22 September 2022
Excellencies,
Thank you for this opportunity to address the seventh Ministerial Meeting of the Like-Minded Group in support of Middle-Income Countries.
We know that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to development, particularly when it comes to MICs.
Yet Middle-Income Countries are home to 75% of the world’s population — and more than 60% of the world’s poor.
And those people are still suffering the economic and social consequences from years of COVID-19.
There are several lessons to be learnt from the global pandemic.
First and foremost, I call on you to rebuild sustainable, through national development plans and strategies anchored in the sustainable transformation.
Middle-Income Countries represent one third of global GDP and are major engines of global growth. I call on you to take the lead.
Invest in people and resilience to promote national capacities, and address vulnerabilities.
Second, we also have to get back on track with the SDGs, with renewed multilateral commitment and bold transformative actions.
We cannot return to the old normal, to business as usual.
The only way to achieve better outcomes is to transform.
The Sustainable Development Report released in June calls for scaling-up the new partnerships and innovations that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, including in scientific cooperation and data.
This is in line with my vision for the 77th session of the General Assembly, which is “solutions through solidarity, sustainability and science”.
We need to bring these discussions on the SDGs, together with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, in the preparations for the SDG Summit in 2023.
Third, we must look at reforming the global financial system, through an inclusive and transparent process.
New debt mechanisms must provide a menu of options, including debt swaps, buy-backs, and cancellations.
The General Assembly, working with ECOSOC, and in partnership with the international financial institutions, should look closely at the reform of the global financial system, to ensure better multilateral coordination and more efficient support to developing countries.
To sum it up, we should rebuild sustainable, take transformative action, and reform our finances.
My door is open, and I look forward to future discussion with you during this session of the GA.
Thank you.