ms. ALISJAHBANA noted the importance of economic, social and overall transformation, further stating that countries need to tackle transboundary issues together.
Mr. MACFEELY said good data infrastructure does not happen by accident. “If you’re building a house, you hire an architect and you think about design and how all the different systems are going to connect together. Well, we need to do exactly the same thing when we think about data,” he said. Ms. YOUSSEFFIAN, addressing the lesson of the pandemic, said “no one is safe until everyone is safe”. The recent atmospheric effects on New York of wildfires in Canada is an example of that.
Financing Crisis Response and Investing in Sustainable Development Goals
YONGYI MIN, Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, presented highlights from the special edition of the Secretary-General’s report, “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet” (document E/2023/64) — namely Goal 17 on “partnerships for the Goals”.
Turning to the debt crisis, she highlighted record debt levels in many countries during the pandemic, representing a potential threat to economic growth. Total external debt of low and middle-income countries reached $9 billion in 2021. In 2022, 65 per cent of the global population had internet access, showing a significant increase from 40 per cent in 2015, she observed, adding that achieving universal connectivity remains challenging, particularly in low-income developing countries, where only 36 per cent of the population is online.
Moderating the panel discussion “Financing our crisis response and investing in the SDGs” was Sarah Cliffe, Executive Director of the Centre for International Cooperation at New York University. The featured panellists included Jay Collins, Vice Chairman of Corporate and Investment Bank at Citi, and Carola Mejia, Climate Finance Analyst at the Latin American Network for Economic and Social Justice. The two lead discussants were Jason Rosario Braganza, Executive Director of the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, representing the major groups and other stakeholders, and Mayada Adil, Co-Founder of La Loupe Creative and young leader for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. ROSARIO BRAGANZA, noting that 22 African countries are either in debt distress or in high risk of it, said that public debt in sub-Saharan African has tripled since 2010. The fiscal deficit on the continent has widened from 4.8 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021 to 5.2 per cent in 2022. In 2021 African countries ordered $644.9 billion to external creditors. This year, they are expected to pay up to 68.9 billion in debt service. In 2022, 19 million more people fell into poverty, 244 million of them women in sub-Saharan Africa. Developing countries’ inability to mobilize domestic resource mobilization affects the polycrisis and citizens are subsidizing private investment through tax policies that are “squeezing every penny off them”. The tax system, designed to attract private finance, is the same system that allows the illicit financial flows out of these countries. He underscored the importance of using clear terminology to avoid getting caught up in a “linguistic phenomenon”, while recalling that concessional financing is “something that needs to be paid back”. Developing countries need to be made aware of this.
Mr. COLLINS, pointing out that the public sector alone cannot finance climate adaptation and the Sustainable Development Goals, noted: “We are falling so short post-COVID-19 that we do need massive private capital mobilization.” There needs to be a fundamental re-think of the global financial architecture, he said, also underlining the importance of anti-corruption and financial reform. Noting that States often approach banks with project concepts, he encouraged them to request grant money for feasibility studies, adding: “You do not have enough scaled, large projects that have been studied and made feasible to attract the private sector.” Turning to the blended finance that was considered to be a mechanism to crowd in the private sector, he remarked: “We failed pretty miserably to do that.” Multilateral development banks should bridge the gap between the ODA community, host counties and their projects to blend faster, he stressed, encouraging those present to look at the ways special drawing rights are being used. If host countries go to the multilateral development banks, “we should be calling for them to leverage that finance at 4-5 times, while also having a private capital multiplier on those”, he noted.
Ms. MEJIA, noting that pre-existing vulnerabilities in countries like Bolivia have been exacerbated by the climate crisis, said the ongoing war in Europe is shifting priorities so that military and fossil-fuel industries are receiving more public money. Many countries are allocating more resources for debt service than for public health, education, social security and climate action. The United Nations — neither a debtor nor a creditor itself — is the only multilateral space to discuss and agree on a legal framework to prevent the sovereign debt crisis, she stressed, calling on Member States to design such a framework, prioritizing debt cancellation to all Global South countries in need and demanding a new approach to debt sustainability. Rechannelling special drawing rights through loans and conditionalities is not fair; it will exacerbate debt problems in the Global South. “We don’t want private and blended finance to be seen as the great solution to close the financial gap,” she underscored, pointing out that it implies the use of more public resources to “de-risk” such investment while reducing the money to directly finance public services and resilience. It also dilutes the full responsibility of the Global North countries regarding the historical climate and ecological debt, she said, adding: “Let’s act now according to the emergency. We are running out of time.”
MAYADA ADIL, Co-Founder of La Loupe Creative and young leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, said young people are the leaders of today and their voices must be included in every step of accelerated processes. The international community must recognize the essential role of youth, she said, stressing the need to dismantle the concept of perceiving vulnerable groups — including women and girls and people with disabilities — as a liability in their society. When women and girls are empowered, they can contribute to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals, creating more inclusive societies. Outlining recommendations, she called for political will, action-based implementations, inclusive policy and decision-making process, accountability and monitoring. Young people must be meaningfully engaged, she said, stressing the need to invest in them by providing them with opportunities. “We are experts on issues affecting us,” she declared.
As the floor opened, delegates and representatives of non-profit and civil society organizations addressed the need for financing, with several calling for a shift away from the “business as usual” approach and towards an embracing of bold, transformative change.
France’s delegate noted that last year the country spent $17 billion, or 0.56 per cent of its GDP, on infrastructure and basic services, while Algeria’s representative encouraged direct foreign investment to mitigate structural weaknesses — noting his country has funded $1 billion for development projects in Africa.
Nigeria’s delegate asked the panellists how to address illicit financial flows, including repatriating those resources in real time. He further called for concessions to African States on debt, citing the examples of concessions to countries after the Second World War. In a related vein, the representative of the Major Group for Children and Youth underscored that “we need a peace economy, a non-violent economy, a holistic economy” that prioritizes people, poverty and nature above capital. He further called for grant support over loan-based financing for community organizations.
Speakers further addressed the cascading effects of global shocks, as Sustainable Development Goal financing needs are growing but development financing is not keeping pace.
Kiribati’s delegate pointed out that for small island developing States there has never been a lack of political will on the Goals, but a lack of resources and an enabling environment. “We should remember that the cornerstone of everything we do is money”, as political will is immaterial without the requisite financing.
The representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) urged that the international community “invest smart” in crisis prevention and early warning anticipatory actions. Only $2 per year per person was being spent on climate adaptation in fragile settings versus $161 per person in non-fragile settings.
Responding, Mr. BRAGANZA affirmed that “we cannot borrow our way out of this crisis” because that will not achieve inclusive development and recovery or create jobs for millions of young people “who have been argued to be the future of this great world”. He added that it is not possible to have partnerships in a system where the number of least developed countries has increased since the term was coined
Mr. COLLINS stressed that “private capital mobilization is not about putting more debt onto the balance sheets of the poorest countries in the world”. Rather, the issue lies in mobilizing for projects and private sector entities, which, in turn, require need risk mitigation from multilateral development banks. He further agreed that the financial architecture is broken.
Ms. MEJIA called on donor countries to uphold their commitments on ODA and private financing to avoid adding to the debt burden of the South. The issue is not just about solidarity between the North and South, “but also about accountability, justice and reparations”, she stressed.
Science, Technology and Innovation
THOMAS WOODROFFE (United Kingdom), Co-Chair of the 2023 Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum, said that this year’s Forum focused on how the United Nations and Member States can better harness science, technology and innovation through innovative policies and deliver measurable commitments and high impact initiatives to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The Forum creates space for open collaboration across many communities applying science and technology to increase resilience to shared global challenges. “The importance of such open trusted international exchange and collaboration on science cannot be understated,” he said, also adding: “It is, put simply, essential for accelerating progress on the SDGs” The Forum, among other things, highlighted solutions to key challenges that the world is currently facing, such as recovery from COVID-19, impacts of technology gaps, and climate change, nature loss and pollution, as well as ongoing conflicts. It also showcased concrete integrated technological solutions to the energy, food, water, and climate crises.
More than 300 scientists and engineers submitted science and policy briefs ahead of the Forum, with young innovators and entrepreneurs featured prominently across the sessions, he continued, also announcing the launch of a new science, technology and innovation for Africa coalition, which marks an important step towards mobilizing global support for Africa’s development. The many recommendations that emanated from the Forum include those by the Secretary-General’s 10-Member Group of High-level Representatives for the Technology Facilitation Mechanism in their report on “Science, Technology, and Innovation for the SDGs — Progress, Future Vision, and Recommendations”. The report makes six proposals and eleven specific recommendations for consideration by decision-makers. Some of these include increased capacity for using, developing, and understanding the impacts of generative artificial intelligence; the creation of a one-United-Nations programme on digitalization and sustainability to support developing countries; and the creation of a global carbon dioxide removal fund and market to facilitate the deployment of this technology.
Moderating the panel discussion “Science, technology and innovation: Triggering transformation and sustaining a science driven recovery” was Mathu Joyini (South Africa), Co-Chair of the 2023 Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals. The featured panellists included: José Ramón López-Portillo Romano, Adviser to the Government of Mexico and Member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s 10 Member Group for the Technology Facilitation Mechanism; Ana Cristina Amoroso das Neves, Chair of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development; and Peter Gluckman, President of the International Science Council. The two lead discussants were: Carolina Rojas, Program Coordinator for Engineering for Change Fellows and youth speaker; and Alison Meston, Communications Director of the International Science Council, speaking on behalf of Pamela Matson, Goldman Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Earth System Science and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.
Mr. LÓPEZ-PORTILLO ROMANO said that innovation is a most potent form of problem-solving, but it comes with biases and risks. Noting that global cooperation must understand the impact of technological innovation in developing countries and vulnerable communities, he noted that many counties in the Global South face limited resources and skills that hinder their technological advancements. The concentration of innovation and ecosystems in a few nations and corporations leads to a geopolitical supremacy and market dominance, he stressed, while spotlighting the importance of creating economies of scale and synergies that will attract and trigger global policymakers and business leaders’ drive to implement sustainable transformations towards the Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, the 10 member Group proposed a global network of connected banks of ideas of funds for innovation lead by autonomous ethical councils, he said, while pointing out that Mexico is a pilot country of this.
Ms. AMOROSO DAS NEVES said that the exponential development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence raises societal and ethical challenges. The opportunities created by science, technology and innovation are not available to all, she said, adding that “much of the technology needed for the green transformation is not diffused to the developing countries”. Internet access should be a public utility, creating a conducive environment for innovation, she added, also calling for strengthening science, technology and innovation systems in developing countries. “We should foster national and international partnerships in multi-stakeholder frameworks,” she stressed, encouraging national Governments to partner with local governments, private sector, scientific community and higher education institutions. While underscoring the importance of promoting “citizens science” that involves cooperation between scientists and citizens-volunteers, she said that the public participation in scientific research and data collection, among others, can support grassroot innovators and entrepreneurs.
Mr. GLUCKMAN stressed the need to resurrect efforts in the second half of the Sustainable Development Goals window. Highlighting the importance of pluralistic input, he pointed to the divide between social and natural sciences and stressed that the social cost of digital transformation has been overlooked. Given the rapid change of a level never seen before, there is a need for a more integrated approach where emerging issues — such as a threat to societal organization by artificial intelligence — must be tackled. Calling for system thinking in science, he said all Member States — irrespective of their level of development — need their own ecosystem for knowledge generators, scientist and academics.
Ms. ROJAS underlined the power of localization, consultation and participation as driving forces behind progress. Youth-led climate action initiative at the grass root level is an example of meaningful engagement while localization serves as a catalyst for change. The scientific community must effectively incorporate the knowledge of underrepresented groups, including the youth, she said, especially recommending amplifying the voices, aspirations and needs of Africa’s youth. To accelerate transformative change, it is crucial to form partnerships with young people and youth-led organizations by harnessing the power of active participation, she added.
Ms. MESTON, speaking on behalf of Ms. Matson, said that in the academic world, many professionals are carrying out fundamental research that they hope will be useful to the communities who are working towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. “But sometimes we don’t know what exactly is needed by decision-makers nor how to connect our knowledge with those who can use it,” she said. For science to be useful and used, it must be trusted. It must be viewed by users as legitimate, credible, salient, and relevant to their needs. Trust comes most easily if research is carried out in collaborative ways, with stakeholders and decision-makers. She asked: “But how do we encourage and facilitate that collaboration and, especially, how do we encourage that collaboration in places around the world which need it most?” She underscored the potential of a network of sustainability hubs that facilitate engagement, collaboration, co-production among stakeholders and interdisciplinary research communities, addressing complex sustainability challenges in places around the world which need it most. “We need to treat sustainability challenges as system problems,” she added. “We live in a complex world, and interventions that are intended to solve one kind of problem interact with and may have unintended consequences for another.”
As the floor opened, speakers echoed the panellists’ emphasis on the crucial role of science, technology and innovation in advancing development and the Global Goals.
The Russian Federation’s delegate noted that science is international by its very nature, but the participation of some States in the conference is resulting in a politicization of scientific cooperation. States should invest in scientific infrastructure and also support joint research and large-scale projects. Poland’s representative said people must learn about the future from an early age, “as it is not far away and is always a consequence of our actions here and now”. In a similar vein, the representative of the Women’s Major Group said all forms of education, formal and informal, must be harnessed to achieve gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, with the means and strategies to grant access to scientific knowledge for all.
The representative of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called the innovation of nuclear energy “the greatest achievement of the twenty-first century.” That technology has a role in fighting climate change and contributing to the transition to net zero emissions, in tandem with hydro, solar and wind power. Addressing the financial side, Norway’s delegate called on all Member States to work towards strengthening the effectiveness of international tax cooperation, emphasizing the need for more financial integrity, transparency and accountability to close loopholes through which massive amounts of money are being siphoned away from development.
The representative of NGO Major Group, an organization that engages with teens to address the Global Goals, noted they are the first generation to grow up in a digital world. However, “let’s be honest, not much of the youth know what the SDGs are,” she said, calling for teens to be given the voice to “let them be the change”.
Responding, Mr. GLUCKMAN called on the international community to “use science wisely or everyone will die”, a plea to the policy community to work with the scientific community in a more complete way and break the silos down. Ms. DAS NEVES said digital technologies open up possibilities to leapfrog towards development at the global level, together with multi-stakeholder partnerships. Mr. ROMANO said trust in science and the maximum use of innovation are the main instruments for those lagging behind to advance towards sustainable inclusive development, which can only happen within global advantages of scale, with coordinated cooperation that triggers political and business interests.