More Cohesive International Support, Funding Key for Expediting Global South’s Path to Sustainable Development, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Political Forum Closing

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s closing remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the occasion of the High-Level Political Forum special event “Keeping the SDG Promise:  Pathways for Acceleration”, in New York today:

It is my pleasure to bring this meeting on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Acceleration to a close.  I would like to thank our co-convenor Minister Granados of Spain for joining forces with us today.  I would also like to thank all the panelists, respondents and Member States for their contributions.  And my gratitude as ever to our moderator, Sherwin, for keeping things interesting, engaging and energizing.

This meeting has provided further evidence of the continued commitment of countries and partners to keep the SDG promise.  It has highlighted some of the unique country pathways for accelerating progress between now and 2030.  And it has demonstrated also that just, green and digital transitions will be at the heart of each of them.

These transitions are essential for creating inclusive and sustainable growth; for increasing access to decent jobs and for expanding domestic revenues.  They are critical also for meeting our climate goals and ensuring developing countries are fully included in a rapidly changing global economy.

Advancing these transitions at speed, at scale will require a mammoth effort.  It will require strategic vision and political leadership; new legal frameworks and a more enabling policy environment; a greater willingness to embrace data and innovation and renewed investment in public institutions; greater attention to readying pipelines of investable projects; and a unique set of partnerships between public and private, domestic and international partners.

Doing so will not be easy.  This is especially the case for developing countries that are grappling with the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased conflict in the world.  Countries that are struggling to adapt to climate disasters to which they did not contribute.  That find themselves under enormous debt pressures, often through no fault of their own.  That are faced with massive liquidity challenges and an international financial system that is failing to meet their needs.  And that are dealing with a massive array of international development actors, each with their own interest and perspective.

As we look ahead to the Summit of the Future, the Group of 20 (G20) in Brazil, COP29 [twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] in Azerbaijan and key global convenings next year on financing for development and social development, let us keep this reality, this opportunity, to the fore.  And let’s ensure that we respond accordingly.

I see two key priorities here.  First, we urgently need more cohesive, strategic support from international partners behind national acceleration efforts, including updated national climate plans.  UN resident coordinators and UN country teams are well placed to play that convening and coordinating role, bringing in multilateral development banks, the private sector, civil society and international donors.

The reforms of the UN development system have brought us a long way.  And the High Impact initiatives highlight the collective reach and capacities across the system.  With more sustainable funding of the resident coordinator system, better funding of UN entities, a major capital injection in the Joint SDG Fund and stronger partnerships with international financial institutions, we can go even further.

Second, developing countries cannot fuel their development engines on thin air.  Urgent, bold and concrete action is needed to expand their fiscal space and increase access to financing.

That means going further and faster to deliver an SDG Stimulus.  It means increasing the lending capacity of multilateral development banks and changing their business models to better leverage private finance.  It means expanding access to contingency financing for countries at risk of a cash flow crisis.  It means delivering a comprehensive solution to reduce debt pressures and borrowing costs. And finally, it means ensuring the global financial architecture represents today’s world and is fit to address today’s financial challenges.

In a world beset by crises, tension and division, the SDGs continue to light the way to a better future.  But, that light is dwindling.  Now is the time to double down on implementation.  To focus on those interventions that can have the greatest impact.  To lay the foundations for more inclusive and sustainable economies.  And to become more than the sum of our parts by getting fully behind ambitions national transformation efforts.

I look forward to continuing our collaboration on SDG acceleration.