Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you Chair,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Canada, Australia and my own country New Zealand.
Firstly, we wish to reiterate our firm commitment to full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
We recognize that reconciling diverse perspectives is never easy and that multilateralism requires compromise.
However, we would like to register our concern with what we see as a weakening of the sustainable development agenda.
CANZ wishes to recall that gender equality is needed for the full realization of all SDGs. It has been proven time and time again that development efforts are more impactful, resilient and sustainable when they promote gender equality and empower all women and girls.
The votes called today on agreed 2030 Agenda language have been extremely disappointing. This, on top of successive rounds of negotiations have weakened references to gender equality and women and girls’ rights in the Declaration
The omission of language that goes beyond the 2030 Agenda and a text that falls short of language previously agreed in the HLPF context should give all of us pause. Stagnation, or worse, regression, on gender equality norms undermines our sustainable development efforts.
CANZ remains disappointed by the climate language in this Declaration. One of the most urgent actions needed for us to achieve the SDGs is the transition to green economies and renewable energy systems. We were disappointed that we were not able to agree on a reference to the Paris Agreement in the Declaration. We also wish to put on record that we view the Rio Principles as a package, with no single principle taking precedence over others, and that we do not regard the formula in paragraph 13 as setting a precedent for other UN processes.
CANZ was disappointed by the inclusion of language that we understand to refer to autonomous sanctions, in paragraph 48 with the term “unhindered” and in paragraph 10. CANZ’s long-standing position is that, while sanctions should be used sparingly and applied transparently and consistently, they are a legitimate and legal tool to target egregious conduct that is contrary to fundamental international norms and the rules-based system.
Throughout the process, CANZ, along with others, advocated for the removal of these references due to their divisive nature. That is why we supported the UK amendment to remove the term “unhindered” in paragraph 48. We regret that this amendment was not supported by the majority of member states and we maintain that such language does not contribute positively to this Declaration.
Finally, we consider that the process followed in negotiating this Declaration should have been better. While CANZ engaged constructively and in good faith throughout the process, we do not feel that our highest priority issues and concerns were given equal consideration in the final Declaration.
However, in the spirit of compromise and consensus, we have accepted the final Declaration due to the high importance we place on the issues it addresses, our support for multilateralism, and the priority this text has for our partners.
I thank you Chair.