Poland and Romania
OWG 11
General:
• Congratulate the co-chairs for the tremendous efforts to capture a great extent of proposals into a condensed and articulated document. We continue to place our confidence your leadership and guidance in moving forward this process towards a successful outcome in the same manner as before.
• We took note of the calls made by some MS to change gear, but we must be reminded that the current working methods were agreed by consensus and any change in the way forward should be agreed by consensus.
• We welcome the revised working document which is a step closer to a concrete and ambitious set of goals and targets, as mandated by the outcome document of the Rio+20 Conference. We welcome the efforts of reducing the number of focus areas and encourage the co-chairs to continue this approach which we consider essential for shifting to a set of goals limited in number, easy to communicate, action – oriented and ambitious.
• Climate change should be visibly integrated in any post-2015 framework, but this could be achieved in a cross-cutting approach that complements and does not compete with other international processes.
• Equality is a fundamental objective which was called and emphasized throughout the process and should be mainstreamed across all focus areas. Eliminating discrimination and marginalization of all kind means setting targets and indicators that measure the actual access to services and goods by targeted groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities or migrants (persons with disabilities only mentioned under sustainable cities and human settlements);
• A human rights-based approach to development is essential to overcome inequality and discrimination that impede social and economic development. Addressing justice, equality and equity, good governance, democracy and the rule of law, with a strong focus on the empowerment and rights of women and girls and gender equality are essential preconditions for equitable and inclusive sustainable development.
• Specific references and targets should be reflected not only in the context of FA16, but also in the context of other areas, like economic growth, decent work (in particular, stronger references to internationally agreed social and environmental standards as defined by ILO and relevant multilateral environmental treaties, especially in view of the promotion of sustainable consumption and production);
Focus Area 1: Poverty eradication, building shared prosperity and promoting equality
• A truly transformative agenda should be focused on measuring well-being rather than per capita income alone. The multi-dimensional character of poverty implies moving beyond considering only the population living below the poverty line, but also those who, being above that threshold, have high levels of vulnerability.
• We welcome the focus on disaster reduction and resilience;
• Poverty eradication in the post-2015 agenda can only be pursued through sustained and inclusive economic growth while eliminating corruption. A target on access to information beyond financial flows for eliminating corruption and elimination of discrimination and inequalities are essential in breaking the circle of poverty and in providing the adequate social protection to reduce vulnerabilities of the poor.
• Target c) - While it is positive that there is a target on social protection under poverty eradication, the formulation needs further improvement. We would propose a commitment to ensure universal social protection floors for all people.
Note: The ILO Recommendation No.202 concerning National Floors for Social Protection is an instrument of international public law that member states should take into account when formulating the post-2015 agenda. It establishes core content for the Human Right to Social Security as expressed in Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.
• Further, we suggest that target 1e include reference to achieving decent work for all, including by women and young people.
• We welcome the language target f), but would like to see references to inheritance “ensure equality of opportunity for all women and men, including secure rights to own land, property and inheritance and other productive assets and access to financial services for all women and men”.
Note: Equal inheritance rights for women was agreed in GA resolution 68/139 on ‘Improvement of the situation of women in rural areas’, para. 2y); and ‘inheritance and property rights’ were agreed at CSW58, para. 42(k).
Focus Area 2: Sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition
• Realization of the right to adequate food and eradication of hunger are core elements that cannot be achieved without adherence and implementation of internationally recognized standards and guidelines in areas such as: responsible land governance and tenure, fisheries and forests. Ensuring legal framework for consultation and partnerships with local communities is of outmost importance for advancing these goals effectively.
• In point c) “by 2030 ensure sustainable food production systems with high yields, and reduce intensity of use of water by at least x%, chemicals by at least y%, and energy by at least z% “, we believe that a sustainable use of water resources, coupled with good governance could play a crucial role in increasing agricultural yields.
• Target d) we welcome the references to small-holder farmers, as they represent critical “agents of change”, and we strongly support a universal approach in this sense.
• We welcome particular attention given to women food producers.
• We welcome the strengthening of resilience of farming systems to climate change impact.
General:
• Congratulate the co-chairs for the tremendous efforts to capture a great extent of proposals into a condensed and articulated document. We continue to place our confidence your leadership and guidance in moving forward this process towards a successful outcome in the same manner as before.
• We took note of the calls made by some MS to change gear, but we must be reminded that the current working methods were agreed by consensus and any change in the way forward should be agreed by consensus.
• We welcome the revised working document which is a step closer to a concrete and ambitious set of goals and targets, as mandated by the outcome document of the Rio+20 Conference. We welcome the efforts of reducing the number of focus areas and encourage the co-chairs to continue this approach which we consider essential for shifting to a set of goals limited in number, easy to communicate, action – oriented and ambitious.
• Climate change should be visibly integrated in any post-2015 framework, but this could be achieved in a cross-cutting approach that complements and does not compete with other international processes.
• Equality is a fundamental objective which was called and emphasized throughout the process and should be mainstreamed across all focus areas. Eliminating discrimination and marginalization of all kind means setting targets and indicators that measure the actual access to services and goods by targeted groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities or migrants (persons with disabilities only mentioned under sustainable cities and human settlements);
• A human rights-based approach to development is essential to overcome inequality and discrimination that impede social and economic development. Addressing justice, equality and equity, good governance, democracy and the rule of law, with a strong focus on the empowerment and rights of women and girls and gender equality are essential preconditions for equitable and inclusive sustainable development.
• Specific references and targets should be reflected not only in the context of FA16, but also in the context of other areas, like economic growth, decent work (in particular, stronger references to internationally agreed social and environmental standards as defined by ILO and relevant multilateral environmental treaties, especially in view of the promotion of sustainable consumption and production);
Focus Area 1: Poverty eradication, building shared prosperity and promoting equality
• A truly transformative agenda should be focused on measuring well-being rather than per capita income alone. The multi-dimensional character of poverty implies moving beyond considering only the population living below the poverty line, but also those who, being above that threshold, have high levels of vulnerability.
• We welcome the focus on disaster reduction and resilience;
• Poverty eradication in the post-2015 agenda can only be pursued through sustained and inclusive economic growth while eliminating corruption. A target on access to information beyond financial flows for eliminating corruption and elimination of discrimination and inequalities are essential in breaking the circle of poverty and in providing the adequate social protection to reduce vulnerabilities of the poor.
• Target c) - While it is positive that there is a target on social protection under poverty eradication, the formulation needs further improvement. We would propose a commitment to ensure universal social protection floors for all people.
Note: The ILO Recommendation No.202 concerning National Floors for Social Protection is an instrument of international public law that member states should take into account when formulating the post-2015 agenda. It establishes core content for the Human Right to Social Security as expressed in Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.
• Further, we suggest that target 1e include reference to achieving decent work for all, including by women and young people.
• We welcome the language target f), but would like to see references to inheritance “ensure equality of opportunity for all women and men, including secure rights to own land, property and inheritance and other productive assets and access to financial services for all women and men”.
Note: Equal inheritance rights for women was agreed in GA resolution 68/139 on ‘Improvement of the situation of women in rural areas’, para. 2y); and ‘inheritance and property rights’ were agreed at CSW58, para. 42(k).
Focus Area 2: Sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition
• Realization of the right to adequate food and eradication of hunger are core elements that cannot be achieved without adherence and implementation of internationally recognized standards and guidelines in areas such as: responsible land governance and tenure, fisheries and forests. Ensuring legal framework for consultation and partnerships with local communities is of outmost importance for advancing these goals effectively.
• In point c) “by 2030 ensure sustainable food production systems with high yields, and reduce intensity of use of water by at least x%, chemicals by at least y%, and energy by at least z% “, we believe that a sustainable use of water resources, coupled with good governance could play a crucial role in increasing agricultural yields.
• Target d) we welcome the references to small-holder farmers, as they represent critical “agents of change”, and we strongly support a universal approach in this sense.
• We welcome particular attention given to women food producers.
• We welcome the strengthening of resilience of farming systems to climate change impact.