Summary: 5 October 2009, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union by Mr. Per Örnéus, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden, at the Second Committee General Debate, United Nations
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia, align themselves with this statement.
Mr. Chairman,
I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as the Chairman of the Second Committee. I also extend the European Union's congratulations to the other members of the Bureau. The EU looks forward to working constructively with you and all members of the Committee during this session. I will mention today some areas connected to the work of the Second Committee that the European Union attaches special importance to.
The Second Committee meets in the midst of a global financial and economic crisis, aggravated by the adverse impacts of climate change. The prospects of reaching the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, are in jeopardy. There are signs of a recovery. But they are tentative and do not yet apply to all countries, including the poorest. It is therefore imperative that we stay focused on responding to the crisis and its impact on development.
The deliberations in the Second Committee offer a timely opportunity to discuss different policy options to support the most vulnerable people and to avoid a repetition of the crisis. We should also discuss the opportunities for new approaches that the crisis is presenting, such as green recovery and new technologies for low-carbon growth. The Committee can build on the discussions and outcomes of several important UN events in the recent past, for instance the Financing for Development
follow-up conference in Doha, the ECOSOC spring meeting with the Bretton Woods Institutions, the June conference on the financial and economic crisis and the substantive session of ECOSOC in July. Our deliberations should also benefit from the outcomes achieved in other relevant fora, for instance the recent G8 and G20 meetings and the annual meetings of the Bretton Woods institutions starting tomorrow.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The European Union remains fully committed to supporting the recovery and long term development in the developing countries. We stand by our ODA commitments and reaffirm that aid effectiveness is a principle that should guide all development actors. We reaffirm our strong commitment to the African continent and we will continue to build on the positive changes Africa has undergone in the last decade.
The EU takes a firm stance against protectionism and continues to press for progress in trade liberalization and further integration of the developing countries in the multilateral trading system, including with regard to a global, ambitious and balanced conclusion of the Doha Round in 2010. The European Union maintains its call to others to match the EU in providing duty-free, quota-free market access for all products from all LDCs, thereby helping the LDCs to better use the potential of trade
to promote their own development and speed up their recovery from the effects of the crisis. We further emphasize the importance of aid for trade in supporting the poorest developing countries in their efforts to overcome constraints affecting their own trading potential. Overall public sector stimulus support to the EU economy in 2009 and 2010 is projected to amount to around 5 percent of our combined GDP. This will help spur exports from developing countries.
To ensure that a recovery is sustainable and leads to decent work for all, full attention should be given to creating more inclusive labour markets, active labour market policies, and quality education and training programs in all countries. As growth returns, every country must act to ensure that employment recovers quickly. In this context, the EU welcomes the recently adopted ILO Global Jobs Pact.
An important part of achieving sustainable development and a stable financial system is the ongoing reforms of the governance systems of the international financial institutions. The European Union recognizes the need to increase the voice, quota and representation of underrepresented countries in the Bretton Woods institutions. And we support the reform process under way to this end in those institutions.
Mr. Chairman,
The natural resource base for life and development is ever more imperiled. Contrary to the target to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by next year, substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth persists. Fundamental changes in the way societies produce and consume are indispensible for achieving sustainable development. Following important agreements at the seventeenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in May, the EU looks
forward to the next implementation cycle of Agenda 21 review. With appreciation for the G77 proposal to hold a High-level Event on Sustainable Development in 2012, the EU is prepared to actively engage in discussions about this opportunity to make further progress on enhancing and mainstreaming sustainable development policies that improve the environment, foster green economies and reduce poverty. For an event to be meaningful there has to be broad agreement in this Assembly.
We find ourselves on the threshold of a major transition to a global low-carbon economy. This involves identifying and implementing policies to address climate change, poverty eradication and economic competitiveness. Renewable energies, together with energy efficiency, are key elements in the supply of sustainable energy and in the combat against climate change. Access to sustainable energy supports economic growth and increases quality of life.
The time has come for the international community to make the commitments needed to limit global warming to under 2°C. Simultaneously, there is a need to adapt to adverse impacts of climate change, and to swiftly and adequately support the poorest and most vulnerable countries in this respect, in particular in Africa and Small Island Developing States.
The EU welcomes the determination of world leaders at the Summit on Climate Change on 22 September to urgently address this defining challenge of our time and their support for the step up of action and financing. This consensus at the highest political level must now be translated into an acceleration of the pace of negotiations to reach an ambitious, global and comprehensive agreement in Copenhagen. There is no other option. The EU is ready to engage positively in the discussions on the GA
resolution in order to make a constructive contribution to the forthcoming Conference to the Parties in Copenhagen.
Mr. Chairman,
Supporting the Least Developed Countries, where half of the population live on less than 1.25 dollar per day, continues to be a high priority for the European Union. Their prospects for social and economic development are negatively impacted by the global economic recession, volatile food and energy prices and climate change. The UN´s new Global Impact Vulnerability Alert System will help our collective efforts to monitor the impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable.
It is alarming that one billion people in the world are chronically hungry. Food security is a fundamental requirement for the well-being and economic and social development of any society. Hunger and malnourishment have serious effects on future generations. We need to focus on long term and sustained efforts to ensure food security for all people. At the same time, the European Union remains ready to intervene quickly in case of humanitarian emergencies, as we have done in the past.
The European Union welcomes the food security initiative endorsed at the G8 summit in L´Aquila in July and the commitments made there to mobilize 20 billion US dollars over three years for sustainable agricultural development for food security. The EU also attaches great importance to the World Summit on Food Security at FAO next month. In our view, the Summit should have one clear high-level political objective: to launch a new system of governance of world food security.
As natural disasters form a major impediment for achieving the MDGs, reducing disaster risk and accelerating the implementation of the Hyogo Platform of Action is a critical factor to social and economic development.
Mr. Chairman,
Many children in the world have difficulties to access proper health care and education, due to lack of documentary proof of their existence. And many working poor are vulnerable to exploitation, due to the fact that they depend on the informal sector. Lack of access to services, protection and rights deny people - and especially poor people - the opportunities to improve their lives. The EU recognizes the importance of legal empowerment of the poor as a necessary and effective process to
strengthen the capability of individuals and groups who seek a way out of poverty. We welcome that this topic is put on the agenda of the Second Committee.
Corruption constitutes a fundamental obstacle to good governance and sustainable development. Four years ago, an important tool in the fight against corruption entered into force: the United Nation Convention against Corruption. It is the first legally binding instrument on the subject. According to the Secretary-General´s report, 137 countries have ratified the instrument. This illustrates the determination of the international community to fight corruption. The European Union attaches great
importance to the 3rd session of the Conference of the State Parties in Doha in November this year and calls on all parties to adopt an effective, transparent and inclusive review mechanism.
Mr. Chairman,
Improving gender equality strengthens respect for human rights, reduces poverty and stimulates economic growth and health. It also strengthens the efforts to combat climate change and may help to preempt conflicts and enhance peacebuilding. The European Union warmly welcomes the strong and unanimous support by the General Assembly for the establishment of a new gender entity within the UN system. This is a milestone in strengthening the UN's operational activities. The EU is ready to work with
other Member States to finalize, through a swift process, the remaining details for the new entity. We look forward to the commemoration of ICPD@15 on October 12 and to the ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review, which will focus on gender equality and empowerment of women.
Mr. Chairman,
2015, the target year for attaining the Millennium Development Goals, is approaching. The High-level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs in September next year will be a key opportunity to mobilize momentum for the final stretch. Progress has been made towards reaching the MDGs, but this progress is uneven and has been put in jeopardy by the multiple global crises. We need strong, global commitments for fighting poverty to succeed. Many of the issues discussed here in the Second Committee have direct
impact on countries' possibilities of reaching the MDGs.
A crucial area of our work is strengthening the UN's operational activities so that it can deliver more effectively and efficiently in support of developing countries' national priorities. We can build on the TCPR and the discussions and resolutions on System-wide Coherence. The European Union looks forward to continuing this work, for instance to improve governance and funding of the UN's operational activities, in both the Second Committee and the System-wide Coherence process.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, let me offer the full support of the European Union to your ambition to further improve the working methods of the Second Committee. The rationalization of the agenda of the Committee should continue, for instance through clustering of items and biennialization and triennialization as appropriate. As the EU has expressed before, the rational division of work between the General Assembly and ECOSOC should continue to be pursued. Special events play an important role in
increasing the quality of our deliberations. But the already heavy agenda should not be overburdened by too many of them. The European Union supports the timetable that you have established for the work of the Committee. The session should be concluded in time for the important High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation in Nairobi and the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties on climate change in December.
In closing, let me reiterate the European Union's strong commitment to supporting the long term development in the developing countries. And the fact that we, the European Union, are looking forward to working ambitiously and constructively with you Mr. Chairman and with all United Nations member states in this year's session of the second committee.
Thank you.
* Croatia and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
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