Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am honoured to address the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region.
This year marks a significant milestone on the path to achieving the SDGs.
Right now, the promises of the SDGs are in jeopardy. For the first time in decades, development progress has been stalled or even reversed. There are only a few years left to correct this course.
But there is hope. We have seen decades of development advances. They have resulted in many people living longer, healthier, more prosperous lives.
At the midpoint to 2030, it is time to take stock, turbocharge action, drive transformations and make decisive investments.
In September this year, the SDG Summit will focus on how human determination, innovation, collective action and solidarity can bring the SDGs within reach, as we overcome the world¡¯s interconnected crises.
The SDG Summit must be a rallying cry to pivot from crisis to development, and a more peaceful, inclusive and greener future.
The preparatory process of the SDG Summit aims at reaching transformative, ambitious, and bold actions. Actions at the regional level are of crucial importance. The Regional Forums shape our understanding of trends across varied contexts, allowing us to understand the nuances shaping progress at different levels. The forums further encourage transformation and action and build intergovernmental agreement around critical issues.
At the global intergovernmental level, the Ambassadors of Ireland and Qatar to the 51³Ô¹Ï in New York are ably facilitating an agreement on the Summit¡¯s political declaration.
The President of ECOSOC is leading preparations for the High-Level Political Forum in July. This year¡¯s forum is especially critical as a stocktaking event that drives multisectoral efforts to reach the SDGs.
ECOSOC and the many upcoming events should be geared to support Member States in identifying gaps and accelerating progress in implementing the SDGs.
The SDG Summit offers an opportunity to launch a new era of multilateralism, building on the core values of the 51³Ô¹Ï, to address global problems in a spirit of mutual benefit.
There is no other moment than now to act on the SDGs and break through to a better world.
Your discussion will guide us as to what is possible, and what level of transformation and ambition is needed to achieve a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future.
You can advance further the thinking on the reform of the international financial architecture, mobilizing the power of digital technologies and retooling the global economy so it is sustainable, resilient and inclusive.
You may also advance recommendations for essential services that are of high quality and universal, guaranteeing health, education and human dignity.
Recommendations are welcome on practical ways for rapid decarbonization to limit global temperature rise and scaled-up support for developing countries to adapt to the current crisis and future crises, leaving no one behind.
I am confident that the discussions and ideas shared during the regional forum will provide valuable inputs to the High Level Political Forum and the SDG Summit.
Thank you.