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12 July 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n Distinguished Delegates,<\/p>\n Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I am happy to speak at the Fifth Local and Regional Governments Forum on the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I commend Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ DESA, the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Habitat, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP, and Local 2030, for jointly organizing this important meeting.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Local and regional governments play a crucial role in providing some of the most essential services and infrastructure, all of which are critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Indeed, all SDGs are in some way related to the daily work of local and regional governments.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Local and regional governments are not mere implementers of national policies, but they are catalysts of change, and are also best placed to link global goals to local communities, and adapt them to on-the-ground realities.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Local governments worldwide were at the forefront of COVID-19 pandemic response, providing safety nets, vaccinating people, promoting economic development, and sustaining jobs.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Cities and mayors must be empowered to fulfill their role as ‘first responders’ and be equipped to respond to future crises.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Indeed, the entirety of the SDGs can only be tackled effectively if done with the collaboration and alliance of regional agents, companies, unions, universities, research and innovation centers, and especially local governments and administrations.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n For SDG4, enabling local participation in educational policy and planning is crucial to challenging existing social norms that perpetuate inequity and exclusion.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n By promoting more inclusive approaches to educational planning and decision-making, which takes into account the views of local and regional authorities, countries can better ensure education’s availability, accessibility, and adaptability to local contexts and needs, while securing greater participation of their population in the democratic process.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n To ensure gender equality – an important SDG goal, and an important priority for me personally and my Presidency – local and regional governments need to mainstream gender issues across all areas of their work. This will support efforts to overcome the multiple barriers to women’s empowerment, and includes ensuring non-discriminatory service provision and fair employment practices.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Electing more women for public offices is another important step in enhancing their representation and empowerment. Having female leadership challenges gender stereotypes counters gender discrimination, and politically empowers women and girls.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n We have a collective responsibility to ensure women and girls are protected and integrated into all spheres of socio-economic activities, enabling them to contribute to achieving the SDGs.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Like many of you, I have recently returned from Lisbon, from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Ocean Conference.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Almost 80 percent of ocean pollution comes from land-based activities; half of the world’s population lives less than 60km from the sea; and 75% of large cities are located on coasts.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Many coastal cities discharge sewage, industrial effluent, and other untreated wastewater directly into surrounding oceans, lakes or rivers.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Urban sanitation and solid waste management are therefore essential to reducing coastal zone pollution.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n However, protecting our oceans and shores is not only the responsibility of coastal cities \u2013 it requires international, inter-regional, and multilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Delivering the 2030 Agenda requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. Fully addressing the complexity and interconnection of the SDGs primarily entails collaboration between the different levels of governance.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n My friends,<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Sustainable development remains a key tenet of my presidency of hope and I have already convened several high-level events during promoting the centrality of the SDGs to our efforts to rebuild after the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to events on vaccine equity, rebuilding the tourism sector, and commodities markets, next week, my office will organize three high-level events that also look at this theme: one on food security, another on the need for coordinated approaches to environmental action, and a third event on Africa, jointly organized with ECOSOC.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n These events will discuss multiple, cross-cutting, and ongoing socio-political, economic and environmental crises, and will seek solutions to the critical issues impeding the implementation and the realization of the SDGs.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I thank you again for the opportunity to speak. I wish you a fruitful discussion that generates recommendations ahead of next year\u2019s SDG Summit.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I thank you.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Headquarters, New York<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":362,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Excellencies, colleagues,<\/p> I welcome you all to our second meeting and our first interaction following the resumed part of the session.<\/p> Before I begin, I would like to recognize the loss of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Ms. Gail Farngalo.<\/p> A Liberian national, Gail was my Team Leader for Human Rights and was active on gender during both the 75th<\/sup> and 76th<\/sup> sessions. She leaves behind a legacy of achievements and a groundswell of respect and affection from across the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and diplomatic communities. Her presence is certainly felt here today.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> When I took on this Presidency of Hope, I pledged to make gender equality a priority area for the 76th<\/sup> session. I continue to look to the board for its wisdom and expertise, as I endeavour to fulfil that pledge.<\/p> In this regard, I have already benefited from the board\u2019s advice, from when we met on October 28th<\/sup> last year.<\/p> Acting on that advice, I committed to ensuring that all my five rays of hope, and all my major initiatives, are approached with a gender lens.<\/p> I made sure that the composition of my office is gender-balanced.<\/p> I have committed to participating only in panels that have equal gender representation.<\/p> Throughout my official interactions and travels, I have endeavoured to meet with women, including heads of states and governments, scientists, civil society representatives, and youth.<\/p> And I am proud to inform you that five young women have been recruited into the Fellowship for HOPE<\/em> that my office recently launched. The Fellowship as you are well aware is targeted at benefiting young diplomats from underrepresented countries, pursuing careers in diplomacy or public service.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> While recognizing that we have a long way to go in the battle for gender-equality, I am proud of what my team has been able to accomplish within the past few months.<\/p> Our work continues.<\/p> We will continue to raise our voices on issues disproportionately impacting women, such as domestic violence and work place harassment. We will continue to push the importance of gender-equal work spaces.<\/p> And we will continue to find new paths to empower young women with ambitious professional aspirations.<\/p> Now is not the time to rest on our laurels.<\/p> With the board\u2019s guidance and support, we must use the many opportunities over the coming months to further empower women and girls, and dismantle discriminatory practices against them.<\/p> There are several upcoming events that will provide us such opportunities. I look forward to the board\u2019s suggestions on how we can best utilize them.<\/p> As an example, the International Day of Women and Girls in science is fast approaching. We must recognize that women\u2019s contributions in science and technology have helped us cure diseases; discover new horizons in space; and develop technologies that have vastly improved our quality of life.<\/p> As we celebrate their achievements, we must also open pathways for young girls who aspire to follow in the footsteps of pioneers in science and technology.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Let us also reflect that the theme chosen by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for this year is on \u201cachieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes\u201d.<\/p> As we strive to meet our obligations to the planet, let us recognize the important work done by women and girls at the forefront of the climate crisis, and whose humanitarian work in disaster-stricken areas has helped save lives and rebuild communities. We owe it to them to not only celebrate their work but to support them.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Our programme of work for the months ahead has been circulated to members prior to the meeting, for consideration and feedback. Please note that the events we have planned are not exhaustive. I welcome further suggestions from the board on the content and format of future events and activities.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> We have made much progress within a short while. And with the board\u2019s support and guidance, I am sure that we can keep up this strong momentum.<\/p> I look forward to working alongside all of you to achieve our vision of a gender-equal world.<\/p> Thank you.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[550,556,553],"committee-meeting":[],"class_list":["post-269297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","tag-ga","tag-pga","tag-shahid","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n