Proposal for a German Statement: Declaration
Mr Co-Chair, Honorable delegates,
Germany aligns itself with the statement by the European Union and would like to specify the following points:
One major part of the outcome document, will be a declaration.
The challenge will be to integrate everything relevant and at the same time not overloading the declaration, keeping it short and simple and relevant.
First of all the declaration should provide a compelling narrative outlining the sources, values and principles which are the foundation for our actions of the post-2015-agenda for sustainable development.
Additionally, the declaration should give space to highlight important aspects of the agenda such as:
- the approach of bringing together the content of the MDGs and the very important fight against poverty with the three dimensions of sustainability stemming from the Rio-processes to one united holistic agenda for our future sustainable development.
- a clear and ambitious commitment for the transformation to global sustainable development. It must recognize that environmental sustainability is fundamental to ensuring the sustainable prosperity and well-being of all people within planetary boundaries, unlock the drivers of the green economy and make our economies and lifestyles more equitable and sustainable.
- the new global partnership which is manifested in the universal applicability of the agenda and the shared responsibility of us all for global wellbeing.
In this crucial chapter, the post-2015-agenda for sustainable development shall address the “HOW” to implement. We are convinced that if we want to make transformation happen we must change the way how we work together. This chapter should integrate a universal vision on a New Global Partnership for Sustainable Development devising strategies for working together in new ways to mobilize the actions we need from all stakeholders and with MoI as important part. We suggest integrating the following aspects under this chapter:
- about the nature of a New Global Partnership: be truly inclusive and based on transparency, human rights, participation, equality, solidarity, shared responsibility and mutual accountability. This will be supported by an efficient and inclusive review and monitoring mechanism.
- about universality and the roles and responsibilities of all countries for achieving the SDGs: every country shall set its own national targets in accordance with its capacities and national policies and priorities but as well being guided by the global level of ambition as suggested by the Open Working Group. This implies shifting from a static county-group- thinking to a truly shared responsibility where we all critically reflect about what more we might contribute to achieve the aspirational global goals - every contribution will be needed!
- multistakeholder-involvement: the range of sustainable development actors has diversified, including innovative partnerships, business, foundations, NGOs, local actors and authorities and the scientific community. Their engagement and contributions will be indispensable and should be adequately reflected.
Goals and Targets
While the OWG’s proposal should be the main basis for integrating the SDGs into the agenda, we support the suggestion in the synthesis report for a technical proofing of its targets. This technical proofing has to be based on clearly defined criteria to ensure that we do not fall behind or contradict existing agreements. Furthermore technical proofing should improve the coherence of the targets, but must maintain their present level of ambition.
Most importantly, the technical proofing must not touch any substantial content of the OWG proposal, as doing so would endanger the sensitive balance of the proposal. If we open any one aspect of the proposal for negotiations, we risk losing the whole ambitious but delicate compromise which the OWG reached in the course of one and a half years of hard work.
To avoid discussions of a “technical” nature between member states, we appreciate the Secretary General’s offer: technical experts of the UN System should be given the mandate to carry out the technical proofing and should subsequently present a proposal to member states for consultation.
Furthermore we welcome the proposal of the Secretary General in his synthesis report to elaborate “essential elements” to frame the SDGs and communicate their political essence worldwide. This communication effort is necessary to generate the political impetus needed for the global transformation to sustainable development. It will be of crucial importance to communicate the set of SDGs as a whole and avoid
assigning goals to certain elements to avoid silo-thinking. This would contradict the idea of a holistic and three-dimensional approach.
