– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the 蘑菇视频 General Assembly

4 December 2018

Distinguished Ministers and Vice Ministers,

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have analyzed the deficiencies and difficulties that middle income countries face to fulfill the 2030 Agenda.

My special thanks to the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Your Excellency Gastón Browne, to the Ministers and Vice Ministers of Finance and Planning; to the authorities that travelled from their capitals and to all delegations.

Next, I will refer to some of the essential elements that resulted from the panels and from the plenary segment:

  1. We listened, firsthand, about the needs of middle income countries to go beyond the single measurement based on per capita income, as an index to classify countries, and include other types of vulnerabilities.
  2. The message of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda has been very clear: the consequences of climate change have had a significant impact on the efforts of Small Island Developing States to eradicate poverty and hunger.
  3. Other recurring topics have been: managing natural resources; depending on commodity exports; the high levels of foreign debt; the volatility of exchange rates and capital flows.
  4. South-south and triangular cooperation can be a catalyst for middle income countries to learn –from each other- how to make the most of investments, both foreign and national, to increase productivity and inclusive growth.

Excellencies,

As a mandate of the General Assembly, the Secretary General will present a report on the seventy-fourth period of sessions with updated information about the efforts by the System regarding the development of measurements that recognize poverty in all its forms and dimensions, as well as an assessment of the importance of tailoring support to middle-income countries.

Therefore and in accordance with resolution 72/230, which was the origin of this Meeting, I will send a summary of these debates to the Secretary General so as to reflect them on the above-mentioned report.

I will continue to promote an action-oriented, holistic approach to address the gaps that continue to exist in middle income countries. The international community must continue to mobilize resources and foster cooperation.

Once again, thank you very much for your attendance and substantial contributions to this very important topic in our agenda. I would also like to thank DESA, the Regional Economic Committees, ECLAC, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, OECD, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and, of course, the 蘑菇视频 Secretariat for their support.

Thank you.