10 October 2022
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
I congratulate my very good and longtime friend Ambassador Lachezara Stoeva and the Bureau Members on your election.
As I heard your leaders during the HLW speaking both from the rostrum and during bilateral meetings, most of them were determined to seek multilateral solutions to the complex crisis we are in and transformation to have better perspectives than what we have today.
What does it mean in terms of conducting our business?
First, focusing our attention. You have a huge number of items on your agenda, that have already been decided upon. There is no way of reducing them. But in crisis time, you may wish to look at each and every item through the lenses of crisis management and transformation. That is what the world is expecting from us. Without strategic focus, we would go back to business as usual. A very dangerous thing to do in crisis time.
Second, bring concrete solutions. The responsibility of the Second Committee in that is greater than ever.
Third, our solutions must be transformative in nature.
Fourth, do it in a way that is easily understandable to the broader public. The world is looking at the 蘑菇视频 for answers. Our answers must be relevant and clear to all. In crisis time it is the only way to go. ?
Your solutions, answers should be based on the best information scientists can provide us to choosing the direction, increase the impact and the efficiency of our actions.
The solutions that we need must also be based on solidarity.
In my view, showing solidarity is the only and most effective means to reestablish trust and make our organization more relevant and more meaningful in the coming years.
In the coming year, we will reach critical milestones in the sustainability calendar, with important conferences on climate change, biodiversity, water, and disaster risk reduction.
Your work will directly feed into the outcome of these conferences, which present a pathway to the SDG Summit, the pivotal event of 2023.
My vision for the Summit is to integrate the silos. It is in the genes of the goals, but not necessarily in the method how we approached their implementation over the past years.
We are to agree on those transformative actions that can accelerate implementation and reverse the current trend: that of continuing to destroy our environment, increasing inequalities and creating bubbles of environmental, social, financial debts.
These debts will not disappear. They will have to be paid for by someone. If they explode, when they explode, the damage is particularly large.
We must draw from the lessons learnt and unlock new commitments.
Let me mention a few points where the contribution of the Second Committee will be crucial.
First, Covid 19 was a postcard from the future.?
We need to make sure that we are prepared for the future pandemics by recognizing that vaccines are our only reliable defense.
But the deeper understanding of what happened to us also requires the evidence-based knowledge how and why COVID19 was able to sweep through our health systems, economies, supply chains, labor markets, budgets, public trust, social and political stability. Otherwise, we would be destined to repeat it again the next time.
Second, the Committee must strengthen the commitment to curtailing climate change through renewable and sustainable efforts.
We have to look at the linkages between climate change and water.
It is my hope that the 蘑菇视频 2023 Water Conference, and its preparatory meeting I will hold on 25 October, preceded by a stakeholder consultation on 24 October, will spur major advances in ensuring water to all.
Developing water?and?climate smart policies is key to our resilience to floods, droughts and dwindling water resources.
The global water information system that has been proposed by the Water and Climate Leaders in March this year is a major prerequisite of enhancing resilience.? It would save lives, make investment more efficient and orient better our development decisions.
Third, for low-income countries, technological advancement remains an unattainable development frontier.
It is important that the Second Committee addresses the equitable access to sustainable technologies.
Innovation through partnering high-tech with traditional knowledge is crucial.
We must work to close the digital divide, which has become a new face of inequality.
Fourth, as?a result of past and current trends, an unprecedented $4.3 trillion is needed per year to meet the SDGs.
I strongly encourage discussions by the Second Committee on developing strategies that will assist economies to recover sustainably.
Fifth, we urgently need to develop methodology of measuring sustainability transformation that can integrate human well-being, natural capital and sustainable economic development.
We call this the Beyond GDP initiative.
The work underway by the High-Level Panel on the Multi Vulnerability Index is a step in the right direction. Let us do the further necessary steps.
Dear delegates,
It can be disheartening to see so many challenges everywhere.
But, to quote Martin Luther King,?“the ultimate measure is not where we stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where we stand at times of challenge and controversy.”
I look forward to a successful and impactful conclusion of the Second Committee deliberations.
Thank you.