Post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations
Follow-up and review session
Speaking points on behalf of the European Union and its Member States
- session on the way forward, 22 May 2015 -
delivered by
Mr. Gaspar Frontini
European Commission
Co-facilitators,
Let me first thank you for your tireless efforts in guiding us through this process in general and in particular this week.
Before commenting on the way forward allow me to quickly reply to one question you raised in your summary of Wednesday afternoon. The question was related to the possibility of setting up an independent commission to follow-up on FfD. As mentioned several times in our statements, we believe there should be one monitoring, accountability and review framework covering the Post-2015 development agenda including the Addis outcome. In this context the priority must be to streamline and clarify the roles and functions of existing fora and to strengthen cooperation between existing bodies as appropriate. Therefore we neither see the need to set up a new commission nor to request the Secretary General to convene a new inter-agency Task Force as put forward in the Addis draft.
Let me now look towards the next phase of the inter-governmental negotiation process. I would like to outline some key priorities for the EU and its Member States.
The Political Declaration will play a crucial role in setting our collective vision for the agenda, namely that we will work towards sustainable development and the eradication of poverty in all its dimensions, including ending extreme poverty in a single generation, and ensure sustainable and inclusive prosperity and well-being of all people within planetary boundaries. The Declaration needs to put emphasis on the universal values at the heart of the agenda. The message that the Agenda can only be achieved through an inclusive, integrated and rights-based approach encompassing all human rights needs to resonate clearly. Particular emphasis should be put on the human rights of women and girls, as well as on gender equality.
The Declaration should convey the transformative, innovative and universal nature of the agenda in a way that is easily understood and catalyses action and participation from all stakeholders based on our shared values and principles. It must explain the crucial importance of a comprehensive agenda where the three dimensions of sustainable development are integrated throughout the goals and targets. The Declaration should furthermore explain why business-as-usual is not an option and provide a narrative for the international community coming together around this ambitious agenda that will benefit all, leave no one behind, and ensure the future of our planet.
The Declaration will also need to address the need for a new Global Partnership, based on the principles of universality, shared responsibility, mutual accountability, consideration of respective capabilities, and a multi-stakeholder approach. Mobilising all actors at all levels and framing appropriate commitments for all will be key to realise our collective vision.
The Declaration should include a clear call for action, stressing the need for scaled-up collective efforts and global solutions in an interdependent world. And it should of course stress the key role for monitoring accountability and review to enable mutual learning and help us to stay on track towards the realization of the agenda, as we discussed this week in a fruitful way. We also think that it should include a mention of the implementation of the new agenda by the UN system, and its necessary adaptation.
Co-facilitators,
Communicating effectively the post-2015 agenda's overarching vision, objectives and transformative nature is going to be crucial. Part of the success of the MDGs was that they were easily understood and able to catalyse action across a wide set of actors. The universal post-2015 agenda is far broader and more ambitious than the MDGs, so it is even more important that it is framed in a way to be accessible, to inspire and engage all people and all stakeholders from political leaders to the citizen on the street.
The new, holistic and transformative spirit of the agenda should be reflected in overarching key messages. These messages which will be part of the Declaration, should be inspiring, easily understandable and capable of spurring action worldwide. We need to be sure that the messages capture the comprehensive, interlinked and transformative nature of the agenda aiming to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development.
We share the view of the UN Secretary General that to encompass the richness of the agenda six integrated, action-oriented messages with communication power comparable to that of the MDGs would seem appropriate. The EU is currently discussing how to best elaborate these six messages, considering proposals such as the one made by Germany which builds on the six essential elements of the UNSG. We should also be aware that the messages must be communicated in a wide range of languages.
An exclusive focus on what are often referred to as the "4 Ps" does not fully capture the comprehensive and transformative nature of the agenda. They risk siloing what should be an integrated agenda under single issue headings and are not a true reflection of the spirit of the post-2015 agenda. For the same reason, we believe single issue headings are not a suitable way of organising the yearly agenda of the HPLF, or to structure any other component of the agenda.
Co-Facilitators,
As regards the zero draft, we hope to see a concise and visionary Declaration, which conveys our collective political determination and reflects the points just outlined.
We are also confident that the zero draft will include the proposal for goals and targets, which reflects discussions we have had so far.
We also look forward to your proposal for a robust, effective and inclusive single monitoring, accountability and review framework covering all SDGs and all means of implementation. We believe discussions this week have been fruitful in this regard.
We also trust that you will continue to work with the FfD co-facilitators to ensure that the Addis outcome can be integrated as the Means of Implementation pillar of the post-2015 agenda.
Achieving all this is no small challenge, of course, and we are confident in your ability to hold the pen and steer us towards a successful and meaningful outcome.
We look forward to working with all Member States in the last stretch of this journey. Moreover, we believe that continued engagement by all stakeholders, including civil society, throughout the negotiations will be vital for the success of our collective endeavour.
Co-Facilitators,
Let me close by underlining the importance the EU and its Member States attach to your continued guidance and leadership of the process.
Thank you.
