France, Germany and Switzerland
FR-DE-CH intervention – 10th OWG
Comments regarding the co-chairs proposal dated March 19, 2014
Monday 31 March
Cluster 1: Focus area 1 “Poverty eradication” and Focus area 12 “Promote equality”
➢ Persistent extreme poverty is absolutely unbearable at the XXIth century. For the first time in history, we are able to eradicate poverty in one generation. This ambition is absolutely essential. Growing inequalities, at both international and national levels, is also a very worrying trend which darkens our human development prospects and has been considered by the World Economic Forum as the biggest threat to the world economy. Eradicating extreme poverty and curbing inequalities are definitely key objectives of the sustainable development goals and those objectives have to be achieved in a way compatible with earth carrying capacities.
➢ Poverty should be considered in its multi-dimensional forms and in both absolute and relative terms. The co-chairs’ paper rightly points out root causes of poverty and inequality, especially the unequal access to opportunities and the lack of protection against incidents, shocks and stresses. Stronger emphasis should be put on the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as ensuring peaceful and safe societies for all which is a prerequisite for ensuring the right to development. This realisation notably implies full equality under the law without discrimination on any grounds, regardless of gender, nationality age, ethnicity, disability, marital status and sexual orientation, and income or any other factor.
➢ We have identified 4 main targets along these lines :
- (1) We fully support a target dedicated to extreme poverty eradication
- (2) and another one aiming at reducing relative poverty and addressing inequalities at both national and international levels – these two challenges are intertwined – while eliminating discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all.
- (3) We want to insist on the critical importance of targeting provision of social protection floors for all by 2020, in line with the ILO 202 recommendations.
- (4) We also would like to highlight the need of a target for strengthening societies’ resilience to disasters, external shocks and violence. All around the world, thousands of people are pushed back into poverty because of disasters and the acceleration of climate change will increase this risk.
➢ These four targets could be clustered into a goal aiming at ending extreme poverty and fighting inequalities, while building resilience to prevent falling back into poverty.
We should also address the reduction of multidimensional poverty through existing adequate indices. Economic, social, political, environmental inequalities should also be addressed.
➢ Other targets relevant for promoting equality should be mainstreamed in through the list of goals, especially in the ones related to education, inclusive growth, governance and the global enabling environment. On this last point, we think enhancing global governance and cooperation will be critical to reduce inequalities between countries and as a precondition for global sustainable development. In this purpose, we considertargets aiming at :
- (1) promoting an open, rules-based and development friendly multilateral trade system,
- (2) ensuring a regulated, stable and efficient global financial system,
- (3) encouraging responsible, stable, long-term private foreign investment and inclusive finance,
- (4) curbing illicit financial flows and eliminating tax havens,
- (5) limiting global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels in line with international agreements.
- (6) ensuring safe and regular migration while empowering migrants and facilitating migrants’ contribution to development by reducing the costs of remittances and mitigating brain drain; and make effective use of all potentials of migration for the countries, from which immigrants originate;
- (7) ensuring access to science, technology, innovation and ensure access to sustainable development data.
➢ We also support the monitoring and evaluation of all the future goals, inter alia by use of evidence based, high quality, timely, disaggregated data, by gender, vulnerable groups and territories, and impartial, internationally established methods.
Comments regarding the co-chairs proposal dated March 19, 2014
Monday 31 March
Cluster 1: Focus area 1 “Poverty eradication” and Focus area 12 “Promote equality”
➢ Persistent extreme poverty is absolutely unbearable at the XXIth century. For the first time in history, we are able to eradicate poverty in one generation. This ambition is absolutely essential. Growing inequalities, at both international and national levels, is also a very worrying trend which darkens our human development prospects and has been considered by the World Economic Forum as the biggest threat to the world economy. Eradicating extreme poverty and curbing inequalities are definitely key objectives of the sustainable development goals and those objectives have to be achieved in a way compatible with earth carrying capacities.
➢ Poverty should be considered in its multi-dimensional forms and in both absolute and relative terms. The co-chairs’ paper rightly points out root causes of poverty and inequality, especially the unequal access to opportunities and the lack of protection against incidents, shocks and stresses. Stronger emphasis should be put on the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as ensuring peaceful and safe societies for all which is a prerequisite for ensuring the right to development. This realisation notably implies full equality under the law without discrimination on any grounds, regardless of gender, nationality age, ethnicity, disability, marital status and sexual orientation, and income or any other factor.
➢ We have identified 4 main targets along these lines :
- (1) We fully support a target dedicated to extreme poverty eradication
- (2) and another one aiming at reducing relative poverty and addressing inequalities at both national and international levels – these two challenges are intertwined – while eliminating discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all.
- (3) We want to insist on the critical importance of targeting provision of social protection floors for all by 2020, in line with the ILO 202 recommendations.
- (4) We also would like to highlight the need of a target for strengthening societies’ resilience to disasters, external shocks and violence. All around the world, thousands of people are pushed back into poverty because of disasters and the acceleration of climate change will increase this risk.
➢ These four targets could be clustered into a goal aiming at ending extreme poverty and fighting inequalities, while building resilience to prevent falling back into poverty.
We should also address the reduction of multidimensional poverty through existing adequate indices. Economic, social, political, environmental inequalities should also be addressed.
➢ Other targets relevant for promoting equality should be mainstreamed in through the list of goals, especially in the ones related to education, inclusive growth, governance and the global enabling environment. On this last point, we think enhancing global governance and cooperation will be critical to reduce inequalities between countries and as a precondition for global sustainable development. In this purpose, we considertargets aiming at :
- (1) promoting an open, rules-based and development friendly multilateral trade system,
- (2) ensuring a regulated, stable and efficient global financial system,
- (3) encouraging responsible, stable, long-term private foreign investment and inclusive finance,
- (4) curbing illicit financial flows and eliminating tax havens,
- (5) limiting global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels in line with international agreements.
- (6) ensuring safe and regular migration while empowering migrants and facilitating migrants’ contribution to development by reducing the costs of remittances and mitigating brain drain; and make effective use of all potentials of migration for the countries, from which immigrants originate;
- (7) ensuring access to science, technology, innovation and ensure access to sustainable development data.
➢ We also support the monitoring and evaluation of all the future goals, inter alia by use of evidence based, high quality, timely, disaggregated data, by gender, vulnerable groups and territories, and impartial, internationally established methods.