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7th Plenary Meeting of General Assembly 70th Session - part 2
Seventieth Session, 7th, 8th & 9th Meetings (AM, PM & Night)
Underscoring the importance of partnerships for development, world leaders today deliberated on the collective efforts and resources necessary to achieve the goals set out in the newly adopted 2030 Agenda, as the United Nations High-Level Sustainable Development Summit continued at the General Assembly.
The 2030 Agenda was a shared responsibility and a universal road map, said Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden. But, Government alone could not shoulder the responsibility and efforts were needed, across sectors and stakeholders. Equality and development were two sides of the same coin, he said.
“This autumn had already produced a truly impressive harvest,” said Sigmundur Davið Gunnlaugsson, Prime Minister of Iceland, referring to the “bumper crop” of agreements regarding the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030 Agenda, the latter adopted by the Assembly on 25 September (see Press Release GA/11688). Iceland was aiming at becoming a carbon-neutral economy and would support a number of developing countries in harnessing geothermal energy. His country had recently pledged a 40 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, shared instances of his country’s experience in private-sector involvement, from Dutch insurance companies providing health and agricultural insurance in sub-Saharan countries to Heineken’s commitment to source 60 per cent of ingredients in Africa and the Middle East. He called on Governments and the United Nations to establish effective legal and economic frameworks to facilitate private sector partnerships.
The optimism was not universal, with some countries, such as Cuba, pointing out that the resources needed for the implementation of the Agenda were inadequate. Calling for concrete commitments of development aid, Cuba’s President, Raul Castro Ruz, stated that a new financial architecture was necessary. It was also time to resolve the debt issue, “a debt already paid several times over”. The industrial nations should accept their historic responsibility and apply the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.
The President of Senegal, Macky Sall, also urged adherence to that principle as well as that of the “polluter pays”. He renewed Africa’s appeal for the implementation of the Group of Seven’s CONNEX initiative to support developing countries in negotiating complex contracts, particularly in the mining and oil industries. Further, the new Agenda must strengthen efforts against tax evasion, illicit financial flows and other illegal practices.
The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Meltek Kilman Livtuvanu, said the success of the new Agenda would hinge on a country’s capacity and its access to financial resources and appropriate technology. He called on all developed countries to meet official development assistance targets of 0.7 per cent of gross national income for developing countries and the commitment to set aside at least 0.2 per cent for the poorest nations.
Noting the unbalanced development between the North and the South, China’s President, Xi Jinping, said that it was vital to improve the international environment for development, with international financial institutions stepping up their governance reform and development agencies increasing the supply of resources. “Eat according to the size of one’s stomach and dress according to the size of one’s figure,” he said, citing a Chinese proverb to underline the importance of development strategies tailored to each country’s needs.
Delegates also discussed the importance of partnerships in meeting challenges that might undermine the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, from climate change to terrorism. All forms of partnerships must be channelled to complement one another, said Abdusalam H. Omer, Somalia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion. There should not be finger pointing 15 years from now because of a failure to work together.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of Samoa, highlighted the inherent vulnerability of small island developing States such as his. Welcoming the Addis Ababa Action Agenda’s reaffirmation of that, he noted that the priorities outlined in the Samoa Pathway had also gone into the shaping of the Goals.
Oceans had a central role in the Sustainable Development Agenda because there could be no sustainable development without “healthy, productive, and resilient oceans,” Baron Divavesi Waqa, President of Nauru, said. But as “one of the smallest members of the United Nations family”, his country was alarmed at the lack of ambitious actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change was an existential threat to island countries.
“We are all in the same boat,” Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, said. Environmental problems had taught the international community that lesson. Noting that terrorists tended to thrive in lands that were damaged by environmental disasters, he spoke of the “dual calamities” of violence against man and nature in the West Asian region. When countries were forced to spend their natural resources on fighting terrorism, sustainable development goals suffered.
Rami Hamdallah, Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, said the international community had adopted a series of sublime goals over the decades to ensure peace and prosperity. However, the people of the State of Palestine were suffering for 67 years, more than 50 of them under occupation. Blockades, repression and discriminatory policies had only exacerbated collective agony and pain in the West Bank and Gaza. The achievement of the post-2015 Agenda therefore depended on ending the occupation.
During the day, the Assembly also held two interactive dialogues: “Fostering sustainable economic growth, transformation and promoting sustainable consumption and protection” and “Delivering on a revitalized global partnership”.
Also speaking today were Heads of State and Government, as well as ministers, senior officials and representatives, of the following nations: Monaco, Cyprus, Mozambique, Brunei Darussalam, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Republic of Korea, Libya, Kuwait, Indonesia, Lesotho, Georgia, Cambodia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Lebanon, Timor-Leste, Guinea, Angola, Uruguay, Sudan, Chad, Cameroon, Canada, Jordan, Myanmar, Madagascar, Peru, Swaziland, Comoros, Gabon, Estonia, Benin, Mali, Mauritania, Central African Republic, San Marino, Dominican Republic, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Saint Lucia, United Republic of Tanzania, Fiji, Sao Tome and Principe, Tonga, Republic of Moldova, Papua New Guinea, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Sierra Leone, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Rwanda, Eritrea, Yemen, Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, Syria, Guinea-Bissau and Dominica, as well as the Holy See.
Representatives from the International Organization for Migration, International Trade Centre and UN-Habitat also spoke.
Also making statements were representatives from the International Olympic Committee, International Development Law Organization, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, INTERPOL, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Pacific Community, International Forum of NGO Platforms Seychelles and the World Farmers Organization.
Speaking in exercise of the right of reply were representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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