Madame Chair, Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to thank the Chair of the Second Committee and the President of ECOSOC for this important Joint Meeting. I commend all participants for your insightful contributions, and steadfast commitment to sustainable development.
Allow me to share three main points.
First, we heard about the immense challenges over the past year and a half. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have had a deeply negative impact on people’s lives, with particularly damaging effects on women and girls.
The pandemic has contributed to a reversal of SDG progress in many areas. And it delayed action on many of the major transitions required to meet our objectives for 2030. The pandemic is still raging. People are still dying at unacceptably high levels. Many economies are still experiencing immense difficulties.
The LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS and MICs, continue to bear the brunt of these negative impacts. This includes vaccine inequity, and negative economic impacts specific to each group’s particular situation.
Yet, your Joint Meeting today on productive capacities, has provided relevant policy messages. This gives us reason to look to the future with hope.
Second, building productive capacities in LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS, and MICs, is the lynchpin for their resilient recovery and sustainable development.
Many of you highlighted the needed innovations for building productive capacities. We heard that science, technology, and innovation are major drivers in accelerating the pace of economic diversification, and transformation. And, in improving productivity and competitiveness to enable full participation in the global economy.
We heard that strengthening the link between a country’s production structure, and its level of human development, is crucial for efforts to achieve the SDGs. Developing a modern and inclusive ICT infrastructure, and promoting the digitalization of services, are also critical components of building productive capacities.
The Meeting also highlighted the need for LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS, and MICs to rapidly scale up investment for structural transformation, through productive capacity development.
Third, we must pursue multilateral solutions. We heard loud and clear that building productive capacities requires international solidarity and cooperation.
Innovative strategies to make durable progress require the active engagement of development partners, international and regional organizations, as well as the private sector and foundations.
Innovative multilateral strategies are also needed to help countries recover from the COVID-19 crisis. And, to rebuild their economies through the development of resilient productive capacities that support inclusive sustainable development.
Excellencies,
Let me conclude by highlighting that the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UN DESA, is fully mobilized to support you in your response and recovery efforts.
We leave this Joint Meeting, cognizant of the scale of our pursuit for the remainder of this Decade of Action and Delivery for sustainable development, in the post-COVID-19 era.
Yet we must not drop our collective ambition, when the needs have never been greater. Over the coming weeks, you can build on this Meeting for your work in the Second Committee, and ECOSOC.
With political leadership, international solidarity, and unity of purpose, productive capacities can be built in the LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS and MICs. With the 2030 Agenda as our guide, we can recover and keep the promise of the SDGs.
UN DESA stands ready to support you as you explore innovative actions that improve the lives of people.
I thank you.