Major Group: Children & Youth, Farmers and NGOs

Statement from the Major Group for Children and Youth, supported by the Farmers and NGO Major Groups.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We stand at a moment of time of exceptional possibilities. A moment when development goals that long seemed unattainable have moved within our reach. A moment, when dangers of unprecedented magnitude threaten the future of humankind, but at the same time we have it in our collective abilities, to solve these threats. The High Level Political Forum represents a juncture in that moment.
On behalf of the Major Group Children and Youth with the support of the Farmers and the NGO Major Groups we believe it’s critical to look back on successes and shortcomings of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Where the CSD lacked the framework for follow up on meaningful implementation of sustainable development it had the most advanced modalities of civil society participation through the Major Group system,. This participation and our global achievements must not be regressed upon. The HLPF must have accountability, participation and implementation as its foundation. Similarly, the framework for tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be embedded within the forum.
Ambitious decisions on achieving sustainable development are useless if not meaningfully implemented. The HLPF needs to be equipped with effective monitoring and implementation mechanisms and it must become more than just the talking shop we have at the moment.
We have called for enhanced mechanism of review, specifically a hybrid of “Annual Ministerial Review - Universal Periodic Review+”. This mechanism would serve as a crucial way forward for Member States and civil society to report and track progress on their efforts to achieve agreed goals and targets.
We also welcome the Secretary-General’s Report on Intergenerational Solidarity and the Needs of Future Generations. We call for the implementation of the first of the report’s suggestions, a High Commissioner for Future Generations, which is envisioned to work alongside the HLPF.
A transformative development agenda requires enhancement in how member states engage with civil society organizations, farmers and young people. Non-state actors are not just mouthpieces, but also critical development partners implementing action on the ground. Farmers are key in bringing about local solutions youth hold vibrancy and a passion for concrete change and NGOs are implementing development as we speak. Member states must recognize Major Groups and other stakeholders as legitimate actors to engage with. Whilst we remain self-organized we need support from the UN to bring the experiences of the most marginalized to the table and be free to intervene on matters that concern us - “nothing about us without us”.
Thank You