G77 on Post-2015 Development Agenda Launching
Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by H.E. Mr. J. V. Bainimarama, Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji, Chair of the Group of 77, at the Special Event towards achieving the MDGs (New York, 25 September 2013).
While recent assessments indicate progress has been made towards achieving several targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we are cognizant of the implementation gaps and unevenness in advancing these goals. Poverty eradication is at the heart of the global development agenda. It is recognised and affirmed at the Rio+20 Summit last year that poverty remains the greatest global challenge and an indispensible requirement for sustainable development.
We are conscious of the special development challenges of developing countries especially those who have been marginalized and left furthest behind. It is imperative for us, as Heads of State and Government, to use this historical opportunity to reaffirm our collective political commitment and redouble our efforts to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs with a sense of urgency and determination.
The Group of 77 and China reiterates its strong call to address the key implementation gaps of the MDGs and the poverty agenda over the next two years as we elaborate a roadmap towards a post-2015 development agenda. We call for concrete measures towards those countries which need the most of our help to achieve the MDGs. Central to this renewed effort is the urgent need to leverage an enhanced and strong global partnership, building on MDG 8, to accelerate MDG implementation. Our efforts to tackle poverty as a priority must be infused with a spirit of genuine global partnership which recognises the critical importance of the effective means of implementation in developing countries. In this regard, we call on countries to urgently fulfill the ODA commitments they have made, individually and collectively, including the implementation of all commitments made under the global partnership for development to overcome the gaps identified in the MDG Gap Task Force report in 2013.
The Group of 77 and China welcomes the adoption of a negotiated outcome document for this Special Event on the MDGs. This inter-governmentally negotiated outcome document underscores the importance we placed on this high-level meeting of world leaders. It conveys the aspirational message to the world that all States are working together in a collaborative manner with the UN system and other stakeholders to seriously address the implementation gaps of the MDGs. The outcome document also acknowledges the various processes mandated in the Rio+20 Summit that are currently underway, in particular the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals and the inter-governmental committee of experts on financing for development, as well as the process to establish a technology facilitation mechanism to promote the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies. Significantly, this outcome document provides a roadmap for the UN development agenda beyond 2015 while ensuring the primary role of the inter-governmental process in the formulation of this new global development agenda.
As we take the work beyond 2015 and set the stage for an inclusive inter-governmental process, it is important for us to reaffirm our resolve that the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda continue to be guided by the principles and values enshrined in the Millennium Declaration, the outcome document of Rio+20, and the outcomes of all the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and environmental fields. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) is of paramount importance as a guiding principle in crafting the future development agenda as it takes into account and respects the differing national circumstances and development priorities of developing countries.
This Special Event avails us a unique opportunity to call for real transformative changes to the way we address global development challenges. It is time to set the stage and usher in a new era in international development and cooperation. It is time to tell our citizens that we mean business to make the world a better place for everyone. Let us continue to shape the world together through our collective demonstration to safeguard and accelerate the achievements of the MDGs. Let us commit ourselves to build a better future we want!
