General Assembly Hall, New York, USA, Monday 18 September 2023 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio, in his capacity as Chair of the Group of Seven Plus (g7+), today addressed a high-level political forum to discuss progress with and commitment to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, and implementing the 2030 Agenda.
“Today, I attended the Plenary Session at the 2023 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development under the auspices of the UN General Assembly, SDG Summit, which is particularly important as we’re currently at the mid-point of implementing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs — a critical juncture characterised by recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing geopolitical tensions and environmental threats,” he said.
He further called for urgent and ambitious action to rescue the SDGs and deliver progress for people and the planet by 2030, a global plan for sustainable development and support to global public goods related to peace, environmental protection and an inclusive global economy.
“I used the occasion to remind stakeholders of the underpinnings of the SDGs, which were adopted in 2015 and conceived primarily to promote an inclusive development agenda that leaves NO ONE BEHIND.
“I noted in my submission that, since the start of the implementation of this global blueprint, fragile and conflict-affected States are the furthest behind in meeting the SDGs, and this dilemma only worsened with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises, including the triple-planetary crises and food insecurity.
“Therefore, on behalf of the g7+ countries, I submitted the following concrete steps towards achieving the SDGs as we race towards the 2030 target date: 1. Continuously promoting peace and stability as a central theme towards achieving the SDGs; 2. The promotion of resilience as a guiding principle towards achieving the SDG; and 3. Closer collaboration and partnership with development partners working with governments in conflict-affected and fragile countries to enhance development cooperation by addressing complex political, social, and economic realities”.
He concluded by stating that although meeting the SDGs in this decade of action could be challenging, with sustained multilateral support to a holistic national ownership of the 17 SDGs, distinct global leadership, resource mobilisation, capacity building and mutual accountability, specific progress could be achieved.
For More Enquiries: State House Media and Communications Unit
