Armenia

February 17, 2015
Informal meeting of the plenary on the process of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, pursuant to resolution 69/244 and decisions 69/550 and 69/555, focusing on the Declaration
Remarks by Sofya Simonyan, Permanent Mission of Armenia to United Nations

Distinguished co-facilitators,

I thank you for your efforts and support in guiding us through the strategic process of the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 agenda. We welcome the Elements Paper you have produced, and we note with satisfaction that the paper sets out a clear and concise framework capturing the discussions we have had. We also welcome the well-defined and simple structure of the document, and we believe that it provides a sound explanatory framework for the SDGs. We see the added value in using the elements of the Secretary General’s Synthesis Report for communicating the goals and targets in a clear and coherent way.

We endorse the statement made by the Republic of Zambia on behalf of the group of LLDCs and support the proposal of giving proper consideration to the special developmental needs of the landlocked developing countries. At the same time, we would like to propose the following recommendations, which are mostly derived from the agreed language of the Millenium Declaration, and The Future We Want (Rio+20):

In particular, in the Collective Vision of the Road to 2030 we propose the following text for the tomorrow we want, which we submit also in writing:
“Tomorrow we want to achieve sustainable development and inclusive, equitable economic growth. We want to provide greater opportunities for the vulnerable groups to support their empowerment and promote social and economic inclusion. We want to ensure better standards of living, reduced inequalities both within and between societies and stronger resilience in the face of new and emerging challenges. We aim to achieve economic, social and human development while facilitating sustainable management of natural resources, including through ecosystem conservation, regeneration and restoration. We want to build peaceful and inclusive societies, in which every individual has a role to play, with a renewed sense of commitment for partnerships and cooperation at multiple levels, both within and between societies, to facilitate capacity-building, information-sharing, technology transfer and innovation for sustainable development.”

In the section 2 titled What we must do to get there we propose that the global goals and targets should apply universally while being conceptualized and implemented locally, taking into account the sub-national contexts, as well as the challenges and opportunities of local governments at all stages of development. In this regard, the importance of local ownership of the goals, as well as the need to mobilize resources for the implementation of the post-2015 goals at local level should be emphasized.

Distinguished co-facilitators,

In addressing structural drivers of poverty, inequality and unsustainable development, we believe it is important to recognize that in our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, mobility and transportation are central to sustainable development. In this regard, we should acknowledge the importance of the efficient movement of people and goods, and access to environmentally sound, safe and affordable transportation as a means to improve social equity, health, urban-rural linkages and productivity of rural areas. We also emphasize the need to reflect the importance of facilitating border-crossings, improving transport networks and upgrading infrastructure, in particular, on main international networks. We also highlight the importance of job mobility and demand-driven circular labour migration, which can significantly enhance the development potential for both the sending and receiving societies and help reduce poverty and tackle inequalities on a broader scale (reinforcing the link between migration and development).

In the context of the means of implementation (How we will do this), we highlight the importance of effective mobilization and efficient use of external and local resources, including financial and non-financial resources, to leverage comparative advantage and boost productive capacity and employment. We also think it is important to highlight that a continuous improvement of economic and business environment should be ensured to promote entrepreneurship, innovation and employment.

As part of the Follow-up and Review, we believe the Declaration should reflect the commitment of the Member States to establish a comprehensive monitoring framework, ensuring transparency and broad participation. The Declaration should incorporate commitments to monitor, evaluate and report on progress, share knowledge and build capacity to create an enabling environment for accountability. The role of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development should be reiterated, and the importance of improving statistical capacity and disaggregated quality data should be highlighted to track progress through a set of universal and harmonized global indicators.

Lastly, in the Final Call to Action, we propose that the Member States should reaffirm commitment to strengthen international cooperation to address the persistent challenges related to sustainable development for all. In this regard, the added value of participation in various regional cooperation formats should be highlighted, including through cross-border cooperation.

We appreciate the opportunity to make general remarks today, and, in addition to this statement we also attach a more detailed bulleted text that we are in favor of. We hope that when consolidating and aggregating all remarks, we will be guided, first and foremost, by what is most practical and realistic and what most effectively contributes to achieving the SDGs.

I thank you, distinguished co-facilitators.



















Proposal of Armenia for Post-2015 Political Declaration
(Based on the Elements Paper)
1. A collective vision of the road to 2030

• Today’s challenges:
Poverty, climate change, degradation of the natural world, inequality within and between countries/societies, vulnerability, discrimination and exclusion, institutional failures, economic/social/environmental shocks and challenges, including those undermining peaceful and just societies, insufficient level of resilience.
• Tomorrow we want:
Irreversible end to poverty and shared well-being for all, to be achieved through the laying of strong economic foundations, social development and economic stewardships
Tomorrow we want to achieve sustainable development and inclusive, equitable economic growth:
- We want to provide greater opportunities for the most vulnerable groups to support their empowerment and promote social and economic inclusion;
- We want to ensure better standards of living, reduced inequalities both within and between societies and stronger resilience in the face of new and emerging challenges;
- We aim to achieve economic, social and human development while facilitating sustainable management of natural resources, including through ecosystem conservation, regeneration and restoration;
- We want to build peaceful and inclusive societies, in which every individual has a role to play, with a renewed sense of commitment for partnerships and cooperation at multiple levels, both within and between societies, to facilitate capacity-building, information-sharing, technology transfer and innovation for sustainable development.

2. What we must do to get there

• Set an ambitious and transformative agenda that builds on the progress already achieved and is driven by goals and targets which member states have defined, based on the principles of national ownership and leadership and joint responsibility;
• Global goals and targets, to apply universally and to be conceptualized and implemented locally, taking into account the sub-national contexts, as well as the challenges and opportunities of local governments at all stages of development. In this regard, the importance of local ownership of the goals, as well as the need to mobilize resources for the implementation of the post-2015 goals at local level should be emphasized).

• Goals and targets which leave no one behind and which balance and integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development
• What the new framework will set out to do (possibly framed in part using the six essential elements of the SG’s Synthesis Report: dignity, people, prosperity, planet, justice, partnership)
• Building on the MDGs and SDGs
• But with new ambition, addressing structural drivers of poverty, inequality and unsustainable development.
• A framework, which responds, in particular, to the needs of countries in special situations. In this regard, the special developmental needs of the landlocked countries should be recognized, acknowledging the importance of transit facilitation and infrastructure enhancement, including through improvement and maintenance of existing facilities.
It is also important to recognize:
• That in our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, mobility and transportation are central to sustainable development;
• The importance of the efficient movement of people and goods, and access to environmentally sound, safe and affordable transportation as a means to improve social equity, health, resilience of cities, urban-rural linkages and productivity of rural areas;
• The importance of removing administrative, technical and other obstacles, facilitation of border-crossings, improving transport networks and upgrading infrastructure, in particular, on main international networks;
• The importance of development of sustainable transport systems, including energy efficient multi-modal transport systems, as well as improved transportation systems in rural areas;
• That a new approach to job mobility and demand-driven circular labour migration can significantly enhance the development potential for both the sending and receiving societies and help reduce poverty and tackle inequalities on a broader scale, contributing to structural changes and comprehensive transformations at multiple levels (fostering the link between migration and development).
• And which takes account of differing national circumstances and respects national positions and priorities (A link with the paragraph on the needs of countries in special situations should be avoided)

3. How we will do this

• Mobilize the means of implementation
In this regard, the importance of effective mobilization and efficient use of external and local resources should be recognized, including financial and non-financial resources, to leverage comparative advantage and boost productive capacity and employment
• A revitalized global partnership to:
- build an enabling environment for development, including through good governance and the rule of law at all levels;
- create and nourish a diversity of multi-stakeholder partnerships, including with the business sector, civil society, academia, parliaments, local authorities and international institutions
- ensure a continuous improvement of economic and business environment to promote entrepreneurship, innovation and employment, with a key focus on regional and rural development through sustainable multi-stakeholder partnerships that extend far beyond monetary contributions and/or remittances
• Strengthening of the United Nations to respond to needs on the road to 2030.

4. Follow-up and Review

• Recognizing the importance of a robust and transparent framework for follow-up and review at all levels (comment)
• Member States should commit to establish a multi-tiered framework to monitor and review the implementation of the post-2015 agenda at the subnational, national, regional and global levels. The review should be inclusive and participatory at every level, by ensuring adequate arrangements for transparency and broad participation, including of the vulnerable groups, transparency and broad participation including of the vulnerable groups. The Declaration should incorporate commitments to monitor, evaluate and report on progress, share knowledge and build capacity to create an enabling environment for accountability. The role of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as the over-arching forum for such a participatory review mechanism at the global level should be reiterated.
• Member States should resolve to invest in improving statistical capacity and generating real time, disaggregated quality data enabling for the monitoring of the progress through a set of universal and harmonised global indicators. Additionally, they must commit to invest in building capacities to monitor these indicators and to ensure that a range of stakeholders, including National Statistical Officers, UN agencies, regional organisations and civil society are involved in the production and analysis of data.
5. Our commitment: global solidarity, common principles

• Charter of the United Nations and respect for international law
• Reaffirmation of common values including freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for all human rights, including gender equality, the right to development, respect for national sovereignty and right to self-determination
• Principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, including, inter alia, CBDR (common but differentiated responsibility)
• Political commitment to complete the unfinished business of the MDGs and implement the post-2015 development agenda

6. Final call to action

• Member States should reaffirm commitment to strengthen international cooperation to address the persistent challenges related to sustainable development for all;

• In this regard, the added value of participation in various regional cooperation formats should be recognized, including through cross-border cooperation;

• Member States should reaffirm that the United Nations is the indispensable common house of the entire human family, through which the universal aspirations for peace, cooperation and development will be sought to realize. Member States should therefore pledge full support for these common objectives and determination to achieve them.