UN / GUTERRES 2030 AGENDA

Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN development system “is not functioning at its full potential” and should be adapted to the requirements of the 2030 Agenda, which “points the way and has to be given life as the defining agenda of our time.” UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:22
• Production Date: 5 July 2017
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: ANTONIO GUTERRES
• Corporate Name: ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL - ECOSOC
• Subject Topical: 2030 AGENDA; DEVELOPMENT; SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
• MAMS Id: 1924491
• Parent Id: 1924491
• Alternate Title: unifeed170705c

Description

STORY: UN / GUTERRES 2030 AGENDA
TRT: 02:22
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 05 JULY 2017, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, UN flag

05 JULY 2017, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chambers
3. Med shot, dais
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We all know that the system is not functioning at its full potential. We are held back by insufficient coordination and accountability on system-wide activities. Yes, there may often be good reasons why things are the way the way they are. But far too much of what we do is rooted in the past rather than linked to the future we want. We need to change in order to secure the promise of sustainable development, human rights and peace for our grandchildren. And we have no time to lose. The 2030 Agenda points the way and has to be given life as the defining agenda of our time, because it is the integrated platform to respond to the needs of people and governments.”
5. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chambers
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Our shared goal is a 21st century UN development system that is focussed more on people and less on process, more on results for the most poor and excluded and less on bureaucracy, more on integrated support to the 2030 Agenda and less on business as usual. This means asking some deep and difficult questions about our structures, skillsets and the architecture for action.”
7. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chambers
8. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The UN development system must accelerate its transition from the MDGs to the 2030 Agenda. There are major gaps in the system’s current skillsets and mechanisms. The system is still set up to perform on a narrower set of goals focused on certain sectors, rather than across the entire sustainable development agenda.”
9. Med shot, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The best prevention is sustainable and inclusive development. And that is also true from the point of view of prevention to conflict. So, it’s the other way around, it’s not to say let’s sacrifice development to other objectives, or let’s transfer funds from development to other objectives, security or whatever. It is the recognition of the centrality of development in relation to all pillars of activities of the UN.”
11. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chambers

Storyline

Secretary-General António Guterres today (05 Jul) said the UN development system “is not functioning at its full potential” and should be adapted to the requirements of the 2030 Agenda, which “points the way and has to be given life as the defining agenda of our time.”

The Secretary-General, who was presenting his first report on the repositioning of the UN development system to the Economic and Social Council, said “our shared goal is a 21st century UN development system that is focussed more on people and less on process, more on results for the most poor and excluded and less on bureaucracy, more on integrated support to the 2030 Agenda and less on business as usual. This means asking some deep and difficult questions about our structures, skillsets and the architecture for action.”

Guterres underlined key areas for reform including ensuring that the UN system fully transitions from the MDGs to the 2030 Agenda.

He said “the UN development system must accelerate its transition from the MDGs to the 2030 Agenda. There are major gaps in the system’s current skillsets and mechanisms. The system is still set up to perform on a narrower set of goals focused on certain sectors, rather than across the entire sustainable development agenda.”

Other areas of reform include: increasing the focus on financing for development so countries can unlock the doors to financing, expertise, know-how and technologies; creating a new generation of Country Teams that are more cohesive, flexible and can respond to the specific needs of each country; and increasing accountability, oversight and transparency in the field as well as at headquarters.

Responding to member states questions, Guterres said “the best prevention is sustainable and inclusive development. And that is also true from the point of view of prevention to conflict. So, it’s the other way around, it’s not to say let’s sacrifice development to other objectives, or let’s transfer funds from development to other objectives, security or whatever. It is the recognition of the centrality of development in relation to all pillars of activities of the UN.”

The Secretary-General’s first report will be followed by a second one with further recommendations as well as more detailed actions for reform and this will be released in December this year.