Cyprus, Singapore and United Arab Emirates
ELEVENTH SESSION OF OPEN WORKING GROUP ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
5-9 MAY, 2014, NEW YORK
General Comments
• Thank the co-chairs for the new revised focus areas document.
• Focus areas and action areas are now beginning to resemble clearer to the goals and targets that we are mandated to deliver to the General Assembly before the end of its 68th session. The new document has captured quite well our discussions and as we move on concretizing our work, we look forward to continue in the same productive, constructive and consensual mode.
• As a troika which is made up by members of the EU and the G77, we wish to reiterate once more that the co-chairs enjoy our TROIKA’s full confidence. We trust their guiding abilities and their able and strong leadership in getting us to a successful conclusion sooner rather than later according to our scheduled time-plan.
• The Troika is of the view that this new streamlined document is a good basis to continue our work during this session. We believe that there is room for further narrowing down both the focus areas and action areas and we look forward to working together with the members of the OWG and all other member states to identify those areas that can be merged, streamlined or mainstreamed.
• We also appreciate the effort to construct quantifiable, measurable action areas and we do note that in some instances there exist overlaps and duplication in more than one focus area. We would like to highlight in this respect the importance of avoiding fragmentation of focus on and required effort in the same target dispersed in several SDGs.
• We also maintain the view that there is a need for disaggregated data at the target level across the focus areas in order to effectively address inequalities. We believe that this is cross-cutting issue which should be included in the chapeau.
• Finally on focus area 12 on climate change, we would like repeat that it should be mainstreamed in other focus areas given its multidimensional impacts. We should also avoid setting goals/targets that may prejudge or contradict UNFCCC negotiations for a new agreement in Paris in 2015. Therefore, climate change cannot be a standalone focus area and eventual dedicated SDG.
5-9 MAY, 2014, NEW YORK
General Comments
• Thank the co-chairs for the new revised focus areas document.
• Focus areas and action areas are now beginning to resemble clearer to the goals and targets that we are mandated to deliver to the General Assembly before the end of its 68th session. The new document has captured quite well our discussions and as we move on concretizing our work, we look forward to continue in the same productive, constructive and consensual mode.
• As a troika which is made up by members of the EU and the G77, we wish to reiterate once more that the co-chairs enjoy our TROIKA’s full confidence. We trust their guiding abilities and their able and strong leadership in getting us to a successful conclusion sooner rather than later according to our scheduled time-plan.
• The Troika is of the view that this new streamlined document is a good basis to continue our work during this session. We believe that there is room for further narrowing down both the focus areas and action areas and we look forward to working together with the members of the OWG and all other member states to identify those areas that can be merged, streamlined or mainstreamed.
• We also appreciate the effort to construct quantifiable, measurable action areas and we do note that in some instances there exist overlaps and duplication in more than one focus area. We would like to highlight in this respect the importance of avoiding fragmentation of focus on and required effort in the same target dispersed in several SDGs.
• We also maintain the view that there is a need for disaggregated data at the target level across the focus areas in order to effectively address inequalities. We believe that this is cross-cutting issue which should be included in the chapeau.
• Finally on focus area 12 on climate change, we would like repeat that it should be mainstreamed in other focus areas given its multidimensional impacts. We should also avoid setting goals/targets that may prejudge or contradict UNFCCC negotiations for a new agreement in Paris in 2015. Therefore, climate change cannot be a standalone focus area and eventual dedicated SDG.