27 October 2015: The UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), discussing several of its agenda items for the 70th Session, has addressed a range of issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with speakers and delegates highlighting challenges and concerns for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Member States have highlighted links between the 2030 Agenda and, inter alia, crime prevention and drug control, advancement of women, children’s rights, indigenous peoples, migration, and persons with disabilities.

Opening the Committee’s substantive work on 6 October 2015, Chair Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco, noted that nine of the 17 SDGs are directly connected to the work of Third Committee, and said the Committee is being called upon to carry out “strong, effective and concerted action” to resolve major global issues. Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, highlighted several such issues: the “massive wave” of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean and the Sahel; the displacement of people by poverty, lack of opportunity, conflict, religious extremism and fear; significant and rapid demographic change; and insufficient job growth in the wake of the global economic crisis in most major economies.

Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, an independent expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, also speaking during the opening session, noted that the SDGs put an emphasis on States to incorporate the rights of older persons in discussions on public policies and programmes.

During the Committee’s discussion on crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control, on 8-9 October 2015, Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), urged Member States to “build a bridge” between the SDGs and the UNGA’s Special Session on the world drug problem, which will convene in April 2016. He said the special session is an opportunity to examine the impact of illicit drugs on sustainable development and to seek common solutions, as transnational organized crime, drugs and terrorism need to be addressed in their broader socio-economic context.

During the Third Committee’s discussion on the advancement of women, on 12-13 October, delegates highlighted 2015 as a “landmark year,” with the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 15th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, and the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. Kenya said the 2030 Agenda is “a golden opportunity to right wrongs and correct past imbalances” with regard to gender equality. The Holy See encouraged the UN to recruit more women for preventive diplomacy, mediation efforts, peacekeeping missions and peacebuilding processes, while Ecuador expressed his country’s support for the nomination of a female UN Secretary-General.

Lakshmi Puri, UN Women, said the SDGs aim to ensure the dedicated commitment of Member States and the transformative financing required to realize measurable progress for women and girls by 2020, and full gender equality by 2030. With regard to the Paris Climate Change Conference, Puri called for the outcome agreement to “empower women to lead and participate effectively” to tackle climate threats. Dubravka Simonovic, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, said the 2030 Agenda has a global “gendered” framework for development.

During the Committee’s debate on the rights of the children, on 14-16 October, speakers addressed the links between the SDGs and the reintegration of children who have been involved in armed conflicts. Regarding the current refugee crisis, “a matter of deep concern,” the EU said that during the first six months of 2015, one in four asylum applicants in the region was under 18 years old. He said implementing the 2030 Agenda will be key to tackling the root causes of the crisis.

Noting that the 2030 Agenda includes firm commitments on eliminating violence against children, Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, said their human dignity and right to live free of violence, abuse and exploitation has been recognized for the first time as an international development priority. She stressed that protecting children from violence needs tangible national actions, and implementing the 2030 Agenda can help build “a world as big as a child’s dream.” Omar Abdi, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said the SDGs provide an opportunity to reach children left behind by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

During the Committee’s discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples, on 19 October 2015, Member States were called on to give them a greater voice, particularly in the context of achieving the SDGs. Several delegations underscored the “critical” need to include indigenous peoples when implementing the SDGs, with some speakers, including the Holy See, noting the “unique” contribution indigenous peoples can make with regard to environmental and disaster response issues.

During the Committee’s Debate on protection and promotion of human rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said better migration governance, protection of civil society and addressing inequalities through the 2030 Agenda can help solve the world’s multiple migration crises. Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes, Chair of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), welcomed the SDGs’ inclusion of the rights of persons with disabilities, but cautioned that progress should not be measured solely by gross domestic product. She contended that equality, non-discrimination, justice, security and the fight against corruption also must be taken into account.

The Third Committee plans to conclude its work by 25 November 2015. [Third Committee General Debate] [Drug Prevention and Crime Control] [Advancement of Women, 12 October] [Advancement of Women, 13 October] [Children’s Rights, 14 October] [Children’s Rights, 15 October] [Indigenous Peoples] [Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, 21 October] [Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, 27 October] [Third Committee Website]