‘To Keep the Promise of the Sustainable Development Goals, We Need Everyone on Board’, Deputy Secretary-General Tells High-Level Political Forum Event
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s opening remarks for the high-level political forum special event, in New York today:
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this event on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) acceleration.
As we have heard throughout our discussions, with only six years to 2030, the SDGs are in peril. But, last September’s SDG Summit demonstrated that world leaders continue to see the 2030 Agenda as our path to a better future. And the Summit’s political declaration provided us with clear instructions: to double-down on SDG acceleration.
This morning, the Secretary-General set out four key fronts for that acceleration push: an end to conflict, a dramatic surge in SDG financing, a recommitment to inclusion and a major push on green and digital transitions. Through today’s event, we wish to focus on those transitions — on these acceleration pathways that are relevant for all countries.
Each country’s journey will be different, and by understanding how countries are accelerating their own efforts, we can identify ways for their international partners, including the UN development system, to accompany and support them.
I am grateful to be joined by our co-convenor today, the Government of Spain. Spain has been a strong supporter of the SDGs since the beginning and is now proactively supporting the push for SDG acceleration through the Joint SDG Fund, and through its leadership on financing for development.
It is clear, to paraphrase Albert Einstein, that we won’t solve our problems with the same thinking that created them. But, in some respects, that is what we have been doing since 2015.
Economies and markets continue to exclude consideration of nature and humanity. Institutions and governance systems remain rigid and reluctant to embrace collaboration and co-creation. Incentive structures continue to reward immediate individual gains over long-term collective health and stability or investments in prevention. And the international finance system continues to fail to address the interests, rights and urgent needs of developing countries.
The shift in thinking needed for SDG acceleration hasn’t happened. We need to a different approach — one that breaks down the artificial boundaries between the 17 Goals, and between climate action and SDG action. Siloed action will only incrementally advance an integrated agenda.
A large body of evidence points to several key entry points that can generate multiplier effects across the SDGs. These include transforming food systems, advancing the renewable energy revolution, protecting our natural world and maximizing the benefits of digitalization. There is an urgent need for greater investment in these four interconnected areas, in almost every country.
Two further investments are foundational and cross-cutting: in quality, inclusive and relevant education and skills, and in the expansion of access to social protection systems and decent work.
That is the only way to make these transitions inclusive and just, so that they reduce inequality and provide better outcomes for young people, for women and girls, and for marginalized communities.
In short, we need to advance these transitions together. That was the driving force behind the High Impact Initiatives that were profiled at the SDG Summit last September. And I commend UN entities, Member States and others for advancing those initiatives over the last nine months.
Ultimately, such initiatives must show tangible results at the country level. Concrete progress is a must to build trust and to reach our goals.
It is encouraging to see UN resident coordinators and UN country teams serving as engine rooms for acceleration. They are supporting Governments to put in place enabling policy and legal frameworks, to build pipelines of investable projects, to crowd in resources and investment from all sources and all partners, and to strengthen the capacities, institutions and governance arrangements that are required.
The Joint SDG Fund serves as our power source for this effort. Through flexible, catalytic financing and technical assistance, this fund is incubating innovative, cross-cutting solutions and sustainable financing mechanisms in alignment with national development priorities.
The Fund’s new programming tracks are designed to enhance integration across the transition areas, across sectors and actors, ensuring synergies and reducing trade-offs. This work is already delivering results.
In Brazil, the UN country team has worked with the Brazilian Development Banks’ Association, representing 36 per cent of the national financial system, to define their 2030 plan to contribute to the SDGs.
In Kenya, where a one-stop shop for Government, private sector and civil society partners has been established by the resident coordinator, to unlock investments and promote partnerships at scale.
And in North Macedonia, where the country team, the Government and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have collaborated to establish a Green Financing Facility to support affordable energy access, especially for marginalized communities.
To keep the promise of the SDGs, we need everyone on board. The new generation of nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement — the national climate plans that are due from every country next year — are an opportunity for coherent, strategic planning across the entire spectrum of the SDGs. The entire UN system is being galvanized to support this effort under the leadership of UNDP.
I challenge all of you to use this process, together with the UN system, to accelerate the key transitions and catapult SDG achievement in your countries. Let us commit to invest in hope, invest in sustainable development and invest in a better future for all people on a healthy planet.