Roundup: Top UN official urges quicker pace to carry out new global development agenda

A top UN official on Monday called upon all the 193 UN member states to accelerate the implementation pace of the "ambitious and transformative" development agenda by boosting efforts to overcome persistent challenges, new obstacles and unforeseen setbacks in today's turbulent world.

"Achieving the SDGs (the sustainable development goals) is a monumental task. There is no country in the world where all people have equal opportunities to fulfil their aspirations," UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said at the opening of a three-day ministerial meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development at UN Headquarters in New York.

"Every country has poverty and inequalities to address," he said. "Every country has environmental problems to remedy."

The forum, convened under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is part of a 2016 high-level segment being held here on July 18-22.

Bringing together representatives from UN member states, civil society actors, academia and the private sector, the forum represents the culmination of ECOSOC's 2016 cycle and addresses the Security Council's overall annual theme, "Implementing the post-2015 development agenda: moving from commitments to results."

"Different countries have different challenges. But we know we will all need to change our mindsets and how we act to effectively implement this ambitious new agenda," Eliasson said on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who is currently in South Africa for the International AIDS Conference.

The deputy secretary-general noted that when member states met at the same forum last year, they were just weeks away from the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development -- a 15-year anti-poverty, pro-planet action plan -- although they did not reduce the level of ambition during those negotiations.

Meanwhile, he also highlighted that it is reassuring that many countries have already started a "serious process" of implementation, building on lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight anti-poverty targets to be reached by the end of 2015, as well as their own experiences, while other countries are working on setting the stage for implementation.

"The shift from the MDGs to the SDGs is huge," Eliasson said. "The Sustainable Development Goals are universal, integrated, indivisible and mutually re-enforcing."

The SDGs, approved by world leaders in September 2015, serves as the blueprint for the global development efforts for the next 15 years.

New ways of thinking, acting and organizing, particularly at the country level, are needed, along with different ways of communicating and clear ways of measuring progress, he said.

For its part, the forum has a unique and crucial role in following up and reviewing implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Eliasson said, noting that the complexity of the meeting's tasks will require progressive adjustments, especially with regard to national voluntary reviews.

"We live in a turbulent world with growing uncertainties about the road ahead," he said. "There are polarizing, inward-looking trends. At the same time, the world is a world of promises and opportunity with many, many working to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of our peoples."

"If we work together, both inside and between nations mobilizing all good forces we can achieve a better world of peace, opportunity and dignity for all," he said.

In addition to the ministerial-level meeting, the high-level segment also includes a dialogue with international financial and trade institutions, a thematic discussion and a dialogue with the executive secretaries of the regional commissions.

Also speaking at the forum was ECOSOC President Oh Joon, the South Kirean UN ambassador who highlighted that the council's role is essential for successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

"This year's work, in particular, represents a threshold, a new beginning, and a higher level of expectation for how the multilateral system will function at the global level in keeping with the Agenda's vision," Oh said.

"The world is watching to see how we use this precious opportunity," he added.

Oh noted that the theme of this year's forum, "Ensuring that no one is left behind," represents the solemn promise made to the world when the international community agreed on the 2030 Agenda.

In order to deliver on that promise, the voices of all UN member states must be heard, from all regions and all sectors, he said, adding that the forum must be the "global early warning system to ensure that we act together in time and adjust our actions when needed." Enditem