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Closing of 2015 ECOSOC High-Level Segment - 49th Meeting
The 2015 high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council concluded today with interactive national voluntary presentations and a thematic discussion on ways of strengthening and building institutions for policy integration in the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, capping week-long deliberations that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said had helped to outline how the forum could organize its work, keep track of progress and bolster implementation.
“Our success will depend on a firm political will to work together,” Mr. Ban said in remarks at the closing of the high-level segment. Underscoring the importance of achieving an ambitious agreement at the third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, he urged all parties to overcome differences and find a common pathway leading to the end of poverty and sustainable world for all.
Going forward, the High-level Political Form — under the auspices of the Council and the General Assembly — would play a central role in reviewing the implementation of the post-2015 agenda. The Council was now stronger and must fully use its power to support integration and help to mobilize a range of actors as well as the United Nations system.
Earlier, in the morning, as part of the Annual Ministerial Review, the Council heard national voluntary presentations from Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Philippines and Zambia on their progress in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and the transformation to the post-2015 agenda. Speakers shared accomplishments and challenges, with each presentation followed by interactive discussions.
Opening the meeting, Council Vice-President Oh Joon (Republic of Korea) said that the practice of delivering national presentations had demonstrated the value of the Council as a platform for engaging the global community in an exchange of critical lessons on the implementation of the internationally agreed development goals.
Damira Niyazalieva, Vice-Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, said her country had made achievements in the areas of reducing poverty and child mortality and increasing the rights of women, while the goals on maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, access to sanitation and drinking water quality had yet to be met. That was in part due to the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and an internal political crisis the following year. Another reason for the lack of achievement on several targets was the slow formation of the national institutional framework after the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals. On the transition to the sustainable development goals, she said that national priorities included job creation, good governance, education, health care, and peace and stability, among others.
Gantsogt Khurelbaatar, State Secretary, Ministry of Finance of Mongolia, said national plans in his country had been drafted in line with the principles of a market economy and with the Millennium Development Goals. In 2014, a green development policy had been adopted. However, implementation of the sustainable development programme was slow due to a lack of focus on social, infrastructure and environmental issues. Several targets had been fully achieved, including Goal 4 on reducing child mortality and Goal 5 on improving maternal health. The effects of the financial and economic crisis, weak governance and institutions and inconsistent development policies were among the remaining challenges to overcome.
Arsenio Balisacan, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary of the Philippines, said much of the period from 2000 to 2015 was one of political uncertainty and Millennium Development Goal commitments had produced mixed results. Improvements in one indicator had often been accompanied by weak progress in another area. The attainment of development goals required consistent commitment across all stakeholders and a financing plan with a particular emphasis on empowering the poor and creating sustained growth. The implementation plan should also include programmes to build resilience, especially among the poor and near poor, against natural and man-made hazards and economic shocks.
The final presenter, Christopher Mvunga, Deputy Minister of Finance of Zambia, said his country had put in place a number of development frameworks, including the “Vision 2030” and the fifth National Development Plan. On the Millennium Development Goals, he said maternal mortality had declined, but the target had not yet been met. Similarly, under-five mortality and infant mortality had declined. Success had been recorded in indicators related to primary education and gender equality in primary education. The country was on track to meet its national targets on HIV/AIDS. Access to improved drinking water had increased, but access to decent sanitation had worsened significantly between 1991 and 2010 and was a concern. Progress had been noted on target 8 on official development assistance, foreign direct investment, market access, debt sustainability, and communication and connectivity.
Contributing to interactive dialogues that followed the presentations and reviews were Turkey, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, United States, Malaysia, Spain, Indonesia, Sweden and the Bahamas.
Opening the afternoon thematic discussion on “Strengthening and building institutions for policy integration in the post-2015 era”, Abdurrahim el-Keib, former Interim Prime Minister of Libya and Member of Club de Madrid, delivered the keynote speech, saying alleviating crises and creating inclusive societies was a long process that required endurance. The impact of the international community in building a shared society was not always positive, he said, and urged development agencies to be sensitive and responsive.
Saber Chowdhury, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, said the weaknesses of various political systems allowed various interest groups to dominate the agenda in some countries, adding that policy coherence came from having all people from all walks of life contribute.
Rowena Bethel, Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Insurance Board of the Bahamas and Vice-Chair, United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration, stated that the sustainable development goals were cross-cutting in nature and required a high degree of cooperation between Government structures and non-governmental actors. The lack of a common strategic policy direction and a complicated division of labour were among the structural challenges faced by institutions.
Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs said any paradigm change would need to start within institutions. While a number of speakers had underscored the importance of the integration, it was also important to remember the comprehensiveness of the post-2015 agenda.
Participating in the ensuing interactive discussion were speakers from South Africa and Germany.
Delivering the closing statement on behalf of Council president Martin Sajdik, Mr. Oh said the deliberations had provided valuable policy guidance to the transition to the sustainable development agenda. The international community must mobilize its common resources, energy and vision to confront common challenges.
