Seul le texte prononcé fait foi
Check against delivery
Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
Fifth Session – Follow-up and Review
New York, 20 May 2015
Statement by Switzerland
Co-Facilitators,
Thank you for your detailed summary yesterday, where you raised many important and specific questions.
My delegation considers that we must not answer them all in the intergovernmental negotiation process for the Post-2015 Agenda. From the outset, I wanted to reiterate our message from Monday that we need to work coherently with the other ongoing processes – and in particular the HLPF meeting next month. In this regard, we would like to draw the attention of delegations to the proposal made on behalf of a cross-regional group of 17 countries in March 2015. The proposal outlined how we can divide the work and make the best use of the HLPF meeting in June/July this year. In particular, the proposal indicated that the HLPF this year should be the place to discuss questions regarding specific reporting for the HLPF, link with the substantive work of ECOSOC and the GA and the need for support by an integrated Secretariat.
Secondly, my delegation would like to make a specific comment with regards to the HLPF meeting under the auspices of the GA. As many have said, this meeting every four years will need to become the key moment to draw political attention and mobilize action at the highest level. It must be a real “Call to Action”.
We note that the current set-up means that the next HLPF at the GA level is due to take place in already in 2017. In our view, this will really not give enough time for a meaningful meeting of Heads of State so soon after the Post-2015 Summit. We therefore consider that the Post-2015 Outcome Document should “re-set the HLPF-cycle”, meaning that the next meeting of the HLPF under the GA should only take place 4 years from now, in 2019.
This will allow for a full first cycle of HLPF meetings under ECOSOC before we can truly start reviewing progress on implementation. This also ensures that the HLPF would be aligned to the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review resolution in order to give key political guidance to the UN development system regarding the UN’s specific contribution in implementing the post-2015 agenda.
My third and final point, Co-facilitators, is to clarify our understanding of the thematic component of the review at the HLPF. The HLPF provides a unique opportunity to engage all relevant actors in the currently fragmented landscape of international bodies in a coordinated and synergistic manner. For us, it is clear that the existing platforms that are theme-specific will need to do contribute to the monitoring and reviewing the thematic SDGs. It is the results of those discussions that must feed into the HLPF in a synthesized manner for a discussion that strenghtens integration and synergies.
Thank you.
