11 October 2016: During the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Second Committee (Economic and Financial) annual debate on sustainable development (agenda item 19), governments stressed the need for: aligning the Committee’s agenda with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; addressing climate change, the El Niño phenomenon, desertification, land degradation and loss of biodiversity; strong partnerships; ensuring commensurate means of implementation with the ambition of the international agreements signed in 2015; and national ownership of development plans and strategies.

Peter Thomson, UNGA President, said implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) and the Paris Agreement on climate change are “the moral imperatives of the time.”

Thomson underlined that the agreements provide humanity with “a universal master plan” for eliminating extreme poverty, empowering women and girls, building an inclusive society, and combating climate change, but serious challenges remain: slow and uncertain economic growth; volatility in commodity prices; extreme poverty; underemployment and unemployment; human rights violations; and denial of the rights of women and girls. Stressing the urgent need for action, he said UNGA is pushing for implementation of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and his Office is finalizing an SDG implementation strategy. He announced that the UNGA will support efforts within and outside the UN to drive SDG implementation, including through signature events for raising awareness, fostering sustainable peace, acquiring better financing for implementation, and empowering women and girls. Thomson also highlighted the importance of the the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) resolution, explaining that it will shape and define how “effectively, efficiently and coherently” the UN system delivers on the ground for the next four years, with critical implications for the SDGs.

Thomas Gass, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), introduced 11 reports of the UN Secretary-General, including on: the Implementation of Agenda 21 (A/71/212); the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 (A/71/260); the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (A/71/320); and the Follow-up to and implementation of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (A/71/267 and A/71/267/Add.1). Gass further noted that the Paris Agreement will enter into force on 4 November 2016.

Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), introduced the Report on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030. He noted that: disasters have a disproportionately large impact on less developed countries; Member States and other actors have started revising their plans and strategies to align with the Sendai Framework; and the report contains eight recommendations for States.

Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), introduced the report of the Secretary-General to UNGA 71 on the work of the Convention. He announced that as of 16 June 2016, the Nagoya Protocol has received 78 instruments of ratification, accession, or approval of acceptance. He highlighted the importance that the CBD attaches to the effective follow-up of the 2030 Agenda.

Jamil Ahmad, UN Environment (UNEP), introduced the report of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). He noted that UNEA-2 adopted various resolutions, including on: environment implications for sustainable development; support of the Paris Agreement; sound management of chemicals and waste; sustainable coral reef management; ocean and seas; sand and dust storms; and the protection of the environment in areas affected by conflict. He underscored the intrinsic linkages between a healthy environment, human well-being and the SDGs.

In a statement delivered by Melchiade Bukuru, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Monique Barbut noted that 100 countries have endorsed a program to define voluntary targets on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), contributing to the achievement of the SDG target 15.3 (By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world). The UNCCD is providing financial and technical support for the participating countries, Barbut reported. She noted that environmental degradation is a major cause for forced migration, with “almost all migrants” coming from arid regions of Africa, Asia and Central America. In addition, advancing towards SDG target 15.3 will lead to more rapid achievement of targets on food security, water and energy supply, women’s education, elimination of poverty, and climate change adaptation. She called for countries to be proactive rather than reactive in their management of droughts, which will increase in frequency and intensity, and advocated early warning systems.

Responding to a question from a delegate, Bukuru said “most people left behind are living in the drylands,” which have the highest concentration of hunger, poverty, and migration, and that most stunted children live in degraded areas. Empowering communities affected by land degradation and drought will improve living conditions of affected populations while also improving affected ecosystems, he stressed.

Yu Ping Chan, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), introduced the report on the implementation of World Wildlife Day (A/71/376). She noted that, in just three years, the World Wildlife Day has become the most important day for wildlife conservation and promoting public awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation. She highlighted the UNGA resolution adopted on 9 September 2016 that asks the UNGA President to organize a high-level event on World Wildlife Day in 2017.

In the ensuing discussion, Thailand, for the Group of 77 and China (G-77/China), stressed that poverty eradication remains indispensable for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. She cautioned that the universality of the Agenda should not allow the international community to lose sight of challenges and needs faced by developing countries, as well as specific challenges faced by many middle-income countries (MIC), conflict and post-conflict countries and countries and peoples living under foreign occupation. Implementing the 2030 Agenda required, she noted: respect for the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and other Rio Principles; a revitalized global partnership, with North-South cooperation as the main channel for development; provision of development financing and transfer of technology on favorable terms for developing countries; and enhanced and coordinated support by relevant stakeholders to developing countries to address the digital divide through technical assistance and capacity-building. G-77/China observed that some areas and SDGs are not covered by the UNGA or ECOSOC, and “emerging and relevant issues could arise as new items for the agenda of the Second Committee,” such as infrastructure, water, energy industrialization, and sustainable consumption and production (SCP).

The EU said the 2030 Agenda calls for a paradigm shift in the Second Committee’s working methods, and for better aligning its agenda with the 2030 Agenda. He stressed that the number of resolutions being considered under the Sustainable Development agenda item make it difficult to give proper attention to important issues. He suggested that on Agenda 21 and other matters, the Committee adopt just a technical update, since the substantive discussions take place “elsewhere and at the political level.” Australia, also speaking for Canada and New Zealand (CANZ), said the Second Committee has an important role to play and needs to avoid any action that moves it backward, reopens old debates or renegotiates agreed texts. She stressed that the Committee is at a “crossroads” to either catalyze action for the implementation of universally agreed frameworks “or risk declining into ineffectiveness and irrelevance.”

Nauru for the Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS): called for creating interlinkages in the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway and the 2030 Agenda; emphasized the importance of fully implementing SDG 14 on oceans; and called for those who have not yet ratified the Paris Agreement to do so, with climate change being a “grave threat to our sustainable development.” Maldives, for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), stressed the need for: increased human resource and technical capacity for SIDS, especially for data collection and analysis; effective DRR; and expanding investment in resilience, monitoring and prevention, increased preparedness and response efforts. Barbados, for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), supported by Bangladesh for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), called for resource mobilization and action on the pledges made to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). He also requested the completion of simplified procedures to help SIDS tap into funding.

Dominican Republic, for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), supported by Nicaragua for the Central American Integration System (CAIS), stressed the need for ensuring that MICs are appropriately considered in a tailored, individual fashion. He highlighted the importance of the regional dimension for implementation. Supported by the LDCs, he also underscored the importance of official development assistance (ODA). The LDCs underlined that the allocation of adaptation and mitigation funds should be in addition to ODA and should be “fair, equitable and proportionate” to the impact of climate change. Myanmar, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed concern over increasing health challenges that transcend national borders. He also highlighted the 2016-2020 action plan between ASEAN and the UN, adopted in Vientiane, Laos, in September 2016, and said ASEAN foreign ministers will develop a road map to enhance complementarities between the 2030 Agenda and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. [UN Meeting Summary, 10 October] [UN Meeting Summary, 11 October] [UNGA President Remarks] [Second Committee Statements] [IISD RS Sources]