Iceland
Statement of Iceland for the discussion on the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Draft for Adoption from July 30
Friday 31 July 2015
Ms. Anna Pála Sverrisdóttir, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Co-facilitators
Thank you very, very much for your continued efforts. We´ve come a long way, and we can get there, together, tonight.
Firstly, we support the shorter version of the preamble and do not see a need to make any changes to it at this hour.
Second, we support the Arab group on using the word “universally” instead of “progressively” about drinking water in para 8.
Third, in para 20 we can not accept the bracketed language on “all internationally recognized human rights”. In para 20, we furthermore feel that “other status” has to remain.
Fourth, in para 25 we support AOSIS on the reference to the Committee on World Food Security and especially, we strongly support adding sustainable fisheries as they are crucial for food security.
We support the call of South-Korea and others for good governance into para 34.
Regarding revision of targets, Iceland and Namibia, as co-chairs of the Group of Friends on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, were strong proponents of target 15.3 from the very beginning. We are concerned that the co-facilitators proposal on changing the year from 2020 to 2030 has not been included in the text, which was the original intention and was only changed in the last stages of the OWG. The concept of land-degradation neutral world is new and we need time to formulate policies and mobilize resources. We will set our ambitions to achieve this goal as early as possible, but a more realistic goal is preferable in our minds.
The same applies to target 3.6 on road safety, where the revision will bring the target in line with international agreements and ensure that we have a meaningful, realistic and achievable goal.
Lastly, and importantly, co-facilitator, we support Norway in their suggestions on how to arrive at an acceptable conclusion for all on the relation between our Agenda and Addis.
Friday 31 July 2015
Ms. Anna Pála Sverrisdóttir, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Co-facilitators
Thank you very, very much for your continued efforts. We´ve come a long way, and we can get there, together, tonight.
Firstly, we support the shorter version of the preamble and do not see a need to make any changes to it at this hour.
Second, we support the Arab group on using the word “universally” instead of “progressively” about drinking water in para 8.
Third, in para 20 we can not accept the bracketed language on “all internationally recognized human rights”. In para 20, we furthermore feel that “other status” has to remain.
Fourth, in para 25 we support AOSIS on the reference to the Committee on World Food Security and especially, we strongly support adding sustainable fisheries as they are crucial for food security.
We support the call of South-Korea and others for good governance into para 34.
Regarding revision of targets, Iceland and Namibia, as co-chairs of the Group of Friends on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, were strong proponents of target 15.3 from the very beginning. We are concerned that the co-facilitators proposal on changing the year from 2020 to 2030 has not been included in the text, which was the original intention and was only changed in the last stages of the OWG. The concept of land-degradation neutral world is new and we need time to formulate policies and mobilize resources. We will set our ambitions to achieve this goal as early as possible, but a more realistic goal is preferable in our minds.
The same applies to target 3.6 on road safety, where the revision will bring the target in line with international agreements and ensure that we have a meaningful, realistic and achievable goal.
Lastly, and importantly, co-facilitator, we support Norway in their suggestions on how to arrive at an acceptable conclusion for all on the relation between our Agenda and Addis.
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