The year 2015 is a defining and transformational moment in the history of sustainable development. Generations will be shaped by the important decisions made by today’s global community.
This year we celebrate the 70thanniversary of the United Nations. Founded by 51 states including Egypt, the UN affirmed our faith in the dignity of humankind and promotes peace, security, social progress, better living standards and human rights.
In September this year, the global community adopted an ambitious and universal development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which recognize the crucial interlinkages among economic, environmental and social issues. Reflecting the spirit of the UN Charter, the Goals aim to end poverty and reduce inequality by 2030, increase prosperity through inclusive economies, protect the planet and promote peaceful societies, through robust partnerships.
The Goals are a result of intensive global consultations withpeople from all walks of life who were asked about the world they want. In Egypt, the UN supported the Government in national consultations where jobs and education emerged as priorities.
The SDGs build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)but go far beyond them with new goals on energy, climate change andjustice among others.
Financing this ambitious agenda has been the subject of much discussion, with the Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July providing an important framework for deliberations. This agenda will rely largely on domestic public and private resources, complemented by Official Development Assistance, public-private partnerships, technology transfer and South-South cooperation.
The United Nations continues to be highly relevant in a fast changing world that facescomplexchallenges transcending borders.
Nearly 900 million people live in abject poverty. Conflicts and terrorism threaten to undermine years of development gains, resulting in anunprecedented displacement of people. The threat of the negative impacts of climate change are massive and real. Unless we reach a universal climate agreement, we risk the lives of our children and future generations.
This year’supcoming Climate Summit in Paris will provide that unique opportunity. As Chair of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment and of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, Egypt has a particularly important role in shaping the new Agreement.
The UN is working in many ways to improve the lives of people:vaccinating children, distributing food aid, creating jobs, supporting migrants and refugees, protecting the environment, natural and cultural heritage, promoting peace-keeping and peace building, gender equality, human rights and the rule of law.
Since the MDGswere adopted in the year 2000 Egypt has made great strides. When I visit our programmes across the country, I am struck by the strength and resilience of Egyptians who are working tirelessly to improve their lives. Through our joint efforts, Egypt reached gender equality in the ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education; halved the mortality rate of children under-five, immunized millions of children and thus eradicated polio and combated the centuries old stigma of Female Genital Mutilation, thus decreasing rates by 13% from 2008 to 2014.
In 2014 in partnership with the Social Fund for Development, 450 public works projectsresulted in 218,000 work days of which more than 40% were for women. 32 Legal Aid offices established in Family Courts in 20 governorates have enabled poor illiterate women to benefit from pro-bono legal services. Support in energy efficient lighting systems in 15 public building, banks, and hotels resulted in a 42% saving on electricity consumption. 950 biogas units in 18 Governorates are providing clean and cost saving energy to poor households. These are just some examples of our work, made possible by national and international collaboration.
The role of young people in promoting the new agenda is criticalas they will bear the brunt of global challenges and leverage new opportunities. In Egypt we support initiatives on youth innovation for skills development, employment, entrepreneurship and digital literacy.
Women’s empowerment lies at the heart of this new development agenda and we are pleased to work in Egypt on several programmes that support women’s social, economic and political advancement.
We celebrate 15 years of Security Council Resolution 1325, that highlights the critical role that women play on issues of peace and security. In Egypt, we are partnering with the Cairo Centre for Conflict Prevention and Peace Building in Africa which also focuses on gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping operations and conflict resolution.
To make the SDG’s more meaningful for Egypt, it is crucial to tailor the global targets to the national context, complemented by quality data to monitor progress. The UN contributes to enriching sustainable development policy debate through thought leadership and flagship policy documents such as UNDP’s National Human Development Reports.Egypt’s Economic Development Conference, the recent opening of the second channel of the Suez Canal, Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the Parliamentary elections are important steps in the right direction to transform the development of the country.
We congratulate Egypt’s seat on the UN Security Council and count on its leadership in advancing the global agenda of building peace, security and promoting development.
Now is the time to seize opportunities and act upon them – from adoption to implementation.
We look forward to partnering with Egypt in advancing this historic development agenda.
