RSS
National priorities at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
On 20 July 2016, the Permanent Representative of Romania to the UN, Ambassador Ion Jinga, delivered a statement during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, presenting the national priorities on the subject, at almost a year after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Romanian diplomat highlighted five key priority actions underpinning the implementation of the Agenda 2030: “First, a strong national ownership and leadership of the 2030 Agenda is of a critical importance. In this respect, Romania is undergoing a mapping exercise of existing national policy frameworks, in order to identify gaps and challenges towards localizing the SDGs at national level. Second, sustainable development requires a whole of the government and cross-sectoral approach, which, in Romania, is realized through an inter-ministerial committee gathering all relevant ministries and agencies within our government. Third, we need broad coalitions around the SDGs in our countries. The government commitment is vital, but insufficient on its own. Civil society, business sector and media will have to root behind one another in raising awareness, planning, implementing and monitoring progress made on the 2030 Agenda, and in ensuring accountability for commitments. Parliaments are also at the forefront of these imperatives. They are powerful agents of change and they help bring the SDGs to the attention of the public and the media. The Romanian Parliament adopted in April a comprehensive declaration on the SDGs, the first of its kind, and also co-hosted, together with IPU, a regional parliamentary seminar on SDGs. Fourth, promoting peaceful and democratic societies is an important pillar of the new development agenda. Last, but not least, ensuring the necessary resources for the implementation of the Agenda requires a reorientation of our economies towards sustainability. All available resources must be drawn on for the new agenda – domestic and international, public and private, environmental and developmental.”
Emphasizing Romania’s priority of supporting the accomplishment of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, Ambassador Ion Jinga mentioned that “the strategic objective of Romania’s development assistance is to contribute to the sustainable eradication of poverty, mainly by promoting security and prosperity, supporting the rule of law, stimulating sustainable economic development, fighting climate change and investing in education, in complementarity with other international initiatives.”
Commending the initiative of 22 Member States to share their national experiences in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the Romanian Ambassador stressed that these presentations confirm the solidarity and responsibility in shared efforts to eradicate poverty and take a straight trajectory to sustainable development. Integration of the political, economic, environmental and governance dimensions is critical for the success of the Agenda.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is United Nations central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015.
HLPF in 2016 is the first since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The session included voluntary reviews of 22 countries and thematic reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, including cross-cutting issues, supported by reviews by the ECOSOC functional commissions and other inter-governmental bodies and forums.