Heads of State Political Declaration from September adopted
Resolution adopted by the
General Assembly on 15 October 2019
74/4. Political declaration of the high-level
political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the General
Assembly
Endorses
the political declaration adopted by the high-level political forum on
sustainable development convened under the auspices of the General Assembly,
which is contained in the annex to the present resolution.
Gearing up for a decade of
action and delivery for sustainable development: political declaration of the
Sustainable Development Goals Summit
Our commitment
1. We,
the Heads of State and Government and high representatives, have met at United
Nations Headquarters in New York on 24 and 25 September 2019 at the Sustainable
Development Goals Summit,[1] to
review progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.[2]
2. We
stand firm in our determination to implement the 2030 Agenda as a plan of
action for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership – a plan to free
humanity from the tyranny of poverty and heal and secure our planet for future
generations.
3. We
emphasize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including
extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable
requirement for sustainable development.
4. Today,
we are launching an ambitious and accelerated response to reach our common
vision by 2030, and pledging to make the coming decade one of action and
delivery. We will maintain the integrity of the 2030 Agenda, including by
ensuring ambitious and continuous action on the targets of the Sustainable
Development Goals with a 2020 timeline.
5. We
reaffirm the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one
behind. We will take more tangible steps to support people in vulnerable
situations and the most vulnerable countries and to reach the furthest behind
first.
6. We
also reaffirm the principles recognized in the 2030 Agenda and recall that it
is universal in nature and that its Goals and targets are integrated and
indivisible, balancing the economic, social and environmental dimensions of
sustainable development.
7. We
remain resolved, between now and 2030, to end poverty and hunger everywhere; to
combat inequalities within and among countries; to build peaceful, just and
inclusive societies; to respect, protect and fulfil human rights and achieve
gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; and to ensure the
lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources. We also remain
resolved to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic
growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all, taking into account
different levels of national development and capacities.
8. We
resolve to realize our vision of a world with access to inclusive and equitable
quality education, universal health coverage and quality health care, food
security and improved nutrition, safe drinking water and sanitation,
affordable, reliable and sustainable energy and quality and resilient
infrastructure for all.
9. We
recognize the special challenges facing the most vulnerable countries and, in
particular, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing
countries, small island developing States and countries in conflict and
post-conflict situations, as well as the specific challenges facing
middle-income countries, in pursuing sustainable development.
10. We
reaffirm that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls will
make a crucial contribution to progress across all the Goals and targets. The
achievement of full human potential and sustainable development is not possible
if one half of humanity continues to be denied full human rights and
opportunities.
11. We
also reaffirm that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our
time. We express profound alarm that emissions of greenhouse gases continue to
rise globally, and remain deeply concerned that all countries, particularly
developing countries, are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change.
We emphasize in this regard that mitigation of and adaptation to climate change
represent an immediate and urgent priority.
12. We
commit to achieving a world in which humanity lives in harmony with nature, to
conserving and sustainably using our planet’s marine and terrestrial resources,
including through sustainable consumption and production, to reversing the
trends of environmental degradation, to promoting resilience, to reducing
disaster risk, and to halting ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss.
13. We
recognize that greater efforts are needed to direct and align the means of
implementation of the 2030 Agenda with our Goals, and commit to accelerate the
implementation of commitments across the seven action areas of the Addis Ababa
Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for
Development.[3]
14. In
this endeavour, we must come together in durable partnerships between
governments at all levels, and with all relevant stakeholders, including civil
society, the private sector, academia and youth.
15. The
2030 Agenda is our promise to the children and youth of today so that they may
achieve their full human potential and carry the torch of sustainable
development to future generations.
16. We recognize the many efforts at all
levels since 2015 to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable
Development Goals. We have seen a significant response from national
Governments, cities, local authorities, civil society, the private sector,
academia, youth and other actors. We acknowledge that the Sustainable
Development Goals are increasingly incorporated in national policies, plans,
budgets and development cooperation efforts, and we recognize that private
sector engagement in sustainable investing is growing. Global, regional and
subregional multilateral development and finance institutions have embraced the
Sustainable Development Goals and taken significant steps to incorporate them
into their operations.
17. We
welcome the Secretary-General’s ongoing efforts to reposition the United
Nations development system to better support countries in their implementation
of the 2030 Agenda and we commit to continuing to support his efforts.
18. We
commend the work of the high-level political forum on sustainable development,
meeting under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council since the adoption
of the 2030 Agenda, including its reviews of all 17 Sustainable Development
Goals. The voluntary national reviews presented by 142 countries bear witness
to the efforts at the national level to prioritize integration of the
Sustainable Development Goals into national plans and policies and to bring
together all parts of society in the common endeavour of realizing the 2030
Agenda. We further welcome the efforts at the regional level, including by the
United Nations regional commissions and the regional forums on sustainable
development as well as the contributions of major groups and all other
stakeholders.
19. We
take note with appreciation of the Secretary-General’s progress report on the
Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Sustainable Development Report,
including the identified entry points for transformation and transformative
levers for realizing the 2030 Agenda. We acknowledge the potential of a
systemic and holistic approach, taking into account interlinkages between Goals
and targets. The reports show that we have achieved progress in some areas,
such as in reducing extreme poverty and child and neonatal mortality; improving
access to electricity and safe drinking water; and expanding the coverage of
terrestrial and marine protected areas.
20. At
the same time, we are concerned that progress is slow in many areas.
Vulnerabilities are high and deprivations are becoming more entrenched.
Assessments show that we are at risk of missing the poverty eradication target.
Hunger is on the rise. Progress towards gender equality and the empowerment of
all women and girls is too slow. Inequalities in wealth, incomes and
opportunities are increasing in and between countries. Biodiversity loss,
environmental degradation, discharge of plastic litter into the oceans, climate
change and increasing disaster risk continue at rates that bring potentially
disastrous consequences for humanity.
21. We
recognize that international migration is a multidimensional reality of major
relevance for the development of countries of origin, transit and destination.
22. Violent
extremism, terrorism, organized crime, corruption, illicit financial flows,
global health threats, humanitarian crises and forced displacement of people
threaten to reverse much of the development progress made in recent decades.
23. In
many parts of the world conflicts and instability have endured or intensified
and natural disasters have become more frequent and intense, causing untold
human suffering and undermining the realization of the Sustainable Development
Goals. Our ability to prevent and resolve conflicts and build resilient,
peaceful, just and inclusive societies has often been fragmented and
insufficient.
24. We recognize the urgent need to accelerate
action on all levels and by all stakeholders, in order to fulfil the vision and
Goals of the 2030 Agenda. We also emphasize the need for concerted action
across all relevant major United Nations conferences and summits in the
economic, social and related fields, including the Addis Ababa Action Agenda,
which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda, the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction 2015–2030,[4]
the New Urban Agenda,[5]
the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the
Decade 2011–2020,[6]
the Vienna Programme of Action for the Landlocked Developing Countries for the
Decade 2014–2024[7]
and the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.[8] We recognize the synergies between the implementation of the 2030
Agenda and the Paris Agreement.[9]
25. We welcome the voluntary actions pledged by
leaders at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit and throughout this
high-level week.
26. We
request the Secretary-General, as a follow-up to the Sustainable Development
Goals Summit and the reports on progress on the Goals, and in the lead‑up to
the summit to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, to
engage Governments, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders in
generating solutions and accelerating action to address systemic gaps in
implementation, as we embark on a decisive decade for the 2030 Agenda. We also
call upon the Secretary-General to organize an annual moment to highlight
inspiring action on the Goals, in the context of the general debate of the
General Assembly.
27. To
demonstrate our determination to implement the 2030 Agenda and achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals, we need to do more and faster. To this end, we
commit to:
(a) Leaving no one behind: we will place
a focus on the poorest and most vulnerable in our policies and actions. People
who are vulnerable must be empowered. Those whose needs are reflected in the
2030 Agenda include all children, youth, persons with disabilities, people
living with HIV/AIDS, older persons, indigenous peoples, refugees and
internally displaced persons and migrants. We intend to see the Goals and
targets met for all nations and peoples and for all segments of society. And we
will endeavour to reach the furthest behind first. We commit to targeted and
accelerated action to remove all legal, social and economic barriers to achieve
gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and the realization
and enjoyment of their human rights;
(b) Mobilizing
adequate and well-directed financing: in order to close the financing
gap for the Sustainable Development Goals, Governments, the private sector and
other stakeholders need to increase the level of ambition in domestic, public
and private resource mobilization, strengthen the enabling environment for
sustainable investments and deliver on commitments to international development
cooperation. We will ensure that policies and actions
reach those furthest behind, aiming at financial inclusion, and supporting the
competitiveness of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, including women-
and youth-owned enterprises. We will also strive to increase our level of
ambition on the non-financial means of implementation, including promoting a
universal, rules-based, open, transparent, non‑discriminatory and equitable
multilateral trading system, recognizing that international trade is an engine
for development;
(c) Enhancing national implementation:
we pledge to lift the level of ambition of our national responses to the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda, while respecting national processes and
ensuring ownership. To this end, we aim to proactively mainstream the 2030
Agenda into our national planning instruments, policies, strategies and
financial frameworks;
(d) Strengthening institutions for more
integrated solutions: we will proactively develop effective, accountable
and transparent institutions at all levels and ensure more responsive,
inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making processes. We will
strive to equip domestic institutions to better address interlinkages,
synergies and trade-offs between the Goals and targets through a
whole-of-government approach that can bring about transformative change in
governance and public policy and ensure policy coherence for sustainable
development;
(e) Bolstering local action to accelerate
implementation: we commit to empower and support cities, local authorities
and communities in pursuing the 2030 Agenda. We recognize their critical role
in implementing and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals;
(f) Reducing disaster risk and building
resilience: we undertake to pursue policy, investment and innovation to
reduce disaster risk and build the resilience of countries, economies,
communities and individuals to economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters;
(g) Solving challenges through international
cooperation and enhancing the global partnership: we recognize that the
integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals requires a global
response. We renew our commitment to multilateralism, to find new ways of
working together and to ensure that multilateral institutions keep pace with
the rapid changes taking place. We further commit to finding peaceful and just
solutions to disputes and to respecting international law and the purposes and principles
of the Charter of the United Nations, including the right to self-determination
of peoples and the need to respect the territorial integrity and political
independence of States;
(h) Harnessing science, technology and
innovation with a greater focus on digital transformation for sustainable
development: we will promote research, capacity-building initiatives,
innovation and technologies towards advancing the Sustainable Development Goals
and promote the use of scientific evidence from all fields to enable the
transformation to sustainable development. We will promote and support quality
education and lifelong learning to ensure that all children, youth and adults
are empowered with the relevant knowledge and skills to shape more resilient,
inclusive and sustainable societies that are able to adapt to rapid
technological change. We will foster international cooperation to support
developing countries in addressing their constraints in access to technologies
and education;
(i) Investing in data and statistics for
the Sustainable Development Goals: we commit to strengthen our national
statistical capacities to address the gaps in data on the Sustainable
Development Goals in order to allow countries to provide high-quality, timely,
reliable, disaggregated data and statistics and to fully integrate the
Sustainable Development Goals in our monitoring and reporting systems. We
encourage international cooperation supporting statistical capacity-building in
developing countries, in particular the most vulnerable countries, which face
the greatest challenges in collecting, analysing and using reliable data and
statistics;
(j) Strengthening the high-level political
forum: we pledge to carry out an ambitious and effective review of the
format and organizational aspects of the high-level political forum and
follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the
global level during the seventy-fourth session of the General Assembly with a
view to better addressing gaps in implementation and linking identified
challenges with appropriate responses, including on financing, to further
strengthen the effective and participatory character of this intergovernmental
forum and encourage the peer-learning character of the voluntary national
reviews. We also pledge to advance our efforts in communicating the 2030 Agenda
to the global public to raise awareness and inspire accelerated action.
28. We know the world
we want. We pledge to accelerate our common efforts, now and in the coming
decade to reach this vision by 2030. Rapid change is possible and the Goals
remain within reach if we embrace transformation and accelerate implementation.
[6] Report of the Fourth United Nations
Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Istanbul, Turkey, 9–13 May 2011
(A/CONF.219/7), chap. II.
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