Greece
Co-facilitators,
Since this is the first time I am taking the floor, please allow me to express my delegation’s appreciation for your hard work preparing this revised zero draft and getting it to us in due time. We trust your leadership and guidance to get us through this long process that is about to conclude and we stand ready to engage constructively.
We fully align with the statements made earlier by the EU and we would now like to make a general comment and a few comments on the Preamble and Introduction in a national capacity.
Co-facilitators
As also mentioned by other delegations like New Zealand and Cyprus, we welcome the integration of technical revisions to the targets but we must insist that all recommended technical changes are incorporated in the outcome documents, including the adjustments on 14c, in order for it to be in line with agreed UN language and international law.
We believe this draft is a constructive basis for further negotiations. We appreciate your efforts to keep the Declaration short and your work on improving the balance between the 3 pillars of sustainable development throughout. References to gender and human rights are particularly welcome because of their cross-cutting nature, connecting the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the SDGs.
More specifically:
On the Preamble: we appreciate its inclusion as a communication tool. The use of the 5Ps is a good way of framing the agenda and explaining our collective ambition. Nevertheless is it important to remember that the SDGs unlike the MDGs are moving away from a silo-ed approach and the interlinkages between the different Ps should be stressed as an integral part of the Agenda. Let me also point out the need to mention the Agenda’s universal character, something that makes it distinct from previous attempts to combat poverty and promote sustainable development.
On the introduction: it is crucial to set out from the very beginning the overarching objectives of the agenda, which are poverty eradication and the achievement of sustainable development in its 3 dimensions in a balanced and integrated manner.
On the section titled “The new Agenda” we welcome para 27 on Climate Change and COP 21 and think that it could be further strengthened by mentioning the 2 degree C target. We also fully support the references to sustainable tourism in para 28, and to the importance of sport as an enabler of sustainable development in para 31.
Furthermore, as also mentioned by Peru, on behalf of the Group of Friends on Culture and Development of which Greece is also a member, we believe that the acknowledgement of Culture as an enabler of sustainable development should be included in the declaration, since culture is a dynamic and crosscutting contributor to the three dimensions of sustainable development.
On the section titled “Implementation” we welcome paragraph 37 and the mention to “safe, orderly and regular migration”, which can be an enabler to inclusive growth and sustainable development when managed well. However, we believe that it would also be worth referencing the challenges of migration and in particular fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking, by combating criminal networks”, which is a well known issue that has resulted in loss of so many lives in recent years.
Lastly we would like to see a clear reference to the integration of the Addis outcome in the Agenda.
Before ending, we would like to reaffirm that you have our full commitment and we stand ready to help you create an outcome document that will be worthy of the ambition we have collectively built.
Thank you.
Since this is the first time I am taking the floor, please allow me to express my delegation’s appreciation for your hard work preparing this revised zero draft and getting it to us in due time. We trust your leadership and guidance to get us through this long process that is about to conclude and we stand ready to engage constructively.
We fully align with the statements made earlier by the EU and we would now like to make a general comment and a few comments on the Preamble and Introduction in a national capacity.
Co-facilitators
As also mentioned by other delegations like New Zealand and Cyprus, we welcome the integration of technical revisions to the targets but we must insist that all recommended technical changes are incorporated in the outcome documents, including the adjustments on 14c, in order for it to be in line with agreed UN language and international law.
We believe this draft is a constructive basis for further negotiations. We appreciate your efforts to keep the Declaration short and your work on improving the balance between the 3 pillars of sustainable development throughout. References to gender and human rights are particularly welcome because of their cross-cutting nature, connecting the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the SDGs.
More specifically:
On the Preamble: we appreciate its inclusion as a communication tool. The use of the 5Ps is a good way of framing the agenda and explaining our collective ambition. Nevertheless is it important to remember that the SDGs unlike the MDGs are moving away from a silo-ed approach and the interlinkages between the different Ps should be stressed as an integral part of the Agenda. Let me also point out the need to mention the Agenda’s universal character, something that makes it distinct from previous attempts to combat poverty and promote sustainable development.
On the introduction: it is crucial to set out from the very beginning the overarching objectives of the agenda, which are poverty eradication and the achievement of sustainable development in its 3 dimensions in a balanced and integrated manner.
On the section titled “The new Agenda” we welcome para 27 on Climate Change and COP 21 and think that it could be further strengthened by mentioning the 2 degree C target. We also fully support the references to sustainable tourism in para 28, and to the importance of sport as an enabler of sustainable development in para 31.
Furthermore, as also mentioned by Peru, on behalf of the Group of Friends on Culture and Development of which Greece is also a member, we believe that the acknowledgement of Culture as an enabler of sustainable development should be included in the declaration, since culture is a dynamic and crosscutting contributor to the three dimensions of sustainable development.
On the section titled “Implementation” we welcome paragraph 37 and the mention to “safe, orderly and regular migration”, which can be an enabler to inclusive growth and sustainable development when managed well. However, we believe that it would also be worth referencing the challenges of migration and in particular fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking, by combating criminal networks”, which is a well known issue that has resulted in loss of so many lives in recent years.
Lastly we would like to see a clear reference to the integration of the Addis outcome in the Agenda.
Before ending, we would like to reaffirm that you have our full commitment and we stand ready to help you create an outcome document that will be worthy of the ambition we have collectively built.
Thank you.
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