Cyprus, Singapore and United Arab Emirates
CYPRUS-SINGAPORE-UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
STATEMENT ON FOCUS AREAS 1-2
Focus area 1. Poverty eradication, building shared prosperity and promoting equality
• We welcome the effort by the Co-chairs in this focus area to better balance the three dimensions of sustainable development without deviating from its objective of poverty eradication. We support the Co-Chairs’ approach of combining poverty eradication with promoting equality. This reflects the sentiment expressed by the OWG at the previous session.
• Inequalities need to be sufficiently addressed across the focus areas and in particular in poverty eradication. It is important for this reason to develop evidence-based disaggregated data based on sex, age, ethnic origin, disability or social status to ensure that no one is left behind.
• The provision of social protection floors is critical for poverty eradication, thus we support c) and the ILO recommendation 202 on national floors for social protection provides us guidance in that direction.
• We are also pleased to see that building resilience of the poor to disasters has been added under this focus area as this is, inter alia, a crucial adaptation measure to climate change. We would like however to see this action area becoming more broad and inclusive by adding the reference to “disadvantaged and vulnerable groups”.
Focus area 2. Sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition
• Our Troika welcomes action area (a) for all people to have access to adequate, safe, affordable, diverse and nutritious food all year round
• With regard to action area (b) we would like to add “anaemia” along with “stunting” and “wasting” and “maternal undernutrition”.
• We strongly support action area (c) because it adopts the nexus approach of food-water-energy and it addresses the three sustainability dimensions in a synergistic way for a resource efficient and cleaner production
• In action area (d) we would like to reintroduce from the previous working document “access to credit” together with “financial services”
• We also welcome action area (h) which calls for protection of agricultural biodiversity
• In addition, we would like to reiterate our proposal, which was made at the previous session and which at the same time addresses interlinkages in focus areas 1, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 14 on a target which addresses poverty eradication and increase climate resilience by increasing sustainably agricultural productivity.
• Finally the Troika is of the view that a target could be set for education related to food. The proposed target is to build public awareness on food security and nutrition and on healthy diets though schools and public institutions. This proposed target can be interlinked with focus areas 3 and 4.
CYPRUS-SINGAPORE-UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
STATEMENT ON FOCUS AREAS 3-4
Focus area 3. Health and population dynamics
• Our Troika welcomes action area (a). Based on available global statistics, we consider that it is a realistic and achievable target in the given timeframe. In order to reach this target particular attention must be paid on Africa.
• We also welcome the inclusion of mental health in action area (c). Mental health and well being is a cross-cutting issue which would result in poverty reduction and disaster resilience and foster economic development.
• We are also very supportive of action areas (d), (g) and (h) which we consider as potential targets under a health SDG.
• On area (f), while we support the target of ‘universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health’, the troika is of the view that member states have different policies and constrains on how to achieve it. As such, we are of the view that the critical caveat “according to national priorities” should be inserted into the proposed target.
• Finally the Troika continues to believe in the importance of reducing road accidents in terms of health and population dynamics. As such, we would like to propose the target of halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 compared to 2010. This target can be interlinked with the focus area 10.
Focus area 4. Education and life-long learning
• Our Troika would like to see that quality, wide accessibility and affordability of education at all levels are fully addressed under this focus area.
• On (b), we would like to broaden the focus to “ensure that the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups have access to inclusive education, skills development and vocational training”.
• We would also like to highlight the need for accurate disaggregated data to support the principles of non-discrimination and equality in the implementation of the targets on education.
• In action area (d) we would like to reintroduce “life-long learning” in the text so that we have “universal adult literacy and life-long learning”.
• On action area (e), we are of the view that it should be more focused by inserting “access to” after with and before vocational training. As such, it would read as follows: “By 2030 increase by x% the number of young and adult women and men with access to vocational training, technical, engineering and scientific skills”.
STATEMENT ON FOCUS AREAS 1-2
Focus area 1. Poverty eradication, building shared prosperity and promoting equality
• We welcome the effort by the Co-chairs in this focus area to better balance the three dimensions of sustainable development without deviating from its objective of poverty eradication. We support the Co-Chairs’ approach of combining poverty eradication with promoting equality. This reflects the sentiment expressed by the OWG at the previous session.
• Inequalities need to be sufficiently addressed across the focus areas and in particular in poverty eradication. It is important for this reason to develop evidence-based disaggregated data based on sex, age, ethnic origin, disability or social status to ensure that no one is left behind.
• The provision of social protection floors is critical for poverty eradication, thus we support c) and the ILO recommendation 202 on national floors for social protection provides us guidance in that direction.
• We are also pleased to see that building resilience of the poor to disasters has been added under this focus area as this is, inter alia, a crucial adaptation measure to climate change. We would like however to see this action area becoming more broad and inclusive by adding the reference to “disadvantaged and vulnerable groups”.
Focus area 2. Sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition
• Our Troika welcomes action area (a) for all people to have access to adequate, safe, affordable, diverse and nutritious food all year round
• With regard to action area (b) we would like to add “anaemia” along with “stunting” and “wasting” and “maternal undernutrition”.
• We strongly support action area (c) because it adopts the nexus approach of food-water-energy and it addresses the three sustainability dimensions in a synergistic way for a resource efficient and cleaner production
• In action area (d) we would like to reintroduce from the previous working document “access to credit” together with “financial services”
• We also welcome action area (h) which calls for protection of agricultural biodiversity
• In addition, we would like to reiterate our proposal, which was made at the previous session and which at the same time addresses interlinkages in focus areas 1, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 14 on a target which addresses poverty eradication and increase climate resilience by increasing sustainably agricultural productivity.
• Finally the Troika is of the view that a target could be set for education related to food. The proposed target is to build public awareness on food security and nutrition and on healthy diets though schools and public institutions. This proposed target can be interlinked with focus areas 3 and 4.
CYPRUS-SINGAPORE-UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
STATEMENT ON FOCUS AREAS 3-4
Focus area 3. Health and population dynamics
• Our Troika welcomes action area (a). Based on available global statistics, we consider that it is a realistic and achievable target in the given timeframe. In order to reach this target particular attention must be paid on Africa.
• We also welcome the inclusion of mental health in action area (c). Mental health and well being is a cross-cutting issue which would result in poverty reduction and disaster resilience and foster economic development.
• We are also very supportive of action areas (d), (g) and (h) which we consider as potential targets under a health SDG.
• On area (f), while we support the target of ‘universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health’, the troika is of the view that member states have different policies and constrains on how to achieve it. As such, we are of the view that the critical caveat “according to national priorities” should be inserted into the proposed target.
• Finally the Troika continues to believe in the importance of reducing road accidents in terms of health and population dynamics. As such, we would like to propose the target of halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 compared to 2010. This target can be interlinked with the focus area 10.
Focus area 4. Education and life-long learning
• Our Troika would like to see that quality, wide accessibility and affordability of education at all levels are fully addressed under this focus area.
• On (b), we would like to broaden the focus to “ensure that the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups have access to inclusive education, skills development and vocational training”.
• We would also like to highlight the need for accurate disaggregated data to support the principles of non-discrimination and equality in the implementation of the targets on education.
• In action area (d) we would like to reintroduce “life-long learning” in the text so that we have “universal adult literacy and life-long learning”.
• On action area (e), we are of the view that it should be more focused by inserting “access to” after with and before vocational training. As such, it would read as follows: “By 2030 increase by x% the number of young and adult women and men with access to vocational training, technical, engineering and scientific skills”.