Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,?
Mr. Dennis Francis,
at
?Joint Briefing of the Presidents of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council
02 February 2024
Your Excellency, Paula Narv¨¢ez, President of the Economic and Social Council,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Thank you for joining us this morning.
Allow me to express my sincere appreciation to my colleague, the President ECOSOC, and her team, for facilitating the annual joint briefing ¨C which is reflective of the spirit and established practice of close collaboration between the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.
It goes without saying that the first few months of the 78th session have not been without challenges: the challenges which, in fact, we must use these forums to collectively ponder on viable solutions.
We are, dear colleagues, losing ground on peace, precisely when we need it most.
Nowhere are the implications of that loss more evident than in our pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.
As it stands, we are dangerously off course on our targets for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Secretary-General¡¯s report on Our Common Agenda and its recommendations is intended to help kickstart this shift or ¨C as the Secretary-General himself said ¨C to turbocharge the SDGs.
I was also pleased and encouraged to see the 2023 SDG Summit deliver a pioneering political declaration during the High-Level Week in September, supporting expedited action.
These are positive steps.
But the Summit of the Future, in September, will be the real test of our resolve.
It will be the moment for the world leaders to not only scale up commitments, but to also reinvigorate multilateralism to better deliver on whatever it takes to address the myriad of challenges confronting us today.
We must not miss this opportunity.
Colleagues,
At the heart of the Summit of the Future is an understanding that its outcomes must emanate from an inclusive and multistakeholder process, with the visceral involvement of the young people.
Across continents, such as Africa, we have a demographic dividend that we must harness through investing in the youth.
The next generations certainly need better tools and assets to live a meaningful life and engage in the sustainable development of their countries and societies ¨C especially access to quality education, and technology and innovation to close the digital divide.
With the newly established Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Youth Office, we have the necessary momentum to engage young people in all aspects of the Organization¡¯s work.
The Summit¡¯s outcome ¨C the Pact of the Future ¨C will advance our discussions on sustainable development and financing for development; peace and security; science and technology; digital cooperation; and global governance; all for our youth and future generations.
Capitalizing on its potential, however, requires political will and leadership to ensure this process is sufficiently ambitious ¨C in the form of language that is action-oriented.
Now is not the time to hold back, but to spark action and take an unprecedented giant leap forward ¨C to the shared future we all want.
In support of this effort ¨C and to further drum up support and facilitate momentum ¨C I will convene an inaugural Sustainability Week from 15 ¨C 19 April, here at United Nations Headquarters.
It will include high-level events, covering debt sustainability, tourism, transport, energy, and infrastructure connectivity.
It is my hope that this Week will help to galvanise widespread support to enable the General Assembly to make meaningful progress on these and related areas.
Colleagues,
While the Summit of the Future and Sustainability Week will shape the remainder of the 78th session, there are several other events that will drive action ¨C many to be delivered in coordination with ECOSOC.
These will include the following:
The Review of ECOSOC and the High-level Political Forum, where we will explore avenues for improved coordination between Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ organs.
The one-day thematic event on the El Ni?o phenomenon, on 30 April, which will generate action-oriented recommendations to address El Nino¡¯s socioeconomic and environmental impacts.
And the 62nd session of the Commission on Social Development, next week, which is an excellent opportunity to build upon the outcomes of the 2023 SDG Summit and generate momentum towards the Summit of the Future.
Underpinning all these events and moments must be a renewed commitment to leave no one behind, and to empower all people ¨C in particular women and girls.
I stress in particular women and girls.
On this note, I look forward to working with ECOSOC on, and participating in, this year¡¯s Commission on the Status of Women.
I also look forward to hosting a meeting to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on 17 April.
And to empower the young people, I plan to hold a dialogue with youth delegates on the side-lines of the ECOSOC Youth Forum in April, as well as convene an event on 29 April, for the 30th anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development¡¯s landmark Programme of Action.
Excellencies,
There are other events and moments in the months to come, but I will hand over to my esteemed colleague to outline further details.
In the meantime, and in closing, I would like to congratulate the President of ECOSOC on a successful special meeting of ECOSOC in beautiful and sunny Santiago.
I have no doubt that the outcomes of that gathering, held on the theme ¡°The future of work: towards a productive inclusive and sustainable global society¡±, along with the joint events we held, on LLDCs and on Haiti, will provide valuable inputs to the upcoming processes and Summits.
I thank you again for your cooperation and I look forward to hearing your recommendations on how we can best achieve our shared goals in the remainder of the 78th session.
I thank you.
