President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Let me begin by thanking the President of the General Assembly for convening this timely discussion.
LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS are acutely aware of the complex internal and external factors that affect a country’s development prospects.
Small Island Developing States have been championing the development of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) for over thirty years, aimed at identifying ecological and economic vulnerability and facilitating access to the assistance needed to overcome these barriers to inclusive sustainable development.
The High-Level Panel on the Development of a MVI made significant progress. In its final report it proposed a robust, evidence-based measure for assessing vulnerability, which could be used in financing and development assistance assessments, along with country vulnerability and resilience profiles.
This was an important step forward in this long journey.
Excellencies,
DESA recognizes the significance of this moment. Securing General Assembly endorsement of the MVI is a critical step in galvanizing action towards its use.
We have heard SIDS advocate for the operationalization of the MVI as a deliverable of the upcoming SIDS4 Conference.
I recognize that there are diverse views among Member States. The intergovernmental process is an important opportunity for Member States to engage with the Panel’s recommendations in detail and build shared ownership for the MVI.
But it must be managed carefully.
The Terms of Reference of the Panel and UNGA resolutions provide important guardrails for the discussion. These include the definitions of structural vulnerability and resilience and two-level structure of the index. And we should build more consensus on that basis.
It must be shepherded by strong co-facilitators, who have a sound understanding of the Panel’s work and are able to bridge divides.
Excellencies,
In DESA’s capacity as interim Secretariat for the intergovernmental process - along with OHRLLS - my team and I will be relying on your support.
Through outreach and advocacy, we can build Member States’ understanding of the MVI framework which is critical to securing its broad cross-regional support.
I look forward to your guidance.
Thank you.