Closing of the Thematic Debate on the Role of Partnerships
1
Remarks
by
H.E. Mr. Collin D. Beck
Vice-President
on behalf of
H.E. Mr. John W. Ashe
President of the 68th Session of the United Nations
General Assembly
GENERAL ASSEMBLY and ECOSOC
JOINT THEMATIC DEBATE/FORUM ON PARTNERSHIPS
“The role of partnerships in the implementation of the
Post-2015 Development Agenda”
Closing Statement
New York
10 April 2014
Please check against delivery
2
President of ECOSOC,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to join you to deliver a statement on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, who regrets he could not be with us at this moment.
We have now come to the conclusion of this event dedicated to the Role of Partnerships in the Implementation of the post-2015 agenda. This first joint event between the General Assembly and the ECOSOC provided the opportunity for a rich debate with many insightful and thought provoking contributions and the President is very grateful for your participation throughout these discussions. The President also extends his thanks to the moderators, panelists and discussants from civil society as well as the many people involved in supporting this event, particularly from the UN Secretariat. Your engagement and dynamism have contributed to the success of this debate.
Distinguished Guests,
You hail from all corners of the world, representing all corners of society, yet over these two days, as you shared your various experiences, you conveyed some strong common messages. Please allow me to highlight a few of them.
Yesterday, many of you reaffirmed that accelerating progress towards the MDGs as well as shaping the post-2015 development agenda will require the active participation of all stakeholders including governments, civil society and the private sector. We were reminded that such partnerships should fully respect the intergovernmental nature of the UN Organization, UN charter principles and UN programme priorities. Many underscored that public and private partnerships should be a complement and not a substitute to traditional Official Development Aid (ODA), which remains critical in particular for least developed countries. Some highlighted the essential role of government in promoting enabling incentives for the private sector and ensuring they are aligned with national and global development priorities. We also heard that public oversight should support the public good without stifling private initiative. Some companies pointed that the post-2015 process is
3
business critical and that the private sector ought to look beyond financial risk and also consider environmental and social risk. At the same time, it was noted that partnerships themselves must have built-in governance mechanisms to ensure monitoring, accountability and transparency and good examples of such mechanisms were introduced.
Today, our discussions focused on concrete solutions and ideas for our development challenges in the area of food, nutrition and marine resources, as well as in sustainable infrastructure. It was noted that while the effects of climate change become ever more apparent, food production must respond to the needs of a growing population. The development of resilient agricultural systems will require the skills and experience from the best minds around the world. Cross-sectoral partnerships can provide lessons learned for other regions which can be scaled up and replicated throughout countries. In the second panel today, we heard that sustainable infrastructure is a major development driver across numerous sectors such as water, energy, transportation, education, health and gender equality. But many voiced concerns regarding the significant financing gaps in infrastructure investment and noted the potential of public-private and cross-sectoral partnerships as well as triangular cooperation to leverage additional resources.
Excellencies,
While it is clear that the elaboration of the post-2015 agenda remains a Member States driven process and the responsibility of its implementation will rest primarily on governments, we do recognize that governments cannot do it alone. In the face of the challenges ahead of us, we need to bring together our strengths and resources and join efforts to build a more sustainable world. Your presence here is testimony of the vast pool of skills, experience and resources that we can draw on as we seek to build innovative partnerships to address our global challenges.
In the following days, a summary of key messages which have emerged from this debate will be prepared and shared with Member States, the Open Working Group and the Intergovernmental Committee on Sustainable Development Financing. These key messages will be followed by a more substantial report of the discussions and presentations.
4
This Thematic Debate was the third of the six events of the General Assembly in our collective journey to set the stage for the post-2015 agenda. This two day debate was one step on the pathway to a sustainable future, and while it was indeed just a step, it was also a demonstration of our joint commitment to a sustainable future. We have reaffirmed that we are all partners in this endeavour; we are all bound by the same common belief – that all people deserve to live a life that supports their highest good and allows for opportunities, well-being and hope for the future.
Thank you.
***
Remarks
by
H.E. Mr. Collin D. Beck
Vice-President
on behalf of
H.E. Mr. John W. Ashe
President of the 68th Session of the United Nations
General Assembly
GENERAL ASSEMBLY and ECOSOC
JOINT THEMATIC DEBATE/FORUM ON PARTNERSHIPS
“The role of partnerships in the implementation of the
Post-2015 Development Agenda”
Closing Statement
New York
10 April 2014
Please check against delivery
2
President of ECOSOC,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to join you to deliver a statement on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, who regrets he could not be with us at this moment.
We have now come to the conclusion of this event dedicated to the Role of Partnerships in the Implementation of the post-2015 agenda. This first joint event between the General Assembly and the ECOSOC provided the opportunity for a rich debate with many insightful and thought provoking contributions and the President is very grateful for your participation throughout these discussions. The President also extends his thanks to the moderators, panelists and discussants from civil society as well as the many people involved in supporting this event, particularly from the UN Secretariat. Your engagement and dynamism have contributed to the success of this debate.
Distinguished Guests,
You hail from all corners of the world, representing all corners of society, yet over these two days, as you shared your various experiences, you conveyed some strong common messages. Please allow me to highlight a few of them.
Yesterday, many of you reaffirmed that accelerating progress towards the MDGs as well as shaping the post-2015 development agenda will require the active participation of all stakeholders including governments, civil society and the private sector. We were reminded that such partnerships should fully respect the intergovernmental nature of the UN Organization, UN charter principles and UN programme priorities. Many underscored that public and private partnerships should be a complement and not a substitute to traditional Official Development Aid (ODA), which remains critical in particular for least developed countries. Some highlighted the essential role of government in promoting enabling incentives for the private sector and ensuring they are aligned with national and global development priorities. We also heard that public oversight should support the public good without stifling private initiative. Some companies pointed that the post-2015 process is
3
business critical and that the private sector ought to look beyond financial risk and also consider environmental and social risk. At the same time, it was noted that partnerships themselves must have built-in governance mechanisms to ensure monitoring, accountability and transparency and good examples of such mechanisms were introduced.
Today, our discussions focused on concrete solutions and ideas for our development challenges in the area of food, nutrition and marine resources, as well as in sustainable infrastructure. It was noted that while the effects of climate change become ever more apparent, food production must respond to the needs of a growing population. The development of resilient agricultural systems will require the skills and experience from the best minds around the world. Cross-sectoral partnerships can provide lessons learned for other regions which can be scaled up and replicated throughout countries. In the second panel today, we heard that sustainable infrastructure is a major development driver across numerous sectors such as water, energy, transportation, education, health and gender equality. But many voiced concerns regarding the significant financing gaps in infrastructure investment and noted the potential of public-private and cross-sectoral partnerships as well as triangular cooperation to leverage additional resources.
Excellencies,
While it is clear that the elaboration of the post-2015 agenda remains a Member States driven process and the responsibility of its implementation will rest primarily on governments, we do recognize that governments cannot do it alone. In the face of the challenges ahead of us, we need to bring together our strengths and resources and join efforts to build a more sustainable world. Your presence here is testimony of the vast pool of skills, experience and resources that we can draw on as we seek to build innovative partnerships to address our global challenges.
In the following days, a summary of key messages which have emerged from this debate will be prepared and shared with Member States, the Open Working Group and the Intergovernmental Committee on Sustainable Development Financing. These key messages will be followed by a more substantial report of the discussions and presentations.
4
This Thematic Debate was the third of the six events of the General Assembly in our collective journey to set the stage for the post-2015 agenda. This two day debate was one step on the pathway to a sustainable future, and while it was indeed just a step, it was also a demonstration of our joint commitment to a sustainable future. We have reaffirmed that we are all partners in this endeavour; we are all bound by the same common belief – that all people deserve to live a life that supports their highest good and allows for opportunities, well-being and hope for the future.
Thank you.
***