Ethiopia
STATEMENT BY STATEMENT BY MRS. FORTUNA DIBACO ,THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF ETHIOPIA, ON AT THE 11TH SESSION OF THE OPEN WORKING GROUP ON SDGs, MAY 2, 2014MAY 2, 2014 Focus area 1. Poverty eradication, building shared prosperity and promoting equality Focus area 2. Sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition
Co-Chairs,
Ethiopia appreciates the effort of co-chairs in incorporating the comments raised during the 10th session in the revised non-paper. We would like to associate ourself with the statements delivered by the Permanent Representatives of Bolivia, Benin, Zambia and Lesotho on behalf of the G77 and China, LDCs, LLDCs and the African Group respectively.
We believe that Poverty eradication, building shared prosperity and promoting equality should be a standalone goal in the formulation of SDGs. The eradication of poverty will only be sustained if it becomes irreversible. Therefore, protecting development gains and preventing disasters from pushing households back below the national poverty line is essential. In this regard, we endorse target d under Focus Area 1 which seeks to reduce disaster-related economic losses as part of our poverty eradication efforts. However, we recommend that this be strengthened by a specific reference to the need to protect livelihoods and productive assets
– including livestock, tools and seeds – from the impacts of disasters.
This would read as follows;
“build resilience of the poor and reduce by X% deaths and by Y% economic losses related to disasters by protecting livelihoods and productive assets, including livestock, working animals, tools and seeds.”
We also insist on the reinclusion of targets on increasing of agricultural productivity and Investments in rural infrastructure, including roads, storage, and processing facilities;
We also have slight amendment on focus area 1 f the inclusion of inheritance and substituting the word resources for asset read as follows:-
“Ensure equality of opportunity for all women and men, including equal and secure rights to own land, property , inheritance and other productive resources as well as access to financial services for all women and men”
We fully support the idea of having stand alone goal on focus area 2 read as “Promote sustainable agriculture, and achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all”.
Mr. Co-Chair, Small-scale food producers, landless laborers and other rural communities are of particular importance to food security as they are responsible for the majority of agricultural
production worldwide. At the same time, those are also the majority affected by food insecurity. Therefore, we propose to rephrase what is currently target d to read as follows:
"By 2030, double smallholder food producers income and productivity through enhancing access to adequate inputs, knowledge, productive resources, financial services, veterinary services and markets for small farmers, pastoralists and fishers, with a particular focus on women and youth.
Focus Area 2, Target E
We support the inclusion of a specific reference to the need to reduce the global rate of food loss and waste along the food supply chain . Food loss and waste occur during both the production and consumption phases and must therefore be addressed in both. In countries where food insecurity is most prevalent, preventing food loss during the production phase of the food supply chain is critical.
Mr. Co-chair, with regards to Focus Area 2, Target G
Rio+20 outcome document reaffirms the necessity to promote, enhance and support more sustainable agriculture systems which improve food security, eradicate hunger and are economically viable while conserving all natural resources, promoting sustainable land use, reducing soil erosion and desertification and enhancing resilience to climate change and natural disasters. To
do so, we suggest to replace target g with the following target , which reads as follows:
"Increase sustainable, diverse, and resilient agriculture practices by (X) percent through the promotion of indigenous and sustainable farming, including crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture”.
Finally Mr. Co-Chair, I would like to propose some specific means of implementation for this focus area.
First, elimination of all export subsidies in developed countries in line with WTO Hong Kong Declaration 2005;
Second, phase out trade distorting subsidies in developed countries by x% by 20xx;
Third, increase the flow, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound agricultural technologies to developing countries;
Co-Chairs,
Ethiopia appreciates the effort of co-chairs in incorporating the comments raised during the 10th session in the revised non-paper. We would like to associate ourself with the statements delivered by the Permanent Representatives of Bolivia, Benin, Zambia and Lesotho on behalf of the G77 and China, LDCs, LLDCs and the African Group respectively.
We believe that Poverty eradication, building shared prosperity and promoting equality should be a standalone goal in the formulation of SDGs. The eradication of poverty will only be sustained if it becomes irreversible. Therefore, protecting development gains and preventing disasters from pushing households back below the national poverty line is essential. In this regard, we endorse target d under Focus Area 1 which seeks to reduce disaster-related economic losses as part of our poverty eradication efforts. However, we recommend that this be strengthened by a specific reference to the need to protect livelihoods and productive assets
– including livestock, tools and seeds – from the impacts of disasters.
This would read as follows;
“build resilience of the poor and reduce by X% deaths and by Y% economic losses related to disasters by protecting livelihoods and productive assets, including livestock, working animals, tools and seeds.”
We also insist on the reinclusion of targets on increasing of agricultural productivity and Investments in rural infrastructure, including roads, storage, and processing facilities;
We also have slight amendment on focus area 1 f the inclusion of inheritance and substituting the word resources for asset read as follows:-
“Ensure equality of opportunity for all women and men, including equal and secure rights to own land, property , inheritance and other productive resources as well as access to financial services for all women and men”
We fully support the idea of having stand alone goal on focus area 2 read as “Promote sustainable agriculture, and achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all”.
Mr. Co-Chair, Small-scale food producers, landless laborers and other rural communities are of particular importance to food security as they are responsible for the majority of agricultural
production worldwide. At the same time, those are also the majority affected by food insecurity. Therefore, we propose to rephrase what is currently target d to read as follows:
"By 2030, double smallholder food producers income and productivity through enhancing access to adequate inputs, knowledge, productive resources, financial services, veterinary services and markets for small farmers, pastoralists and fishers, with a particular focus on women and youth.
Focus Area 2, Target E
We support the inclusion of a specific reference to the need to reduce the global rate of food loss and waste along the food supply chain . Food loss and waste occur during both the production and consumption phases and must therefore be addressed in both. In countries where food insecurity is most prevalent, preventing food loss during the production phase of the food supply chain is critical.
Mr. Co-chair, with regards to Focus Area 2, Target G
Rio+20 outcome document reaffirms the necessity to promote, enhance and support more sustainable agriculture systems which improve food security, eradicate hunger and are economically viable while conserving all natural resources, promoting sustainable land use, reducing soil erosion and desertification and enhancing resilience to climate change and natural disasters. To
do so, we suggest to replace target g with the following target , which reads as follows:
"Increase sustainable, diverse, and resilient agriculture practices by (X) percent through the promotion of indigenous and sustainable farming, including crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture”.
Finally Mr. Co-Chair, I would like to propose some specific means of implementation for this focus area.
First, elimination of all export subsidies in developed countries in line with WTO Hong Kong Declaration 2005;
Second, phase out trade distorting subsidies in developed countries by x% by 20xx;
Third, increase the flow, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound agricultural technologies to developing countries;
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