France, Germany and Switzerland
Proposal for statement by France, Germany and Switzerland
OWG 11
Focus area 8. Economic growth, employment and infrastructure
Focus area 9. Industrialisation and promoting equality among nations
Mr Co-chair, our constituency would like to address the issues in Focus areas 8 and 9 together. As mentioned in the last Open Working Group meeting, we would encourage merging economic growth and industrialization into one single goal, with a strong integration of the following challenges: inclusive and green growth, sustainable consumption and production, resource efficiency, innovation, decent work, population dynamics, women’s economic empowerment and resilience to climate change. Such an approach will be critical for accelerating the transition towards sustainable and inclusive development through a truly transformative agenda.
We promote a strong emphasis on Employment and Decent jobs, including the achievement of full and productive employment and decent work for men and women alike, with particular attention to the most vulnerable groups. In this regard, we particularly support the inclusion of targets on: the respect, promotion and realization of fundamental principles and rights at work, including for migrant workers, in accordance with the ILO declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We would also support a target on the promotion of social dialogue, which is essential for people’s empowerment and participation. We also strongly support a clear reference at target-level to tackling youth unemployment.
In order to achieve sustainable economic growth, we support and appreciate the inclusion of targets promoting the framework conditions needed to foster SMEs, entrepreneurship and innovation. As referenced also in focus area 9, these are also very important for the promotion of sustainable industrialisation. The importance of creating adequate framework conditions for a dynamic and sustainable development of the private sector should also be emphasized, as well as the private sector’s role in the achievement of the targets more generally. Other targets, currently in focus area 9, such as promoting resource efficiency of industry, reduction and sound management of harmful chemicals and waste, minimization of impacts on biodiversity and the reduction of carbon emissions are also relevant under this goal.
In addition to a target on reducing waste, we would like to underline the importance of a quantitative target on increasing waste recovery under this goal.
To achieve sustainable development it is key to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation and resource use. In this regard we welcome in particular ambitious language on resource productivity and efficiency in the relevant focus areas to ensure that natural resources are used sustainably within the carrying capacity of the planet by 2030. Further, we would like to underline the importance at the target level to include the internalisation of environmental costs, the elimination of environmentally harmful subsidies that are incompatible with sustainable development, an open, rules-based and development friendly multilateral trading system, and increasing the use of Information and Communication Technology. Our constituency had proposed some concrete wording for such targets during the last session, which I will not read out again for the sake of brevity.
Although, our constituency had proposed that issues related to infrastructure development be included in a goal on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements, we are open also to the proposal of including them here with economic growth.
Finally, we’d like to respond to the specific question posed by the co-chairs on whether we should “share” similar important targets in different goals. We consider that such an approach could be a very relevant way of ensuring that we work across sectors to tackle the major sustainable development challenges.
OWG 11
Focus area 8. Economic growth, employment and infrastructure
Focus area 9. Industrialisation and promoting equality among nations
Mr Co-chair, our constituency would like to address the issues in Focus areas 8 and 9 together. As mentioned in the last Open Working Group meeting, we would encourage merging economic growth and industrialization into one single goal, with a strong integration of the following challenges: inclusive and green growth, sustainable consumption and production, resource efficiency, innovation, decent work, population dynamics, women’s economic empowerment and resilience to climate change. Such an approach will be critical for accelerating the transition towards sustainable and inclusive development through a truly transformative agenda.
We promote a strong emphasis on Employment and Decent jobs, including the achievement of full and productive employment and decent work for men and women alike, with particular attention to the most vulnerable groups. In this regard, we particularly support the inclusion of targets on: the respect, promotion and realization of fundamental principles and rights at work, including for migrant workers, in accordance with the ILO declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We would also support a target on the promotion of social dialogue, which is essential for people’s empowerment and participation. We also strongly support a clear reference at target-level to tackling youth unemployment.
In order to achieve sustainable economic growth, we support and appreciate the inclusion of targets promoting the framework conditions needed to foster SMEs, entrepreneurship and innovation. As referenced also in focus area 9, these are also very important for the promotion of sustainable industrialisation. The importance of creating adequate framework conditions for a dynamic and sustainable development of the private sector should also be emphasized, as well as the private sector’s role in the achievement of the targets more generally. Other targets, currently in focus area 9, such as promoting resource efficiency of industry, reduction and sound management of harmful chemicals and waste, minimization of impacts on biodiversity and the reduction of carbon emissions are also relevant under this goal.
In addition to a target on reducing waste, we would like to underline the importance of a quantitative target on increasing waste recovery under this goal.
To achieve sustainable development it is key to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation and resource use. In this regard we welcome in particular ambitious language on resource productivity and efficiency in the relevant focus areas to ensure that natural resources are used sustainably within the carrying capacity of the planet by 2030. Further, we would like to underline the importance at the target level to include the internalisation of environmental costs, the elimination of environmentally harmful subsidies that are incompatible with sustainable development, an open, rules-based and development friendly multilateral trading system, and increasing the use of Information and Communication Technology. Our constituency had proposed some concrete wording for such targets during the last session, which I will not read out again for the sake of brevity.
Although, our constituency had proposed that issues related to infrastructure development be included in a goal on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements, we are open also to the proposal of including them here with economic growth.
Finally, we’d like to respond to the specific question posed by the co-chairs on whether we should “share” similar important targets in different goals. We consider that such an approach could be a very relevant way of ensuring that we work across sectors to tackle the major sustainable development challenges.