UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September, key issues

The long-awaited UN General Assembly Special Event took place on 25 September, with the Opening session, chaired by HE John Ashe, President of General Assembly. During the Opening session, there were a number of speakers representing the different groups of countries. Before they spoke, however, there were statements from the UN Secretary-General and the President of ECOSOC and the outcome document was endorsed, to be submittd for adoption by the General Assembly as a President’s text.

A summary of the speeches in the Opening session and the key issuess raised in the Roundtables that followed is below.

Opening session

In his opening address, HE John Ashe he assessed the progress towards meeting the MDGs., highlighting the following:

At global level significant efforts have been made to reduce poverty and hunger, while the target on water has been met ahead of schedule. Making new HIV infections a relic of the past is now a possibility. The adverse affects of environmental degradation are too hard to grapple with. Global partnership for development is an important starting point. While women and girls are seen as key drivers of development, gender violence continues.  

As he said, this is an historic moment as we prepare to begin work on the post-2015 agenda, which must not only tackle unfinished MDGs, but also go further. A Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing has been set up and the first meeting of the High Level Political Forum has taken place. This Special Event will agree to hold a Summit in 2015 and will endorse a road map. As President of the General Assembly, he will be organizing a series of consultations, which will be open and inclusive, but ultimately decisions will be taken by Member States. 

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon said that the UN Declaration set the agenda for the MDGs, insofar as it pledged to free all women, men, girls and boys from abject and dehumanising poverty. He noted, moreover, that the MDGs galvanised unprecedented national commitment and support, although the prospects of achieving the MDGs differ between countries. He also referred specifically to gender and human rights, as well as to the importance of harnessing the power of multi-stakeholder partnerships. The MDGs should be achieved by the end of 2015 – the starting point for the universal sustainable development. 

In reiterating that no person should be left behind, he said that the UN system was eager to support the process going forward, referring to the work of the High Level Panel, the UN Systems Task Force, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Global Compact and the regional commissions as well as more than1 million voices that had been heard. Common ground was emerging on the post-2015 development agenda, which must be universal in nature, while responsive to the needs of developing countries. It should be rights-based and address the needs of young people. 

President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), HE Nestor Osorios, stated that the work is not yet done on achieving the MDGs. Young people are demanding to participate and they should be empowered to do so. It is essential to establish conditions for global prosperity. No one should be left behind and we must therefore meet our commitments and take on new ones. He then pointed to the progress that has been made, while saying that trends have been unequal, eg rural areas and marginalized groups have been left behind. He emphasized that political commitment is essential as are alliances/partnerships for development. Sustainable development must allow for inclusion. ECOSOC, moreover, is in a unique position to contribute to a coordinated follow up. The post-2015 process could continue to bring the dialogue to a broader range of stakeholders, with comprehensive monitoring frameworks and accounting systems being critical.

After the endorsement of the outcome document, statements were:

Commodore Vorege Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji, spoke on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, reiterating a strong call to address gaps in the MDGS. He called for concrete measures for countries that need most help, with the central theme building on MDG 8. The outcome document highlights gaps in addressing the MDGs, while providing a roadmap for the global development agenda. It should be guided by the Millennium Declaration, while the principle of common but differentiated responsibility (CBDR) should be of paramount importance in crafting the future agenda to include different priorities and capacities of countries. It’s time to tell our citizens that we mean business and to commit ourselves to build a better future we want.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, assessed the EU’s contribution towards the MDGs, with progress being made during the past 20 years progress in fighting poverty. Fewer people now go to bed hungry. However, too many women and babies fail to survive childbirth and we should not be complacent. We must finish what we have started on the MDGs. Eradicating extreme poverty is possible and the Post-215 development agenda should build on Rio commitments through empowerment, including the special role of women and attention to children; inclusive growth; environmental sustainability; equity and good governance; and peace and stability. We need a single integrated post 2015 framework. He stressed the need for partnership, including both civil society and academia and welcomed the outcome document, including the roadmap. 

Donald Ramotar, President of the Republic of Guyana, speaking on behalf of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) stated that the economic crisis is endangering a lot of the gains that have been made on the MDGs in Caribbean. In the post-2015 development agenda there should be more understanding of the inequalities of the trade system. SIDS need a place at the table so that their concerns are known as well. Issues around economic cooperation are reversing gains of the MDGs and the question of debt from middle-income developing countries should be considered. To sustain the good that we have achieved and conclude the programme of MDGs we need not only greater inclusivity at the national level (good governance accountability etc) but must translate it internationally.  We need true and genuine partnership with the whole international community, excluding none. 

Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, said that significant progress had been made in achieving the MDGs, but it had been uneven. One billion people still live in poverty, one in eight people go hungry each day and one in four children who enter primary school will probably leave before finishing.  The statistics do not, however, convey the human cost of failing, or the trauma of surviving day by day. We should display courage to go further than MDGs, which are a floor and not a ceiling. We need to think about creating work opportunities, placing emphasis on the private sector that can do some things better than the public sector. We need an enabling environment and to remove barriers to trade and development. In the next stage we have to focus on infrastructure and energy. Governments cannot finance these alone, but need new resources and partnerships. Young people are our greatest resource. We must invest in education and technologies --  the emerging global divide is broadband. We must understand the need to develop solutions to our own problems. More collective responsibility is necessary and people should have the opportunity to build a better life.

Jacob Zuma, President of South AfricaJacob Zuma, President of South Africa, stressed that South Africa was honoured to play a facilitation role with Ireland for the UN General Assembly Special Event. Although progress has been made, significant challenges remain particularly for Africa.  Mixed results have been recorded on the MDGs and a strengthened global partnership is needed for development, building on existing commitments. The realization of rights to development can strengthen partnerships to achieve the MDGs. South Africa looks forward to the intergovernmental process. The agenda must be guided by a spirit of equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness and universality and include the eradication of poverty and hunger as well as combating inequality. It must be cognisant of CBDR. There should be appropriate balance and integration between the three dimensions of sustainable development. So far progress has been made on environmental pillar. Now there needs to be a stronger focus on socio-economic development and it must be geared towards job creation, poverty eradication and reducing inequalities. Crucial to the discussion is the means of implementation. What is needed is official ODI. The post-2015 must take into account regional priorities and existing continent-wide initiatives and support for an Africa blue print must be strengthened. 

Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, said that sustainable development must be taken into consideration and that the post-2015 development agenda must aim to eradicate extreme poverty with human security as a guiding principle. Gender inequality, poverty and education must be addressed there should be a realisation of society where women shine. Referring to universal health care, we should aim at satisfying broader health needs by promoting UHC rather than a disease-centred approach. Mainstreamiing disaster risk reduction is another focus for Japan. Finally, he stressed the importance of building resilient societies. 

Jens Stoltenburg, Prime Minister of Norway, said that when he attended the Summit in 2000, he wasn’t optimistic. However, the world has seen improvements, particularly in education and health with the MDGs playing an important part. For health we have been successful so far, but still a child dies every 5 minutes, and a woman every two minutes. Efforts should be made to complete the health MDGs before the 2015 deadline. Concrete action is required. Energy must not be omitted again as access to energy is essential; but we need more renewable energy and emission reduction. A clear and ambitious goal for energy for all is essential. Women’s participation is a matter of human rights. Gender should remain a separate goal as well as being incorporated in all other areas covered by new goals. Norway stands ready to work with all nations to ensure the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs) for women and girls. Moving forward, the goals need to be ambitious, but also realistic.

Eamon Gilmore, Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, recognized that great progress has been made under the MDGs, including the decreases in the incidences of child mortality and preventable maternal mortality in childbirth. Ireland was honoured to have secured agreement with South Africa on the outcome document. The principles of equality, inclusion and fundamental human rights must be at the core of post 2015. Poverty cannot be eradicated unless women and girls are genuinely empowered. He acknowledged the work of the civil society organizations as demonstrated during the civil society session at UN on Sunday.

John Kerry, US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry, US Secretary of State, said that there is a need to go further and faster to fulfill the promise to leave no one behind. We must decide to do more together and we have a historic opportunity to rid the world of poverty over the next two decades. Experience teaches what works and what doesn’t work. Investment in health and education, etc works for everybody. All partnerships should support the upcoming replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Violent conflict makes development difficult, therefore we must secure peace where it is needed most and where it is more difficult. Fighting poverty and safeguarding the environment are part of the story; young people, however, are our challenge. These priorities have to go hand-in-hand. Post 2015 will determine the way to address the challenges ahead. 

Vladmir Makei, Foreign Minister of Belarus, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) sees economic cooperation as a priority for CIS countries, as it has enabled them to overcome the challenges of financial crisis, especially through transport investment. The post-2015 development agenda should include modernisation of transport infrastructure to facilitate sustainable developments and attention must be paid to the most vulnerable group of countries, some of which are CIS countries. Effective partnerships in various areas, especially with middle-income countries, and financial assistance may be key factors that might affect obtaining MDGs. He also highlighted environmental protection and energy needs that should be looked at more strategically and in a long-term manner.

Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China, asserted that the Millennium Declaration represents the power of international cooperation and the UN. It will be a long and uphill journey before we can achieve a life of dignity for all. Meanwhile the Chinese government has circulated its position on MDGS and post-2015. The MDGs follow a trend of peace and cooperation and we must not backtrack. Particular attention should be paid to hunger. Trade and investment protectionism should be rejected and the trend of economic globalisation embraced. The international community should respect diversity in the world and not impose one view over the other. For China the post-2015 development agenda is an extension of the MDGs. We should also draw on report of HLP. 

Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, stressed that it is important as to how the MDGs are finished. We should not limp to the end of the line.  We should agree on a unified set of goals. The World Bank has two specific goals, namely to end poverty and to boost prosperity by focusing on bottom 40%. He said that the MDGs have been an invaluable catalyst and that the post -2015 goals should not have too many targets, nor be unachievable. The value of ODI cannot be overstated, but in itself it is not enough. We must make transitions to think about ways that every precious dollar of ODI leverages the private sector investment that we need.  

Helen Clark, Chair of the UN Development Group, identified the MDGs as the most successful UN anti-poverty initiative. During the past year over 1 million individuals have been engaged in conversation on post-2015. The key message has been not to give up on the MDG targets. We must be bolder and more ambitious about leaving no one behind and we have the necessary resources and the technology. The greater the success of the MDGs, the greater the credibility of the post-2015 framework will be. UNDP hopes every Member State will leave today inspired to redouble its efforts on MDGs.

William and Melinda Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in their joint presentation, said that the eight ambitious goals of MDGS are working, with seven hundred million being lifted out of extreme poverty. Behind the numbers are men and women who have a better chance to realise aspiration. Nevertheless, millions are still in poverty without any opportunities. The needs of women and girls must be at the heart of the debate going forward.  But there are signs that the long and challenging path we are on is the right one, and the success so far proves this. Some MDGs are still behind. History tells us that focusing on those most in need is how to achieve success. But we need deadlines, measurements and accountability. The MDGs have focused on the poor. If we get too broad on the next goal setting, we will spread resources too thin. 

Ms Barbara Martinez, Latin American & Caribbean Network of Young People Living with HIV, said that when we invest in HIV, we invest in ending gender inequality, discrimination as well as improving health care and community outcomes. She emphasized the need to focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. She asked whether those present wished to be the leaders who have failed, or the leaders who have guided us to the end AIDS. 

Round tables 

Two round tables were convened during the morning and two in the afternoon. A number of recurring themes were raised by many of speakers, which are summarized briefly below. It is important, however, that CSOs see what their own Governments actually said during the roundtables using this link.

Looking back at the MDGs:  A large number of speakers referred to the progress that their countries had made towards achieving the MDGs. As one speaker said that the MDGs  had been the “most successful campaign in history”. Some speakers focused on the goals that are lagging behind and others on the need to take forward best practices and lessons learned from MDGs. The impact of HIV/AIDS on their achievement was also noted. 

Moving from the MDGs to the SDGs: It was recognized that the SDGs and the post-MDGs should be put into a single coherent framework in the post-2015 development agenda, and that we should not move too far from current MDGs because a lot of unfinished business remains. There should be a re-commitment to the MDGs in what lies ahead, ie the SDG and an extension of the MDGs. The Post-2015 process should be an open, transparent and inclusive approach especially in UN intergovernmental system and it must be member driven.

SDGs: They need to be realistic, focused and measureable and must balance environmental, social and cultural sustainability. Issues to be addressed should include extreme poverty, vulnerability and human security. There should be links to peace and security, while recognizing the negative effects of conflict and fragility. Disaster reduction should also be addressed. They should also be based on the rule of law and transparency, as well as the principle of equality, good governance, accountability, human rights and equity. Their implementation should include a rights-based approach and should include financial probity to tackle corruption and fraud. The importance of disaggregated data was also emphasized.

Some speakers acknowledged the impact of the financial crisis, others referred to the need to use of ICT, innovation and invention. In addressing ODA. it was noted that donor aid is not panacea of development and cannot be relied on as being the only way. Governments, moreover, cannot implement the SDGs on their own. They must go beyond governments and include CSOs, the private sector and science. Special attention should be paid to Africa as well as to small economies and SIDS.

Environmental sustainability, environment and climate change should be addressed as well as issues related to energy, including electricity and renewable energy. Clean water and sanitation were also highlighted, as were issues related to population dynamics and urbanization. Other issues that were highlighted related to health, including child health; education, particularly enrollment in primary schools; employment and job creation; and achieving social protection

Gender equality and empowerment of women: Many speakers referred to the need for more focus on gender equality and empowerment of women. Women’s empowerment is at the core of the agenda going forward. It is not only the right thing to do, but the wise thing to do. Gender equality and empowerment should be at the centre of post-2015  development agenda and there should be a ‘stand alone goal’ as well as mainstreaming of gender. Women’s leadership was highlighted as was the fact that women and girls are natural drivers of development. Women and girls are the majority of those living in hunger and female-headed households should be supported. Specific mention was made to the need to address violence against women. 

MDG 5: Maternal health and sexual and reproductive health and rights: MDG 5 was seen as one of the most challenging, and as being off track. Sexual and reproductive health and rights were referred to by a number of speakers, generally and was strongly linked to gender equality and empowering women and girls, including by giving them control over their own bodies as well as who and when to marry, Access to reproductive health services is of key importance, as is income inequality and the provision of universal social protection.

Youth: Issues related to young people were noted by some speakers who saw them as a vehicle for change. Specific issues raised are related to youth employment and are also linked to health.

Persons with disabilities: Several speakers raised issues related to persons with disabilities and stressed the need for them to be included in the post-2015 development process.

Process for moving forward: Some speakers spoke in support of the outcome document, as well as the Secretary-General’s Report and the High-Level Panel Report. The process should be inclusive, involving different stakeholders, such as citizens, civil society, academia, the private sector and governments to secure future of the planet together. The review, itself, should underline the gaps, and issues of sustainable development should be better reflected. There were calls for the international community to provide the necessary resources and a recognition that committed multilateralism is the only way forward. The prime responsibility therefore is to build capacity to enable Governments to achieve more themselves in the South, but it cannot be done alone, and new partnerships are required.

Some speakers referred specifically to the Rio + 20 outcomes and the Open Working Group process saying it  should be as inclusive as possible and build on MDGs. Inputs from different regions is important. Specific references were also made to the critical role that should be played by the private sector, as set out in the outcome document of the Busan High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, 2011. New partnerships should be forged with the private sector as well as with civil society to deliver social transformation and create stronger economies and fairer societies. Referring to the Expert Committee on Sustainable Development for Financing Development, one speaker said that it is wrong to block civil society and even some member states.