Austria
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11th Session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
5. – 9. May 2014
Statement by Austria
Focus area 7. Energy
Mr Co-Chair,
Austria supports a stand-alone SDG on sustainable energy.
We welcome the targets on universal access, energy efficiency, renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies.
Regarding point d) we suggest to replace “low – or zero-emission energy technologies” with “sustainable energy technologies”.
Furthermore, Austria suggests adding an additional target in this Focus Area, as follows: “ensure that energy policies, mechanisms and funding involve women in decision-making and are responsive to the energy needs of girls and women”.
Given the importance of sustainable transport we believe that a target on sustainable transport should be considered either in the focus area on energy or the focus area on climate change.
Focus area 8. Economic growth, employment and infrastructure
Austria attaches great importance to the provision of employment and decent work for all and therefore welcomes the targets on full and productive employment, youth employment, energy and resource productivity, workers rights according ILO-standards and Small and Medium sized enterprises. With reference to the overall human rights approach, we would like to stress that the right to work and the right to social security should be included in this focus area. In this context we would like to emphasize that economic infrastructure should go hand in hand with investment into social infrastructure.
Taking into account the existing gap of employment between persons with disabilities and the rest of the population, we would welcome an explicit reference to persons with disabilities in target b).
In target h) we suggest adding “and domestic workers” after “including migrant workers”.
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The focus area should also take into account the environmental and social effects of economic activities. One way of doing this could be to include a target on the creation of green jobs.
Furthermore, the following additional targets under focus area 8 are suggested:
1. “promote policies that support women’s full and equal participation in the formal economy”;
2. “promote public policies and social protection floors that recognize unpaid care work as a collective responsibility”
Finally, since inclusive and sustainable industrial development is an important factor for employment, allow me to note here, that Austria would welcome the mentioning of this concept, as contained in the Lima-Declaration of the XV. UNIDO General Conference, in focus area 9.
11th Session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
5. – 9. May 2014
Statement by Austria
Focus area 7. Energy
Mr Co-Chair,
Austria supports a stand-alone SDG on sustainable energy.
We welcome the targets on universal access, energy efficiency, renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies.
Regarding point d) we suggest to replace “low – or zero-emission energy technologies” with “sustainable energy technologies”.
Furthermore, Austria suggests adding an additional target in this Focus Area, as follows: “ensure that energy policies, mechanisms and funding involve women in decision-making and are responsive to the energy needs of girls and women”.
Given the importance of sustainable transport we believe that a target on sustainable transport should be considered either in the focus area on energy or the focus area on climate change.
Focus area 8. Economic growth, employment and infrastructure
Austria attaches great importance to the provision of employment and decent work for all and therefore welcomes the targets on full and productive employment, youth employment, energy and resource productivity, workers rights according ILO-standards and Small and Medium sized enterprises. With reference to the overall human rights approach, we would like to stress that the right to work and the right to social security should be included in this focus area. In this context we would like to emphasize that economic infrastructure should go hand in hand with investment into social infrastructure.
Taking into account the existing gap of employment between persons with disabilities and the rest of the population, we would welcome an explicit reference to persons with disabilities in target b).
In target h) we suggest adding “and domestic workers” after “including migrant workers”.
2
The focus area should also take into account the environmental and social effects of economic activities. One way of doing this could be to include a target on the creation of green jobs.
Furthermore, the following additional targets under focus area 8 are suggested:
1. “promote policies that support women’s full and equal participation in the formal economy”;
2. “promote public policies and social protection floors that recognize unpaid care work as a collective responsibility”
Finally, since inclusive and sustainable industrial development is an important factor for employment, allow me to note here, that Austria would welcome the mentioning of this concept, as contained in the Lima-Declaration of the XV. UNIDO General Conference, in focus area 9.
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