UAE pledges to leave no one behind to shift world onto sustainable and resilient path
The UAE has pledged to "leave no one behind" so as to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path toward achievement of the new Millennium Development Goals 2030 declared by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
This commitment falls within its continuous efforts to implement "the Millennium Development Goals" and achieve the targets underlined in the 2030 development plan launched by the UNGA.
The UAE's pledge came during a speech delivered by Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Development, on Saturday during her participation alongside an official delegation in the Sustainable Development Goals 2015 Summit.
The summit was held over three days (25-27 September) at the UN headquarters in New York. The UAE's participation at the summit meetings came on the sidelines of the 70th Regular Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, which closes on 6th October.
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi said that the UAE is striving to achieve the targets laid out in the "Sustainable Development Plan 2030," in which access to clean energy, the provision of food, education, and health care, sustainable economic growth, and protection of the environment are seen as priority issues by the wise leadership.
"After years of preparations, which included joint negotiations among governments and long consultation sessions, the plan has come to light, proving our commitment and determination to create a better world," Sheikha Lubna added.
In her address, she called on world countries and members of the United Nations to unite efforts in order to pass this critical stage right up to the year 2030 and beyond.
The set of "sustainable development goals" reflect a new global consensus on what the world should look like in the next 15 years: a world without poverty, where citizens enjoy the right to education and health, and a safe world where communities enjoy well-being and economic prosperity in a sustainable clean environment.
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi highlighted success stories in sustainable development achieved by the UAE, most notably setting targets to increase aspects of the use of clean energy through the deployment of safe solar and nuclear energy applications; the diversification of the state's economy through innovation, research, and development; and investment in human capital.
In the same context, the UAE has supported the equal participation of women in all aspects and spheres of society. It has also protected land and maritime biodiversity through the establishment of reserves, increasing the sustainable use of water resources, and the establishment of sustainable urban communities, such as Masdar City, in addition to its commitment to combat the effects of climate change through active and effective participation in international negotiations concerned with the mitigation of this phenomenon.
"UAE aid has provided support for a number of key areas in the development plan for 2030, including infrastructure development, the supply of aid to provide health care and renewable energy, and humanitarian assistance during emergency times and crises."
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi said that achieving the sustainable development goals requires the provision of a huge amount of resources, whereby the international community will need to look beyond the traditional means for resource mobilisation, which the UAE believes is an essential factor to achieve the development plan of 2030.
She noted that stakeholders should seek to forge new and innovative partnerships to be able to acquire unexploited resources, which are needed to finance development and investment. She stressed that the main issue is not to raise more resources, but to address the causes for the failure of the current methods, and to create a supportive environment for trade and exchange by reducing investment risk and enhancing partnership opportunities between the public and private sectors.
The summit meetings were attended by a senior official delegation from the UAE that included Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations, , Dr. Thany Alzeyoudi Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Najla Al Kaabi, Undersecretary Assistant for International Cooperation from MICAD, Razan Al Mubarak, Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and Majid Al Suwaidi, Counsellor at the UAE Mission to the UN and lead negotiator on climate change.
The 193 member states of the United Nations approved last August an ambitious plan entitled "Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," a roadmap aimed at ending poverty in the world and building a decent life for all without exclusion over the next 15 years.
The plan includes 17 goals for sustainable development, detailed in 169 items, most notably "the eradication of all forms of poverty in the whole world," while the remaining goals range between securing advances health care and education, reducing disparities, and achieving gender equality.
The plan also includes a pledge by member states to take "urgent measures to combat climate change, in particular through reaching an agreement during the climate conference scheduled to be held in Paris at the end of November. |
