Post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations
Session on the Declaration
20 July, New York
delivered by
Mr. Gaspar Frontini
DG DEVCO – European Commission
Co-facilitators,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its Member States.
We very much appreciate your efforts and continued leadership. The draft is a valuable basis, on which we are looking forward to engaging with all other partners. We welcome the fact that it continues to seek to be a rather concise, communicable and political document. This is a challenging but crucial task.
I will now make a number of detailed comments and will make available to you a longer set of comments and proposals in writing. On the sections on implementation and follow up and review we will make specific suggestions in the dedicated sessions later this week.
We welcome efforts to better reflect the balance of the three dimensions of sustainable development throughout the text. It is a step in the right direction. We also welcome the references to gender, human rights, peace, leaving no one behind and ensuring that goals and targets are met by all, non-discrimination, and ecosystems; it is key that these are preserved, but also reinforced where appropriate. We also appreciate the efforts to outline the opportunities of “our world today”, as well as the more positive reference to migration.
We welcome the inclusion of the Preamble, as a means of framing the messages; this will play an important role in helping us to communicate the agenda. Structuring the messages around the “5 Ps” can be a useful means to that end. All 5 "Ps" are equally important, interrelated and should be articulated at an equal level in the Preamble. We should consider adjustments to avoid "silo-ing", to stress interlinkages and that they are action oriented and concise.
We would also like to see the inclusion and strengthening of elements such as language on respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights under "people"; sustainable use of natural resources under "planet"; language on "planetary boundaries" and on the importance of gender equality also under "prosperity", good governance, rule of law, justice, and democratic, effective and accountable institutions under "peace". Finally, under "partnership", the concept of "shared responsibility" should be mentioned.
We need to continue working towards messages that are - like the agenda itself - integrated, transformative and universal. Therefore, we should move up one sentence from para 5 and include it before the 5Ps to read "The SDGs and targets are integrated and indivisible and balance the three crucial dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental." We also propose to add thereafter: "To transform our world, they need to be pursued together in a holistic and balanced manner, taking account of interlinkages and cross-cutting elements, such as gender equality."
For the introduction, a key priority is to clearly set out the overarching objectives of the agenda, which are poverty eradication and sustainable development in its three dimensions. There is a need for a clear message upfront in para 1 and for consistency in other paragraphs throughout the text. We also need a clear and coherent narrative on the universal and integrated nature of the agenda. Therefore we should add a sentence at the end of para 1 "We recognize that these can only be achieved together" and also to add in para 3 the sentence "We are committed to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions - economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner."
The SDGs are at the core of the agenda and should therefore figure prominently and early on. This also requires consistent use of the SDG terminology throughout the text. In paragraph 2 we should add that "The SDGs constitute an integrated, indivisible set of global priorities".
In paragraph 3, we welcome the reference to eradicating extreme poverty. This agenda must steel our determination to end extreme poverty in one generation. We believe that a reference to ending poverty "in all its forms" is also needed. We would like to see in paragraph 3 also references to gender equality, climate change, protection of ecosystems and sustainable management of natural resources, decent work and human rights.
In paragraph 5, we should spell out clearly that the agenda is underpinned by the principle of universality, transcending the traditional North/South divide and involving the entire world. Universality comes with the complementary notion of differentiation which requires us to take into account different national circumstances, capacities and priorities.
In paragraph 8, we should make clear that all legal, social and economic barriers to the empowerment of women and girls should be removed.
We also have serious issues with the section on “Shared principles” in its current form.
o We need to reaffirm in the text of paragraph 10 all principles and values of the Millennium Declaration. The Agenda derives from two main processes: the one started in Rio in 1992, and the other started with the Millennium Declaration in 2000 and then the MDGs. It would be a grave omission not to reaffirm the principles and values of the Millennium Declaration, which is a foundational element.
o We reiterate our position on CBDR, which cannot apply as an operational principle for the whole agenda. It should not be singled out among the Rio principles.
o As for the right to development, we suggest a rewording for the sentence to read "We reaffirm the importance of freedom, peace and security, respect for all human rights including the right to development. Furthermore, we do not believe the mention in §30 is necessary.
As regards the ‘New Agenda’, it is very important that we discuss ways to better frame this section, to reflect the SDGs in a more balanced way. We also need to improve consistency with other parts, and avoid proliferation, unclear terminology, repetition or re-phrasing of the same messages. We also feel the reference to “policy space for economic growth” in OP20 has been inappropriately singled out here and is inconsistent in not referring to “sustained, inclusive and sustainable” growth.
In paragraph 22, we should recall our commitment to achieve food and nutrition security as well sustainable energy for all. In paragraph 27, without pre-empting the UNFCCC negotiations, we believe it is important to recall the 2C target.
The section on “Implementation” is particularly problematic. The section needs a clear vision in its introduction. This could be done for example by moving paragraph 40 up to become the opening paragraph of this section. There remains a persisting imbalance, with very little mention of the primary responsibility of countries and thus the central place of domestic action and policies. We suggest reiterating at the outset that each country has primary responsibility for its own economic and social development. This section does not appropriately reflect the agenda's universal and transformative character (transcending the North South divide), and follows a rather limited approach. We need a more comprehensive and balanced picture, reflecting what we have agreed in the SDGs, and in Addis. Likewise we need a better narrative of what the new Global Partnership means and the principles that underpin it. This should include a reference to ongoing work to make the UN development system more “fit-for-purpose”. And we will need to clarify in the text of paragraph 33 that the Addis outcome needs to be an integral part of the agenda. We do not see the need for the new paragraph on families (§38) in this section and therefore we call for deletion.
We also have some more specific concerns and comments. For instance we do not support the current language on policy space, and we have serious doubts on the addition on cultural values. As for gender equality, we would request that the reference to gender discrimination in §19 be re-inserted. In that same paragraph the Declaration should reflect that we remain committed to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the outcomes of their review conferences and in this context sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Finally, it will also be important to strengthen the paragraphs on follow-up and review – they still need more vision and ambition, including mentioning monitoring and accountability and the key role of all stakeholders in paragraph 42. What is needed here is to convey the importance, purpose and benefits for all of strong follow-up and review. We also need to explain that the three levels (national, regional and global) need to feed into each other. We propose in the interest of clarity and effectiveness to add the sentence "We reaffirm our commitment that both processes for follow-up and review for the Addis Ababa Agenda for Action and for the post-2015 development agenda are integrated into one single framework."
Co-facilitators,
We are ready to continue the discussion on these issues and, as said before, will provide more detailed comments in writing. We are fully confident that with your leadership we will be able to agree a document at the height of our collective expectations.
Thank you
