Remarks?by the President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Dennis Francis,
at the LLS Advisory Board Meeting on Sustainability Week
[As Delivered]
18 March 2024
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Excellencies,
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Distinguished Members of the Advisory Board,
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Ladies and gentlemen,
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Thank you all for joining me today, for this reconvening of the Advisory Board.
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At the very outset, I should like to acknowledge a new member of the Advisory Board, Mr. Ralf Bredel, who is representing the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Industrial Development Organisation (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIDO), which has been invited belatedly to join the Advisory Board. Thank you very much, we look forward to collaborating.
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What I envision for our meeting this afternoon is a focused discussion around the forthcoming Sustainability Week ¨C a consolidated series of mostly mandated, as well as my own signature events ¨C aimed at stimulating accelerated progress towards the 2030 Agenda and as well, feeding into preparations for the Summit of the Future.
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As we intensify our focus on the Summit in September 2024, the urgency of charting a sustainable course to achieve a prosperous and equitable future for all has never been more apparent.
It is imperative that we acknowledge the peculiar challenges faced by LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS ¨C particularly their struggles with a debilitating debt burden and their high susceptibility to external shocks.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and multiplied these manifold challenges in key economic sectors like tourism ¨C which is a vital economic lifeline for government revenue, foreign exchange receipts and employment, especially for many SIDS.
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Furthermore, the infrastructure drawbacks and financing gaps faced by countries in special situations demand a concerted, risk-informed approach to development.
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As already announced, I am pleased to convene the General Assembly¡¯s first-ever Sustainability Week in April.
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These back-to-back events during this important Week are intended to address debt sustainability and to focus on certain critical sectors that hold great transformational promise for sustainable development ¨C that is tourism, transport, infrastructure connectivity, and energy.
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The Concept Notes and invitations to several speakers ¨C including at the Heads of State and Government level ¨C have recently been circulated. The programmes for each event are being finalized and will be published very shortly.
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Media and other targeted awareness campaigns are underway ¨C and I seek your assistance and support in facilitating both the awareness and participation of your delegations and constituencies, at the highest possible level.
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It is my hope that the outcomes of this Week will identify actionable solutions ¨C prioritizing especially the needs of LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, ahead of upcoming major conferences and summits ¨C notably, the Fourth SIDS Conference in Antigua and Barbuda in May and the Third LLDC Conference in Rwanda in June as well as Summit of the Future.
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I invite each of you to share your insights, expertise and to actively participate in these critical dialogues ¨C as we recommit to not leaving behind any member of these vulnerable groups of countries.
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Together, let us strengthen the universal recognition of frameworks such as the Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainability of Tourism.
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Let us actively contribute insights to the implementation plan of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Decade on Sustainable Transport.
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And let us ignite a powerful Call to Action on Sustainable Energy ¨C ensuring that access and affordability are not just lofty ideals, but a tangible reality for all.
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Excellencies,
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As indicated, along with the mandated events, my team is developing a ¡°Choose Sustainability¡± campaign for the Membership of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and other stakeholders to align themselves with ¨C personally and organizationally ¨C behind sustainable practices.
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The campaign will mobilize suggestions on how to reduce our individual carbon footprints; how to prevent food waste; and how to travel to our favourite destinations sustainably ¨C amongst many other sustainability considerations.
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I will launch the ¡°Choose Sustainability¡±?initiative in the coming weeks ¨C and I would be grateful to all members of the Board for your support in participating in the campaign on adopting sustainable practices by all, and for all.
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Distinguished Board members,
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As we turn to discuss the potential outcomes of the Sustainability Week, I am eager to hear your insights on the following three questions:
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1. How can the high-level events of Sustainability Week best feed into the upcoming SIDS4 and LLDC3 conferences?
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2. How can we garner heightened political support for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS during the events of Sustainability Week?
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3. And how can our deliberations spotlight the specific challenges faced by countries in special situations?
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Treating these questions as guiding principles for our discussions, I urge you to reflect on how we can shape a more just, equitable and sustainable global landscape ¨C our shared, overarching goal.
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Let us seize this moment to harness the power of collective action, and pave the way for a brighter tomorrow ¨C for ourselves and for future generations.
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I look forward to hearing your expert guidance.
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I thank you.
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