23 JUNE 2015, NEW YORK
POST-2015 ING NEGOTIATIONS ON THE OUTCOME DOCUMENT
STATEMENT BY FINLAND
DELIVERED BY AMBASSADOR RIITTA RESCH
Thank you, Mr. Co-facilitator,
I would also like to thank you for the timely delivery of the zero draft as well as your had work that has gone into its preparation. It is a good basis for our negotiations. I'm convinced that under your guidance and leadership, we are able to conclude the negotiations on it within the timeframe allocated to us.
We align ourselves with the EU statements. We would like to highlight some aspects in our national capacity.
We are negotiating a complex, comprehensive and ambitious agenda on sustainable development. All its parts are an integral whole and should be treated as such. One of the challenges we have with such a complex agenda is its communication. Adding a preamble might help us in that respect. We support the idea of 5 P's and nine bullets and we are pleased that peace has been added as the fifth P. We should further elaborate them to give a more complete message of the complex agenda in a comprehensive, integrated and balanced manner respecting the SDGs. The relationship between the preamble and the rest of the agenda has to be clear. Good communication starts with a catchy title.
The Declaration should be ambitious and inspirational and the political part of the agenda. It does not need to repeat the contents of the other parts of the agenda, but if it does, it cannot be selective in doing that. Here again we emphasize integration and balance, particularly between the three dimensions of sustainable development. In particular, we should look at paragraphs 15 and 22-28.
We also agree with those who have emphasized strengthening environmental sustainability. We would like to highlight in particular a comprehensive agenda on water related issues, as well as, on sustainable consumption and production, recognized in the Rio+20 outcome document as one of the three overarching objectives for sustainable development.
The declaration is also the right place to highlight transformative issues that are at the core of our future agenda. Fundamental ones are universality and shared responsibility and their impact on all of us. Another truly transformative issue in this agenda, if implemented worldwide, is gender equality and empowerment of women. Particular emphasis should be put on respect, promotion and protection of human rights of women and girls, including their sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. Commitment to the implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action, the Cairo Programme of Action, and their review conferences, and the fulfilment of the obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination of Women must be reaffirmed.
Non-discrimination should be emphasized throughout the document. Discrimination cannot be accepted based on any grounds. Non-discrimination is also an immediate goal. Justice, rule of law, democracy and good governance also have transformative impacts as well as effective and efficient institutions.
Global Partnership is one of the cornerstones of the new agenda and an important element in its implementation.
The declaration should also include a clear message to the UN development system to adapt itself to the new agenda. We all have to. It is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Co-facilitators,
I would also briefly like to address the other parts of the agenda. We support the integration of the revised targets into the next version of the zero draft. They would streamline the agenda and make it more universal. Compatibility with international law and other agreements is also an essential element. We see that there should be no need to annex the introduction of the OWG proposal after we have agreed on the Declaration.
On Means of Implementation we look forward to the Addis outcome which in our view will be the MoI pillar of the Post 2015 agenda. It should be fully and clearly integrated into our agenda not only welcomed and endorsed.
The same way we need to see the follow up and review part of the Addis outcome document and then we can see how we can combine both follow-up and review proposals into one integrated mechanism. We appreciate the level of detail in our zero draft on the follow up and review, which is an important and integral part of the whole agenda and should be described to a certain level of detail. Having followed the discussions on the FFD follow up, I think that the same level of detail should be included in both documents, and the description of follow up in both documents should be at par.
Co-facilitators,
We trust on your continued guidance and hope that you hold the pen tightly in your hands. And you will have our full support.
I thank you.
