[Check Against Delivery]
Stocktaking Session
Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post - 2015 Development Agenda
Intervention by:
Dr. Hussain Niyaaz, Representative of the Maldives Delegation
New York, 19January 2015
Distinguished Co-Chairs,
My delegation would like to align itself with the statements delivered on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and the Alliance of Small Island States.
The Maldives has complete confidence in the able leadership of the Co-Chairs and my delegation looks forward to working with you to finalize the Post-2015 development agenda in an open, transparent and inclusive intergovernmental process, taking into account the views of all Member States.
Distinguished Co-Chairs,
The Maldives was able to actively participate in the Open Working Group on SDGs in every single step of the way.. The spirit of openness and exchanges allowed us to reach a proposal for the SDGs that we all can take ownership of. We must maintain this spirit of openness and inclusivity in moving forward the process before us and retain its true intergovernmental nature.
The report of the Open Working Group and the proposal for SDGs as contained therein holds special importance to Member States, as reflected in General Assembly resolution 68/309. The Maldives wholeheartedly believe that this compromise between Member States must serve as the main basis to integrate the SDGs into the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Inputs from other related processes such as the Intergovernmental Committee on Experts for Sustainable Development Financing and technology facilitation mechanism must also be integrated.
Distinguished Co-Chairs,
The S.A.M.O.A. Pathway outcome document provides a SIDS-specific blueprint for sustainable development and it should be taken as the input of SIDS into this process. For a small island developing state, which is threatened by the impacts of climate change, any conceivable sustainable development agenda must address climate change. It is the single biggest threat to our sustainable development. Climate change poses a major threat to our oceans and marine resources which have been the basis of our livelihood for generations. The warming of oceans due to the warming of our planet, is causing considerable changes to the marine ecosystems. These have direct impacts on our economic activities, especially tourism and fisheries. Therefore, for a small island developing state like ours, where our economic activities depend on the conservation of our environments, sustainable development goals focused on the protection and preservation of the environment are crucial. The Post- 2015 development agenda must take into account the vulnerabilities of the Small Island Developing States.
Distinguished Co-Chairs,
The Maldives also believes in development that is inclusive, where the benefits are felt by all equally. We believe in the delivery of the basic human rights for all. This is why we have consistently advocated for goals on gender equality, the provision of water, and access to energy. We believe that without these basic rights fulfilled, without those rights being realized by everyone in the society, development may become uneven, and even meaningless.
My delegation is also interested in how the outcome of the third international conference on financing for development will be integrated into the Post 2015 Development Agenda. No doubt, an ambitious and transformative post 2015 development agenda will require a comprehensive financing framework for sustainable development Our deliberations here will only be fruitful if there is adequate, sufficient and predictable means of implementation. The success of our development agenda would also depend on a robust follow-up mechanism, to strengthen accountability at all levels. We reaffirm the importance we attach to means of implementation for the success of the post 2015 framework and strongly believe that the High Level Political Forum would play a crucial role in this regard. We look forward to engaging in specific discussions on how this could be achieved in the coming deliberations.
The Secretary General’s Synthesis Report notes that “the legitimacy of this process will rest in significant measure on the degree to which the core messages that we have heard are reflected in the final outcome.”
Excellencies, we hope our message on the importance of protecting vulnerable populations and states has been heard loud and clear.
Thank you
