Post-2015 Inter-governmental negotiations on outcome document
Monday 20 July 2015
Statement by the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Thank you Mr. co-Facilitator.
I have the honor to make this statement on behalf of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. I would like to align myself with the statement made by the European Union and add a few remarks in my national capacity.
I would like to echo the points made by the representative of Norway before me, in particular on the declaration. The declaration we wish to see is crisp, concise, understandable and inspiring. There is no need to attempt to summarize the goals and targets in the declaration. The declaration should not be primarily about the ‘What’ and the ‘How’, but about the ‘Why’ of our post-2015 development agenda.
Having said that, co-facilitators,
We would like to thank you for the Final Draft, the last blueprint for the construction of the post-2015 house, a common home for humanity. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate and commend all colleagues and stakeholders involved in the FfD process for successfully concluding the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We are encouraged that a crucial element of the post-2015 house was agreed and particular congratulations and appreciation goes to the co-facilitators from Guyana and Norway, the subcontractors of that part of our post-2015 home.
With respect to the preamble and declaration in the Final Draft we would like to highlight a few issues:
- Firstly, we welcome the preamble, the 5 Ps which you have suggested and would also like to thank you for including the notion of participation. Based on the same principle of participation we would like to draw your attention to the second sentence of the preamble stating that "all countries' will implement the agenda. We feel the notion of participation is better captured under the final P of partnership where "all countries and other stakeholders" are mentioned. After all, we need all to join in a collective effort to achieve the new agenda.
- Secondly, we feel that the reflection of the human rights agenda can be further strengthened with an aim to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of all. In this regard, the human rights of women and girls must be recognized as a critical cross-cutting issue for the success of the post-2015 development agenda. In this context, we highlight the importance of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, building on our commitment to fully implement the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and their subsequent reviews. We would also highlight the importance of the rights of youth and their empowerment, and would welcome further strengthening of language in this regard. So much depends on the role of youth as we head towards 2030.
- Finally, on follow up and review in the declaration, we stress the importance of monitoring and accountability both for implementation as well as a priority in its own right. We also submit that monitoring and accountability must build on the findings of relevant functional commissions, special rapporteurs and human rights mechanisms, and other relevant monitoring frameworks.
I thank you.
