Poland and Romania
The co-chairs document
I have the honour to speak on behalf of Poland and Romania. I will limit our intervention to a few main points, while the full statement will be made available on the website. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the EU.
We thank the Co-Chairs for their tremendous work and dedication and we will continue to support your efforts to deliver on the mandate to elaborate a proposal on sustainable development goals to the General Assembly by the end of July. The document is still under careful analysis in our capitals, nevertheless we can offer our preliminary assessment:
- We welcome the document as a comprehensive starting point that largely reflects the thematic areas tackled by the OWG in the “stock-tacking” exercise;
- We appreciate that the document captures the interlinkages between different areas and targets and an initial guidance on how a target attributed under one goal can also contribute to the achievement of others; this needs to be further developed and made visible in the next stage of the OWG
- It is a good starting point which includes issues not sufficiently covered in the MDGs, like inclusive and sustainable growth, addressing inequalities, sustainable consumption and production, decent work, social protection floors, sustainable management of natural resources, climate change, human rights, good governance, rule of law, peace and security and freedom from violence;
- Reflecting on the success and weaknesses of the MDGs, it is now clear that goals without targets and deadlines will fail to provide the motivation and accountability necessary for progress. The formulation of targets should allow for some flexibility in the timeframe and level of achievement, taking into consideration the different levels of development and national circumstances. This approach would translate into action in both developed and developing countries, making them universal;
- It is important to ensure a human rights based approach across all focus areas and to provide equal opportunities for all. In this respect, we appreciate that the document acknowledges the important role of gender equality, as well as, of the empowerment of women in building a prosperous and equitable society.
- In relation to focus area 19, we believe that the document brings together very important priority areas that need to be developed separately. The issues of good governance/human rights and peaceful societies are two separate albeit interlinked priority areas and should be tackled separately. These issues are also missing from the interlinkages listed in other focus areas, e.g. rule of law, and make a very significant contribution to promoting equality and economic growth. There is no equivoque weather the peace, conflict prevention, rule of law and good governance are prerequisites for sustainable development. We believe that rule of law, good governance, accountable institutions, democracy should have more preeminence throughout the document. It is not very clearly reflected what are the inter-linkages between the 19 focus areas and what is the place of the rule of law in this structure.
- With regards to Means of Implementation, we recognise the importance of means of implementation for the success of the framework and are committed to work with others on this including through the Global Partnership. In the same time, we must fully take into account the mandate of the Expert Committee on financing for sustainable development as we discuss this area.
- Domestic resource mobilization, the role of the private sector and a business friendly environment domestically and internationally are of utmost importance for the post-2015 Development Agenda.
On CBDR
We will continue to be guided by the values and principles enshrined in previously agreed texts and reaffirm all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, including, inter alia, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, as set out in principle 7 of the Rio Declaration. We wish to restate our views on this matter. We underline that principle 7 is explicitly related to global environmental degradation and the respective pressures. Agreeing on the continuous relevance of this principle cannot be interpreted as its extension to the entirety of issues to be addressed in the post-2015 development agenda. The world has changed dramatically over the last decades, including the nature and magnitude of our global challenges, their cause and effects, and our respective capabilities to address them. The post-2015 development agenda needs to respond to these evolving dynamics. The EU and its member states are committed to addressing these evolving realities and responsibilities, and acknowledge the particular situation and concerns of the most vulnerable countries. All Member States must play their part in support of countries most lagging behind.
On SCP
With respect to sustainable production and consumption, we consider that it is important to stress that current patterns are not sustainable due to excessive, inefficient or irresponsible resource use resulting in negative impacts on health, the environment and the economy. SCP has universal relevance. For industrialized countries and countries with high material consumption, it means resource- and energy-efficiency in production and adoption of more sustainable lifestyles. For many developing countries, it means opportunities to achieve human wellbeing and economic prosperity by leapfrogging to more clean and efficient practices and technologies. All relevant stakeholders (private and public sector, civil society) must be engaged.
Climate Change
Given its importance to sustainable development and poverty eradication, we are satisfied that climate change is highlighted. We share the view expressed by many at the OWG session in January that the way forward in relation to climate change is to actively mainstream climate related actions in several goals and targets, without interfering with the UNFCCC negotiations. Another related area that also deserves active mainstreaming is disaster risk reduction and resilience.
I have the honour to speak on behalf of Poland and Romania. I will limit our intervention to a few main points, while the full statement will be made available on the website. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the EU.
We thank the Co-Chairs for their tremendous work and dedication and we will continue to support your efforts to deliver on the mandate to elaborate a proposal on sustainable development goals to the General Assembly by the end of July. The document is still under careful analysis in our capitals, nevertheless we can offer our preliminary assessment:
- We welcome the document as a comprehensive starting point that largely reflects the thematic areas tackled by the OWG in the “stock-tacking” exercise;
- We appreciate that the document captures the interlinkages between different areas and targets and an initial guidance on how a target attributed under one goal can also contribute to the achievement of others; this needs to be further developed and made visible in the next stage of the OWG
- It is a good starting point which includes issues not sufficiently covered in the MDGs, like inclusive and sustainable growth, addressing inequalities, sustainable consumption and production, decent work, social protection floors, sustainable management of natural resources, climate change, human rights, good governance, rule of law, peace and security and freedom from violence;
- Reflecting on the success and weaknesses of the MDGs, it is now clear that goals without targets and deadlines will fail to provide the motivation and accountability necessary for progress. The formulation of targets should allow for some flexibility in the timeframe and level of achievement, taking into consideration the different levels of development and national circumstances. This approach would translate into action in both developed and developing countries, making them universal;
- It is important to ensure a human rights based approach across all focus areas and to provide equal opportunities for all. In this respect, we appreciate that the document acknowledges the important role of gender equality, as well as, of the empowerment of women in building a prosperous and equitable society.
- In relation to focus area 19, we believe that the document brings together very important priority areas that need to be developed separately. The issues of good governance/human rights and peaceful societies are two separate albeit interlinked priority areas and should be tackled separately. These issues are also missing from the interlinkages listed in other focus areas, e.g. rule of law, and make a very significant contribution to promoting equality and economic growth. There is no equivoque weather the peace, conflict prevention, rule of law and good governance are prerequisites for sustainable development. We believe that rule of law, good governance, accountable institutions, democracy should have more preeminence throughout the document. It is not very clearly reflected what are the inter-linkages between the 19 focus areas and what is the place of the rule of law in this structure.
- With regards to Means of Implementation, we recognise the importance of means of implementation for the success of the framework and are committed to work with others on this including through the Global Partnership. In the same time, we must fully take into account the mandate of the Expert Committee on financing for sustainable development as we discuss this area.
- Domestic resource mobilization, the role of the private sector and a business friendly environment domestically and internationally are of utmost importance for the post-2015 Development Agenda.
On CBDR
We will continue to be guided by the values and principles enshrined in previously agreed texts and reaffirm all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, including, inter alia, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, as set out in principle 7 of the Rio Declaration. We wish to restate our views on this matter. We underline that principle 7 is explicitly related to global environmental degradation and the respective pressures. Agreeing on the continuous relevance of this principle cannot be interpreted as its extension to the entirety of issues to be addressed in the post-2015 development agenda. The world has changed dramatically over the last decades, including the nature and magnitude of our global challenges, their cause and effects, and our respective capabilities to address them. The post-2015 development agenda needs to respond to these evolving dynamics. The EU and its member states are committed to addressing these evolving realities and responsibilities, and acknowledge the particular situation and concerns of the most vulnerable countries. All Member States must play their part in support of countries most lagging behind.
On SCP
With respect to sustainable production and consumption, we consider that it is important to stress that current patterns are not sustainable due to excessive, inefficient or irresponsible resource use resulting in negative impacts on health, the environment and the economy. SCP has universal relevance. For industrialized countries and countries with high material consumption, it means resource- and energy-efficiency in production and adoption of more sustainable lifestyles. For many developing countries, it means opportunities to achieve human wellbeing and economic prosperity by leapfrogging to more clean and efficient practices and technologies. All relevant stakeholders (private and public sector, civil society) must be engaged.
Climate Change
Given its importance to sustainable development and poverty eradication, we are satisfied that climate change is highlighted. We share the view expressed by many at the OWG session in January that the way forward in relation to climate change is to actively mainstream climate related actions in several goals and targets, without interfering with the UNFCCC negotiations. Another related area that also deserves active mainstreaming is disaster risk reduction and resilience.