Mr. President of ECOSOC,
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Dear friends,
Ladies & Gentlemen,
It is an honour to address you today at this important multi-stakeholder dialogue. I am happy to welcome the representatives of civil society joining the 2022 HLPF and to greet you in-person here in New York.
In UN DESA, we have always respected the positive impact that civil society has had in sustainable development. Civil society gets things done and are well-placed to reach those furthest behind. When governments form partnerships with stakeholders, there is so much potential for progress.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002 was a turning point for stakeholder inclusiveness. It was there that governments began to truly acknowledge that partnerships with civil society are essential to ensure a better life for all people, to develop the economy and safeguard the environment.
Distinguished participants,
Over time, the inclusion of civil society groups at the national level has strengthened multidimensional evidence-based policies, and improved data collection and statistical analysis. National development plans that draw from the initiatives of local authorities and are based on input from all types of stakeholders are more effective. We can see evidence of this in the Voluntary National Reviews that have engaged all types of stakeholders in the implementation of the SDGS as well as the preparation of reports to be presented here this week.
Scaling up of community-level projects has had an impact in many countries and even driven global change. Grassroots movements have emboldened many people around the world to raise their voices to tackle the challenges of climate change, hunger and food insecurity, displacement and conflict. Through civil-society efforts, many have been encouraged to hold the world accountable for ensuring that the needs of future generations can be met, with no one left behind.
Time and time again, stakeholder groups have demonstrated that when many types of people work together to achieve a shared aim, it can strengthen a sense of renewed solidarity and international cooperation.
Distinguished participants,
As we continue to focus on the SDGs, and as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded of the need to look further ahead. We must remain focused on the transformative actions necessary to strengthen our socio-economic and financial systems and move to sustainable development paths.
We should already start thinking about how the preparations for the SDG Summit next year in September 2023 can accelerate and inspire such transformations. Following this way, we can report some achievements when Heads of State and Government and stakeholders gather to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The outcomes of this HLPF session shaped by Member States, the major groups and other stakeholders, can help to inspire and inform the thinking on how to recover better together and move towards a more sustainable future.
These contributions will be important in shaping preparations for the summit-level HLPF in September 2023. Falling near the mid-point of implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the 2023 SDG Summit is an important opportunity to take stock, consult, innovate, and launch accelerated implementation of the SDGs at global, national and regional levels.
We need to hear your diverse voices – scientific experts, youth, farmers, volunteers, mayors, small-business owners and CEOs, NGOs and community leaders everywhere.
I thank you all for coming to participate in today’s discussion, and I wish you a successful session.
I thank you.