Turkey
Distinguished Co-Facilitators,
At the outset, I want to express our appreciation for your guidance throughout the processes of FfD and Post-2015 development agenda.
We are all aware that these two tracks are distinct, yet closely linked and mutually reinforcing processes. Actually, UN Resolution 68/279 on modalities of Third FfD Conference emphasizes, among others, “the need to support UN development agenda beyond 2015”, as well as the need for effective coordination and coherence between the two. Therefore, we believe that Addis Ababa Outcome Document should support and respond to the needs of SDGs. Holding FfD Conference and Post 2015 Summit in the same year is a distinct opportunity to reinforce coherence and synergy between them.
Broadly speaking, we are pleased to see convergence between zero draft of Addis Ababa Accord and Means of Implementation (MoI) of SDGs. We welcome that zero draft contains issues not covered in Monterrey and Doha documents, such as technology, capacity building and follow up. We think that Addis Ababa Accord should raise the ambition level further on several thematic areas which are covered by some goal specific MoIs in SDGs outcome document. For instance, need for international cooperation in education, energy technologies and technological development, and sustainable forest management issues can be further strengthened in the zero draft of FfD. International cooperation in education, particularly increasing number of scholarships available for students from developing countries should be highlighted. Similarly, international collaboration for strengthening research and development in the field of dissemination of clean energy technologies should be emphasized. Additionally, sustainable forest management is a critical tool for conservation of current forests as well as for eradication of poverty, food security and biodiversity. We believe that these minor revisions will increase the value of zero draft of FfD text while adding the crucial aspects of sustainable development. We can share our proposals to this end during the next drafting session of FfD.
Distinguished Co facilitators,
Current financing and investment patterns are far from delivering the needs of financing for SDGs. For many governments unfortunately the fiscal space is very limited. In fact, the problem is not lack of liquidity but how to mobilize existing financial resources for sustainable development.
Turkey is of the view that domestic resource mobilization is a critical element for financing sustainable development. We need to intensify our efforts on different aspects of increasing domestic revenue such as capacity building, fair and effective tax systems, international cooperation in taxation, encouraging women`s participation in labor markets and combatting illicit financial flows.
We want to underscore that ODA flows remain the most important source of development finance particularly for the LDCs. Turkey believes that fulfillment of ODA commitments by developed countries is crucial. It is also essential to reverse the trend of diminishing ODA to least developed countries. We acknowledge that south-south and triangular cooperation are getting more important to support sustainable development. However north-south cooperation continues to be the essential element of international public finance. Southern providers, like Turkey, can only complement, not substitute the north-south cooperation.
We also underline the need to use ODA effectively and in order to strengthen other means of implementation by leveraging domestic resource mobilization, private investments and trade. In order to increase effectiveness of development assistance, needs and circumstances as well as development priorities of beneficiary countries should be taken into account. Recipient countries’ institutional capacity should also be strengthened to better utilize external resources. Measuring of results,
transparency and good governance at all levels should underlie the utilization of development assistance.
Given the magnitude of resources required to achieve SDGs, ODA flows alone are not sufficient to implement our ambitious and comprehensive post-2015 development agenda. In this respect, we give particular importance to chanelling domestic as well as international private resources for sustainable development. But private investors need predictability and confidence. Therefore, it is crucial to create an enabling environment for private sector investments. Here one of the issues that we want to underline is risk perception. Many developing countries, particularly LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs continue to be largely sidelined by FDI flows, despite significant improvement in their investment climates. This highlights the need to have a fair picture of realities on the ground for investors. Multilateral development banks have a strong role to play especially in terms of project prioritization.
On another note, as our Deputy Prime Minister pointed out in his address to ECOSOC on Monday, humanitarian crises undermine our development efforts. There is a need to usher a new era of working between humanitarian and development sectors, especially in humanitarian financing. We believe that the World Humanitarian Summit to be held in Istanbul in May next year, will provide a unique opportunity to address these issues. In parallel to this, we believe we should include the issue of humanitarian financing in the FfD zero draft.
Trade is also important for supporting sustainable development. We need to continue our strong commitment towards Aid for Trade. However it is not sufficient alone. According to WTO figures, 80 percent of international trade is realized by financing such as export credit mechanisms and other means. Therefore it is highly important for developing countries to have an access to financing for trade. It is also important to strengthen universal, rules-based, equitable, non-discriminatory and open multilateral trading system as well as to support
Doha Development Round with its LDC dimension. This year, WTO Ministerial Conference will be held first time on African soil in Kenya. This provides us an important opportunity to highlight the strong development dimension of trade. WTO is the primary platform where these issues will be discussed. But there is a strong synergy between the work in progress within the WTO and post-2015 process.
We cannot overemphasize the role of science, technology and innovation for sustainable development. We support to have a technology facilitation mechanism in our package of means of implementation. Turkey ise willing to share best practices on advancing capacity in the field of research and development and innovation in areas of energy, water, food and health. In parallel to this, Turkey has offered to host the proposed Technology Bank and STI Supporting Mechanism dedicated to the LDCs. We are looking forward to the report of the High Level Panel, which has held its first meeting in İstanbul, to examine and advise on organizational and operational aspects of the proposed Technology Bank.
Let me also mention the need for strengthened multi stakeholder partnership. A well-designed systematic approach helps to achieve SDGs. Current international cooperation, particularly financing and information sharing architecture should be optimized in order to meet SDGs targets. For instance UN agencies can provide an arena to development actors to work closely with recipient countries to focus on country specific needs and gaps.
Political will, ownership, good governance and strong institutions are also crucial for achieving SDGs.
Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls should also be at the center of our discussion on Means of Implementation, not only from a social point of view but also for the enormous development impact of women`s participation in all three dimensions of sustainable development.
Regarding Data and Monitoring, we believe that there should be stronger coordination between national statistical offices in terms of data gathering. It is important to support developing countries in strengthening capacity of national statistical bodies.
Turkey`s G20 Sherpa has briefed the General Assembly this morning on our priorities as well as the relevance of G20`s development agenda to the global development efforts. Here I just want to reiterate that Turkish G20 Presidency aims to get a strong support from G20 countries to the work in progress within the UN on post-2015 development agenda.
Distinguished Co facilitators,
Today is Turkey’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which we celebrate together with all children of the world. Let’s remember on this occasion that the well being and happiness of our children depend on our actions and decisions here to secure a prosperous environment conducive to their human development. As underscored in the Statement by the Group of Friends on Children and SDGs, which Turkey has aligned with, equipping all children with the means and tools to fulfill their full potential is the path to achieving our common goals.
Thank you for your attention.
At the outset, I want to express our appreciation for your guidance throughout the processes of FfD and Post-2015 development agenda.
We are all aware that these two tracks are distinct, yet closely linked and mutually reinforcing processes. Actually, UN Resolution 68/279 on modalities of Third FfD Conference emphasizes, among others, “the need to support UN development agenda beyond 2015”, as well as the need for effective coordination and coherence between the two. Therefore, we believe that Addis Ababa Outcome Document should support and respond to the needs of SDGs. Holding FfD Conference and Post 2015 Summit in the same year is a distinct opportunity to reinforce coherence and synergy between them.
Broadly speaking, we are pleased to see convergence between zero draft of Addis Ababa Accord and Means of Implementation (MoI) of SDGs. We welcome that zero draft contains issues not covered in Monterrey and Doha documents, such as technology, capacity building and follow up. We think that Addis Ababa Accord should raise the ambition level further on several thematic areas which are covered by some goal specific MoIs in SDGs outcome document. For instance, need for international cooperation in education, energy technologies and technological development, and sustainable forest management issues can be further strengthened in the zero draft of FfD. International cooperation in education, particularly increasing number of scholarships available for students from developing countries should be highlighted. Similarly, international collaboration for strengthening research and development in the field of dissemination of clean energy technologies should be emphasized. Additionally, sustainable forest management is a critical tool for conservation of current forests as well as for eradication of poverty, food security and biodiversity. We believe that these minor revisions will increase the value of zero draft of FfD text while adding the crucial aspects of sustainable development. We can share our proposals to this end during the next drafting session of FfD.
Distinguished Co facilitators,
Current financing and investment patterns are far from delivering the needs of financing for SDGs. For many governments unfortunately the fiscal space is very limited. In fact, the problem is not lack of liquidity but how to mobilize existing financial resources for sustainable development.
Turkey is of the view that domestic resource mobilization is a critical element for financing sustainable development. We need to intensify our efforts on different aspects of increasing domestic revenue such as capacity building, fair and effective tax systems, international cooperation in taxation, encouraging women`s participation in labor markets and combatting illicit financial flows.
We want to underscore that ODA flows remain the most important source of development finance particularly for the LDCs. Turkey believes that fulfillment of ODA commitments by developed countries is crucial. It is also essential to reverse the trend of diminishing ODA to least developed countries. We acknowledge that south-south and triangular cooperation are getting more important to support sustainable development. However north-south cooperation continues to be the essential element of international public finance. Southern providers, like Turkey, can only complement, not substitute the north-south cooperation.
We also underline the need to use ODA effectively and in order to strengthen other means of implementation by leveraging domestic resource mobilization, private investments and trade. In order to increase effectiveness of development assistance, needs and circumstances as well as development priorities of beneficiary countries should be taken into account. Recipient countries’ institutional capacity should also be strengthened to better utilize external resources. Measuring of results,
transparency and good governance at all levels should underlie the utilization of development assistance.
Given the magnitude of resources required to achieve SDGs, ODA flows alone are not sufficient to implement our ambitious and comprehensive post-2015 development agenda. In this respect, we give particular importance to chanelling domestic as well as international private resources for sustainable development. But private investors need predictability and confidence. Therefore, it is crucial to create an enabling environment for private sector investments. Here one of the issues that we want to underline is risk perception. Many developing countries, particularly LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs continue to be largely sidelined by FDI flows, despite significant improvement in their investment climates. This highlights the need to have a fair picture of realities on the ground for investors. Multilateral development banks have a strong role to play especially in terms of project prioritization.
On another note, as our Deputy Prime Minister pointed out in his address to ECOSOC on Monday, humanitarian crises undermine our development efforts. There is a need to usher a new era of working between humanitarian and development sectors, especially in humanitarian financing. We believe that the World Humanitarian Summit to be held in Istanbul in May next year, will provide a unique opportunity to address these issues. In parallel to this, we believe we should include the issue of humanitarian financing in the FfD zero draft.
Trade is also important for supporting sustainable development. We need to continue our strong commitment towards Aid for Trade. However it is not sufficient alone. According to WTO figures, 80 percent of international trade is realized by financing such as export credit mechanisms and other means. Therefore it is highly important for developing countries to have an access to financing for trade. It is also important to strengthen universal, rules-based, equitable, non-discriminatory and open multilateral trading system as well as to support
Doha Development Round with its LDC dimension. This year, WTO Ministerial Conference will be held first time on African soil in Kenya. This provides us an important opportunity to highlight the strong development dimension of trade. WTO is the primary platform where these issues will be discussed. But there is a strong synergy between the work in progress within the WTO and post-2015 process.
We cannot overemphasize the role of science, technology and innovation for sustainable development. We support to have a technology facilitation mechanism in our package of means of implementation. Turkey ise willing to share best practices on advancing capacity in the field of research and development and innovation in areas of energy, water, food and health. In parallel to this, Turkey has offered to host the proposed Technology Bank and STI Supporting Mechanism dedicated to the LDCs. We are looking forward to the report of the High Level Panel, which has held its first meeting in İstanbul, to examine and advise on organizational and operational aspects of the proposed Technology Bank.
Let me also mention the need for strengthened multi stakeholder partnership. A well-designed systematic approach helps to achieve SDGs. Current international cooperation, particularly financing and information sharing architecture should be optimized in order to meet SDGs targets. For instance UN agencies can provide an arena to development actors to work closely with recipient countries to focus on country specific needs and gaps.
Political will, ownership, good governance and strong institutions are also crucial for achieving SDGs.
Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls should also be at the center of our discussion on Means of Implementation, not only from a social point of view but also for the enormous development impact of women`s participation in all three dimensions of sustainable development.
Regarding Data and Monitoring, we believe that there should be stronger coordination between national statistical offices in terms of data gathering. It is important to support developing countries in strengthening capacity of national statistical bodies.
Turkey`s G20 Sherpa has briefed the General Assembly this morning on our priorities as well as the relevance of G20`s development agenda to the global development efforts. Here I just want to reiterate that Turkish G20 Presidency aims to get a strong support from G20 countries to the work in progress within the UN on post-2015 development agenda.
Distinguished Co facilitators,
Today is Turkey’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which we celebrate together with all children of the world. Let’s remember on this occasion that the well being and happiness of our children depend on our actions and decisions here to secure a prosperous environment conducive to their human development. As underscored in the Statement by the Group of Friends on Children and SDGs, which Turkey has aligned with, equipping all children with the means and tools to fulfill their full potential is the path to achieving our common goals.
Thank you for your attention.
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