Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)
Statement of the Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
3rd Session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda Intergovernmental Negotiations: Goals and Targets
New York, 23March 2015
Check against delivery
Mr. Co-facilitator,
1. - I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on the occasion of this debate at the Third Session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda Intergovernmental Negotiations.
2. - The Third Session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda is an opportunity to fulfill the mandate of General Assembly resolution 68/309, by which Member States consensually affirmed that the outcome document of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, including its means of implementation and its reserves, shall be the main basis for integrating the SDGs into the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In that regard, CELAC countries hold the common position that the report of the OWG on SDGs should not be reopened or renegotiated.
3. - We believe it is highly inconvenient to rearrange or to reconsider the 17 SDGs and 169 targets contained in the OWG Report since it could diminish important political agreements reached in the OWG, as well as relevant elements, such as the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development. It could also, fade away the crosscutting nature of some issues such as gender equality and empowerment of women, equity focus, social and economic inclusion, sustainable consumption and production, culture and education, as well as the visibility and significance of the goals and targets. It is important to recognize that the SDGs Report asa combination of technical and political balance achieved through an open, inclusive and transparent intergovernmental process, an exercise that allowed an important level of ownership and commitment for its implementation at the national level. We must not alter the delicate balance achieved and the Report has to be considered as a negotiated document.
Mr. Co-facilitator,
4. - CELAC Member States will work together to ensure that means of implementation are commensurate with the ambition of the sustainable development goals, ensuring developing countries the necessary conditions for their achievement of the SDGs, including the flow of resources, capacity building, development, sharing, transfer and diffusion of technology on favorable terms for our countries among others. We acknowledge that all targets are measurable, even if they have to be measured in different ways, and that no target is less important than the others. We support the use of new and innovative ways to measure, giving the same importance to all indicators, in this regard CELAC give great important to the measures to be agreed for the indicators.
5. -Considering the fact that the report of the Open Working Group does not indicate that indicators should be developed before September 2015 and that the forty-sixth session of the Statistic Commission endorsed the roadmap, which aims at proposing a Post-2015 indicators framework by March 2016. We believe that guidance from Member States should be provided, in order to ensure that the indicators to reflect the transformative nature of the SDGs. The development of indicators must not be used to undermine, re-open or even second-guess of the agreed outcome of the SDGs. The process of the development of indicative global indicators must not be used to introduce misguided notions or to disturb the delicate political balance of the SDGs, including by emphasizing any one dimension of sustainable development.
6. -Global indicators of an indicative nature could assist us in measuring overall implementation of the Agenda, but not at the national level, and will constitute an important tool for the HLPF on Sustainable Development to carry out its mandate to “follow up and review progress in the implementation of sustainable development commitments”. National indicators should be developing in accordance to respective national capacities, institutional capabilities, and development stages, on a voluntary basis. In this regard, the Post-2015 Development Agenda will allow each country the responsibility to develop and apply its own national indicators while supporting statistic agencies of developing countries to developed adequate indicatorswhile global indicators will be a common floor to be achieved and overcome.
7. - The task of the Statistical Commission is to develop indicative global indicators for global follow up. National statistical authorities, taking into account national circumstances and capacities should develop the indicators for national follow up. Thus, the technical work done under the Statistical Commission should maintain consistency and coherence with the Post-2015Agenda. We reiterate that the Group on SDG indicators whose formation was endorsed during the 46th session of the Statistical Commission must have an intergovernmental nature through national statistical offices participation, and as observes, the regional, international organization and agencies. We believe that this process must ensure and promote the participation of all countries, especially developing countries in an equitable manner.
Mr. Co-facilitator,
8. - We consider the eradication of poverty in its multidimensionality as our main goal. This goal must always be linked to the fight against inequality inside and among countries. In addition, we seek a commitment to the disaggregation of data taking into account social and vulnerable groups in relevant indicators for targets and Goals that deal with inequalities among and within countries. The global community should be able to monitor progress in tackling inequalities and development gaps at the national and international level. In addition, the health goal must include concrete indicators to measure the rapid reduction of new HIV infections, the deaths related with AIDS, the stigmatization and discrimination.
9. - We believe that the integration of the goals and targets into the Agenda Post-2015 should not be an obstacle to the fulfillment of other intergovernmental agreed goals, in particular, with the goals and targets adopted in the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries, as well as those adopted for other countries in special situations, in accordance with their respective Programs of Action.
10. - The Agenda should be universal transformative and comprehensive and address gender equality and women´s empowerment, and the needs of all vulnerable groups, such as indigenous peoples and migrants, based on substantive equality together with the integration of a gender perspective, across the entire framework, including in all goals, targets, and indicators, as well as means of implementation.
11. - We recognize that gender sensitive monitoring is needed, and for that sufficient investment and consistent collection and use of reliable, integrated gender indicators, statistics, and data, and that goals, targets and indicators, including gender sensitive indicators, are valuable in measuring and accelerating progress, and are enhanced by voluntarily sharing information, knowledge and experience.
12. -We also consider that the indicators should help to address the needs, the multiple or aggravated discriminations and reaffirm the importance of disaggregated statistics and indicators to monitor and follow up on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, so as to allow for a specific focus on women and vulnerable groups, such, indigenous peoples, migrants, afro-descendants, among others. It is also important to place a particular emphasis on dialogue between producers and users of data and promote the allocation of sufficient resources by States and international cooperation agencies in order to compile pertinent, timely and reliable information.
13. - The indicative global indicators have to be in line with the need to advance in our efforts against inequality and structural gaps and in that regard, we reiterate the desire to continue promoting the establishment of a Comprehensive Action Plan of cooperation with middle-income countries within the framework of the United Nations and to link its objectives with the agreements reached in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
14. - Finally, CELAC would like to propose six themes for the interactive dialogues that will be held during the United Nations Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
• Firstly, we strongly believe that the Summit cannot but dedicate one of the dialogues to eradicate poverty in all its dimensions, which Rio+20 defined as the greatest global challenge facing the world today.
• The second theme, closely related to the first, is the need to address inequality both within and among countries.
• The third is the urgency to fully integrate the priorities and necessities of indigenous peoples, migrants, afro-descendants, persons with disabilities, the elderly and young people and other vulnerable groups who suffer multiple forms of discrimination into the new development agenda.
• The fourth: Urgently address climate change in order to achieve sustainable development.
• The fifth: Achieve a successful transition from the MDGs to the SDGs.
• The sixth, Gender Equality, should be considered since it is considered a crosscutting theme that has a vital importance for the achievement of the Post 2015 Agenda.
15. - CELAC Member States stand ready to contribute to the discussions on this issue that will take place during this session and wish you great success.
I thank you Mr. Co-facilitator
3rd Session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda Intergovernmental Negotiations: Goals and Targets
New York, 23March 2015
Check against delivery
Mr. Co-facilitator,
1. - I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on the occasion of this debate at the Third Session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda Intergovernmental Negotiations.
2. - The Third Session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda is an opportunity to fulfill the mandate of General Assembly resolution 68/309, by which Member States consensually affirmed that the outcome document of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, including its means of implementation and its reserves, shall be the main basis for integrating the SDGs into the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In that regard, CELAC countries hold the common position that the report of the OWG on SDGs should not be reopened or renegotiated.
3. - We believe it is highly inconvenient to rearrange or to reconsider the 17 SDGs and 169 targets contained in the OWG Report since it could diminish important political agreements reached in the OWG, as well as relevant elements, such as the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development. It could also, fade away the crosscutting nature of some issues such as gender equality and empowerment of women, equity focus, social and economic inclusion, sustainable consumption and production, culture and education, as well as the visibility and significance of the goals and targets. It is important to recognize that the SDGs Report asa combination of technical and political balance achieved through an open, inclusive and transparent intergovernmental process, an exercise that allowed an important level of ownership and commitment for its implementation at the national level. We must not alter the delicate balance achieved and the Report has to be considered as a negotiated document.
Mr. Co-facilitator,
4. - CELAC Member States will work together to ensure that means of implementation are commensurate with the ambition of the sustainable development goals, ensuring developing countries the necessary conditions for their achievement of the SDGs, including the flow of resources, capacity building, development, sharing, transfer and diffusion of technology on favorable terms for our countries among others. We acknowledge that all targets are measurable, even if they have to be measured in different ways, and that no target is less important than the others. We support the use of new and innovative ways to measure, giving the same importance to all indicators, in this regard CELAC give great important to the measures to be agreed for the indicators.
5. -Considering the fact that the report of the Open Working Group does not indicate that indicators should be developed before September 2015 and that the forty-sixth session of the Statistic Commission endorsed the roadmap, which aims at proposing a Post-2015 indicators framework by March 2016. We believe that guidance from Member States should be provided, in order to ensure that the indicators to reflect the transformative nature of the SDGs. The development of indicators must not be used to undermine, re-open or even second-guess of the agreed outcome of the SDGs. The process of the development of indicative global indicators must not be used to introduce misguided notions or to disturb the delicate political balance of the SDGs, including by emphasizing any one dimension of sustainable development.
6. -Global indicators of an indicative nature could assist us in measuring overall implementation of the Agenda, but not at the national level, and will constitute an important tool for the HLPF on Sustainable Development to carry out its mandate to “follow up and review progress in the implementation of sustainable development commitments”. National indicators should be developing in accordance to respective national capacities, institutional capabilities, and development stages, on a voluntary basis. In this regard, the Post-2015 Development Agenda will allow each country the responsibility to develop and apply its own national indicators while supporting statistic agencies of developing countries to developed adequate indicatorswhile global indicators will be a common floor to be achieved and overcome.
7. - The task of the Statistical Commission is to develop indicative global indicators for global follow up. National statistical authorities, taking into account national circumstances and capacities should develop the indicators for national follow up. Thus, the technical work done under the Statistical Commission should maintain consistency and coherence with the Post-2015Agenda. We reiterate that the Group on SDG indicators whose formation was endorsed during the 46th session of the Statistical Commission must have an intergovernmental nature through national statistical offices participation, and as observes, the regional, international organization and agencies. We believe that this process must ensure and promote the participation of all countries, especially developing countries in an equitable manner.
Mr. Co-facilitator,
8. - We consider the eradication of poverty in its multidimensionality as our main goal. This goal must always be linked to the fight against inequality inside and among countries. In addition, we seek a commitment to the disaggregation of data taking into account social and vulnerable groups in relevant indicators for targets and Goals that deal with inequalities among and within countries. The global community should be able to monitor progress in tackling inequalities and development gaps at the national and international level. In addition, the health goal must include concrete indicators to measure the rapid reduction of new HIV infections, the deaths related with AIDS, the stigmatization and discrimination.
9. - We believe that the integration of the goals and targets into the Agenda Post-2015 should not be an obstacle to the fulfillment of other intergovernmental agreed goals, in particular, with the goals and targets adopted in the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries, as well as those adopted for other countries in special situations, in accordance with their respective Programs of Action.
10. - The Agenda should be universal transformative and comprehensive and address gender equality and women´s empowerment, and the needs of all vulnerable groups, such as indigenous peoples and migrants, based on substantive equality together with the integration of a gender perspective, across the entire framework, including in all goals, targets, and indicators, as well as means of implementation.
11. - We recognize that gender sensitive monitoring is needed, and for that sufficient investment and consistent collection and use of reliable, integrated gender indicators, statistics, and data, and that goals, targets and indicators, including gender sensitive indicators, are valuable in measuring and accelerating progress, and are enhanced by voluntarily sharing information, knowledge and experience.
12. -We also consider that the indicators should help to address the needs, the multiple or aggravated discriminations and reaffirm the importance of disaggregated statistics and indicators to monitor and follow up on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, so as to allow for a specific focus on women and vulnerable groups, such, indigenous peoples, migrants, afro-descendants, among others. It is also important to place a particular emphasis on dialogue between producers and users of data and promote the allocation of sufficient resources by States and international cooperation agencies in order to compile pertinent, timely and reliable information.
13. - The indicative global indicators have to be in line with the need to advance in our efforts against inequality and structural gaps and in that regard, we reiterate the desire to continue promoting the establishment of a Comprehensive Action Plan of cooperation with middle-income countries within the framework of the United Nations and to link its objectives with the agreements reached in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
14. - Finally, CELAC would like to propose six themes for the interactive dialogues that will be held during the United Nations Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
• Firstly, we strongly believe that the Summit cannot but dedicate one of the dialogues to eradicate poverty in all its dimensions, which Rio+20 defined as the greatest global challenge facing the world today.
• The second theme, closely related to the first, is the need to address inequality both within and among countries.
• The third is the urgency to fully integrate the priorities and necessities of indigenous peoples, migrants, afro-descendants, persons with disabilities, the elderly and young people and other vulnerable groups who suffer multiple forms of discrimination into the new development agenda.
• The fourth: Urgently address climate change in order to achieve sustainable development.
• The fifth: Achieve a successful transition from the MDGs to the SDGs.
• The sixth, Gender Equality, should be considered since it is considered a crosscutting theme that has a vital importance for the achievement of the Post 2015 Agenda.
15. - CELAC Member States stand ready to contribute to the discussions on this issue that will take place during this session and wish you great success.
I thank you Mr. Co-facilitator