Minister Molewa leads South African delegation to United Nations' High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
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Introduction
The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa, is leading a South African delegation to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development at the United Nations (UN) in New York, USA, from 17 July to 19 July 2017.
Ministers from across the globe are expected to assess trends related to implementation of Agenda 2030 and identify issues that may affect future achievements and the actions required to address these.
Minister Molewa is set to be participating in the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) High-Level panel discussion on how the development of green and more inclusive economies and financial mechanisms are delivering on the SDGs.
Following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, signed by President Jacob Zuma at the UN in September 2015, the HLPF was designated a central role in overseeing a network of follow-up and review processes for the SDGs at the global level, working coherently with the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC and other relevant organs and forums to develop a negotiated ministerial declaration.
The first Forum was held in 2014. The meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2017 is focusing its discussions on the SDG Goals 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 and 14 including Goal 17, which include the areas of ending poverty, ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture, building resilient infrastructure, conserving and sustainably using the oceans and marine resources for sustainable development in line with the Goal directed at strengthening the means of implementation and revitalisation of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Minister Molewa said South Africa welcomed progress made thus far with regards to the implementation of the SDGs worldwide.
“We note that given the reality of countries being at different levels of development, success will be largely uneven and where progress has been made; there could be under-reporting given the enormous challenge of available, accurate, timely and verifiable data in some countries in Africa and across the developing world,” said Minister Molewa.
The Minister has appealed to the UN Secretary-General that the UN system work collaboratively to share information, tools and expertise necessary for the gathering and centralisation of data sources required to improve the quality of reporting by individual countries.
South Africa commended the work undertaken by the UN Statistics Division in its commitment to the advancement of the global statistical system and called, amongst others, for capacity building in the area of undertaking reporting in developing countries; supporting and improving data collection and quality; ensuring that reporting obligations do not overburden administrations; better aligning and communicating between the sub-national, national, regional and international levels; adopting an inclusive approach when formulating national strategies and ensuring that those strategies are based on sustainable development principles and objectives.
During the 2017 Africa Regional Forum on sustainable development in Ethiopia earlier this year, continental leaders discussed eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in Africa, achieving gender quality and women empowerment, and identifying agriculture, resilient infrastructure, industry, innovation, and sustainable management of marine resources as some of the priority areas for domestic and foreign investments.
Theme and messaging
The Forum is hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) under the theme “Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World”.
Overall objectives and goals
The Forum is taking stock of the overall objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030, adopted at the UN in September 2015.
The set of goals to be reviewed in depth will be the following, including Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, that will be considered each year:
- Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Media related information
19 July 2017 - The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa, has concluded a three-day visit to New York where she led a South African delegation to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development at the United Nations (UN). The Forum was hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) under the theme “Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World”. During the three-day Forum, Parties took stock of the overall objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030, adopted at the UN in September 2015.
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18 July 2017 - Let me take this opportunity Mr President to commend you for the initiative to host an Informal Session of the General Assembly to commemorate Nelson Mandela International Day and thank you for inviting me to make a statement at this august occasion. Nelson Mandela International Day commemorates the lifetime of service Nelson Mandela gave to South Africa and the world. The International Day was launched by a unanimous decision of the United Nations General Assembly on the 18th of July 2009, the birthday of former President Nelson Mandela, affectionately called by his clan name, ‘Madiba.
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Related links / sources
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United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platfrom |
UNECA Regional forum on sustainable development. May 2017 |
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |
Global Partnership for Education |
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