Statement by H.E. Mrs. Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa Garc\u00e9s, President of the 73rd<\/sup> Session of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly<\/h3>\n18 October 2018<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵGA](\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/73\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2018\/10\/speechpic-300x169.jpg\")
Impact of the rapid technological change in the achievement of the SDGs<\/p><\/div>\n
Excellencies, distinguished delegates,<\/em><\/p>\nTechnological change is rapidly changing our present and our perspectives for the future.<\/p>\n
Facing this substantial and accelerated transformation in history, academics, scientists, the private sector, civil society and governments have focused on taking on the opportunities, challenges and threats that it represents.<\/p>\n
Our Organization must also be an active part of this conversation, which for many is \u201cthe most important conversation of our time\u201d.<\/p>\n
The impact that technological changes have on each of the SDGs that we have established is a fact.<\/p>\n
If we want to be efficient, we must evaluate which are the technological changes that will allow us to accelerate the fulfillment of the goals of the 2030 Agenda and those that could jeopardize its achievement.<\/p>\n
The contributions of this session are aligned with the goals of the agenda.<\/p>\n
I will focus on three points that I consider to be crucial.<\/p>\n
First<\/strong>: the impact on the future of work.<\/p>\nIf we want to achieve the goal of full and productive employment and decent work for all, we must create 600 million new jobs by 2030.<\/p>\n
This rapid technological change affects jobs. According to some estimates, automation would eliminate 75 million employments by the year 2022, but would also create 133 new job opportunities.<\/p>\n
Therefore, we must set in motion adequate strategies and policies that will help people adapt and make the most of the benefits of these new job markets. Women and girls must, of course, be included in these plans.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.12.2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.12.2″ border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n
Second: the potential of the rapid technological change in the context of climate action, specifically, to make progress in low carbon technologies.<\/p>\n
We must accelerate the development of these technologies if we want to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1,5 degrees Celsius, as established in the Paris Agreement, and in light of Goal 13 of the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n
The recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reminds us that, if we act collectively and responsibly, we will be able to achieve the commitments of the Paris Agreement; it also alerts us to the dangers that humanity will face if we do not.<\/p>\n
A technological evolution can contribute to the creation of clean energy sources that are affordable for millions of people who are currently lacking an energy source.<\/p>\n
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Impact of the rapid technological change in the achievement of the SDGs<\/p><\/div>\n
Excellencies, distinguished delegates,<\/em><\/p>\n Technological change is rapidly changing our present and our perspectives for the future.<\/p>\n Facing this substantial and accelerated transformation in history, academics, scientists, the private sector, civil society and governments have focused on taking on the opportunities, challenges and threats that it represents.<\/p>\n Our Organization must also be an active part of this conversation, which for many is \u201cthe most important conversation of our time\u201d.<\/p>\n The impact that technological changes have on each of the SDGs that we have established is a fact.<\/p>\n If we want to be efficient, we must evaluate which are the technological changes that will allow us to accelerate the fulfillment of the goals of the 2030 Agenda and those that could jeopardize its achievement.<\/p>\n The contributions of this session are aligned with the goals of the agenda.<\/p>\n I will focus on three points that I consider to be crucial.<\/p>\n First<\/strong>: the impact on the future of work.<\/p>\n If we want to achieve the goal of full and productive employment and decent work for all, we must create 600 million new jobs by 2030.<\/p>\n This rapid technological change affects jobs. According to some estimates, automation would eliminate 75 million employments by the year 2022, but would also create 133 new job opportunities.<\/p>\n Therefore, we must set in motion adequate strategies and policies that will help people adapt and make the most of the benefits of these new job markets. Women and girls must, of course, be included in these plans.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.12.2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.12.2″ border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n Second: the potential of the rapid technological change in the context of climate action, specifically, to make progress in low carbon technologies.<\/p>\n We must accelerate the development of these technologies if we want to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1,5 degrees Celsius, as established in the Paris Agreement, and in light of Goal 13 of the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n The recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reminds us that, if we act collectively and responsibly, we will be able to achieve the commitments of the Paris Agreement; it also alerts us to the dangers that humanity will face if we do not.<\/p>\n A technological evolution can contribute to the creation of clean energy sources that are affordable for millions of people who are currently lacking an energy source.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.12.2″]\n\n