Georgia

Informal meeting of the plenary on the process of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda

New York, 18 February 2015

Statement on behalf of the Delegation of Georgia
by Ms. Nino Shekriladze, Counsellor
of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations


Dear co-facilitators,

We associate ourselves with the statement just delivered by the distinguished representative of Suriname (on behalf of the group of countries on the issue of gender equality). Now allow me to say a few words in our national capacity.

First of all, let me express our appreciation for the Elements Paper prepared by you – co-facilitators. We think it represents a good starting point for our discussions on the declaration.

We fully agree that declaration should be concise, visionary, ambitious, actionable, communicable and simple, but at the same time, we should also remember, as Benjamin Franklin once said, that “well done is better than well said”. So while working on the declaration and setting the goals, we should be realistic about what we can achieve.

Dear co-facilitators,

I will spare everybody’s precious time and draw your attention to the three important issues we think should be underlined in the Declaration:

1. Reference to the centrality of human rights in achieving sustainable development;

2. Link between the rule of law and sustainable development (in this regard Georgia has aligned itself with the statement delivered yesterday by the distinguished Permanent Representative of Austria on behalf of the group of countries);

3. In addition to the common values the Elements Paper lists in section 5, respect for internationally recognized borders, territorial integrity and national sovereignty should be reaffirmed.

And finally, when talking about the new development agenda, it is of utmost importance not to loose the link between the present and the future - so let’s have continuity and do not forget about the unfinished business of the MDGs.

Thank you very much for your attention.


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