March 28, 2024

Special Event to follow-up efforts made towards achieving the Millenium Goals

Address by Ambassador Evripides L. Evriviades, Political Director

Round Table Two, 68th Session of the General Assembly

25 September, 2013

It is a great honor for me to address this Special Event to follow-up efforts towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Millennium Declaration and the Rio+20 outcome remain central reference documents when considering a post-2015 framework. The eradication of poverty in all its dimensions and the promotion of sustainable development are intrinsically linked and mutually reinforcing. The post-2015 process should strengthen the international community’s commitment to these and set out a comprehensive and coherent framework for effective delivery and results. The new agenda must go beyond the MDG’s, putting a greater focus on the poorest and most excluded, reducing inequalities, and addressing the need to promote sustainable development, including – but not exclusively – sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

The MDGs constitute the most successful anti-poverty campaign by the international community. Since we have adopted the goals in 2000, there have been remarkable achievements in a number of fields, with meeting the goal of halving poverty by 2015 being just one of them.  But much more needs to be done in order to tackle poverty rates, hunger, climate change and natural disasters. Now is the time to accelerate our efforts. We have two years ahead of us to meet the MDGs and action is needed by all countries, developing and developed together involving all stakeholders. As we try to define our new vision for sustainable development after the year 2015, the MDG campaign will stand as a beacon of hope and a shiny example of the determination and resolve of the international community to bring real positive change in our lives and our planet.

Cyprus is fully committed and ready to assume its own share of responsibility in order, both individually but also together with all our partners in the EU and beyond, to achieve poverty eradication and sustainable development.

We attach great importance and are fully committed to sustainable development. As member of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, Cyprus is actively engaged to develop global Sustainable Development Goals which should be coherent with and integrated in the UN development agenda beyond 2015. This should not divert or hold back our efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. We remain committed to help achieve the MDGs by 2015. This is why we support the effective coordination of the work for the development of SDGs with all other processes aiming at defining the post-2015 development agenda. In this regard, the Report of the High Level Panel on Post-2015 to the UN Secretary General is an important added value in the process.

Our aspiration is to have one overarching framework for Post-2015 with global objectives which should be universal, while responding to the specific needs of countries and regions. It is therefore very important to envisage and agree on a road map which will lead to the convergence of all separate track processes, as well as other relevant processes of the Rio follow-up.

With regard to the financing for sustainable development, it is important to also ensure an integrated approach on the various Means of Implementation of the Rio+20, the post-2015 and other relevant processes so that duplication of efforts is avoided. Official development assistance is still very significant for the achievement of MDGs and future SDGs but yet not enough. We need to think out of the box with regard to new sources of finance including innovative mechanisms of financing for development.

In the Post 2015 framework special emphasis should be given to initiatives relating to democracy, rule of law, human rights, eradicating poverty, improving living standards. Efficient and effective actions for climate adaption and mitigation, such as the facilitation of investment for inclusive green growth are important elements for achieving a transformational change towards sustainable development.

We strongly support a rights-based approach encompassing all human rights, including fundamental principles and rights at work. We also aim at consolidating and supporting democracy, rule of law and the principles of international law.