Dear Mr President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its Member States.
Mr President,
Distinguished colleagues,
At the beginning of this process, we stressed the unique opportunity we had in front of us – not just to re-invigorate multilateralism, reaffirm and bolster our commitments to the three interrelated UN pillars, and work towards turbo-charging the SDGs, but also to re-building much needed trust and overcoming artificial polarizations among us. Through the excellent work of our co-facilitators, Germany, Namibia, Sweden, Zambia, the Netherlands, Jamaica, Austria and Kuwait, your leadership, Mr President, and all our collective efforts to seek ambition and compromise, we believe we have succeeded.
In resounding echoes, across the Action Days, the Summit’s General Debate, and its interactive dialogues, we have heard a clear reaffirmation of our global commitment to multilateralism, with the UN at its centre. With the adoption of the Pact, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations, we have committed to a comprehensive set of actions. Yes, reform is needed to make the system more effective and representative of today’s realities. And, we stand ready to, jointly, “walk through the unlocked door” [quote by Secretary-General Guterres]. We need political will to implement these pledges and turn words into action.
[On peace and security]
At the forefront of the Pact, we have re-committed to the principles of the UN Charter and international law, including international humanitarian law. It is our foundation and the basis of work we undertake in the three, interrelated pillars of the UN. We call on all to uphold these commitments, faithfully, now, more than ever, including the condemnation of acts of aggression.
To make our world safer and address the increasingly complex crises, we endeavour (i) to address the root causes of conflict, paying particular attention to the prevention of conflict and the elaboration of national prevention strategies, (ii) to reform the UN Security Council, (iii) to adapt UN peace operations, (iv) to accelerate the implementation of our commitments on women, peace and security, and (v) we have called to refrain from acts of aggression. We acknowledged the increasingly important role of regional organisations to discuss matters pertaining to peace operations, peacebuilding and prevention, and conflicts.
Let us look forward to following up on the Pact’s implementation – and call on all to be ambitious while doing so. The EU would like to outline two areas in particular where we believe further efforts are needed.
Numerous new threats lie ahead of us and we will need to heighten our aims further – in particular in the area of cybersecurity, and the fight against mis- and disinformation, we must act with greater comprehensiveness and effectiveness. Further, we have heard it in the General Debate of the Summit numerous times: climate change is a threat amplifier. We, together with countless other UN member states, were disappointed with the last-minute deletion of the Action on climate, peace & security. But not including it as a separate action does not make it disappear as a major reality on the ground, and the European Union remains committed to move forward on the climate, peace and security agenda.
[On sustainable development]
Indeed, climate remains one of the crucial challenges for present and future generations. Short-term vision, or backtracking, was no option. We expressed our deep concern about the slow pace of progressing in addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and by address the adverse impact of climate change and other environmental challenges on the ability to enjoy human rights, especially the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. We reaffirmed the Paris Agreement and re-committed to the landmark outcomes of the UAE Consensus, including reaffirming our collective pledge to transitioning away from fossil fuels and to submit 1,5-aligned NDCs for 2035. The Pact sent a strong signal that further progress at COP29 is urgently needed. Let us recall that the slow pace of progress also spans to tackling environmental degradation. It is humbling, yet of utmost significance, to acknowledge that we must strengthen our international environmental governance and accelerate the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements. Building synergies and cohesiveness will be crucial for the future – also to preserve our global commons and fight for zero hunger. We also underline that the common but differentiated responsibilities are reflected in the strict context of climate action.
The recognition in the GDC that digital technologies unlock new capabilities and opportunities for advancing environmental sustainability is crucial for present and future generations. If we want to ensure that digitalisation works for sustainable development, we also need to focus on the environmental impacts of digitalisation, not as a secondary concern but as a central one. This is particularly relevant when it comes to AI, which is a resource-intensive technology.
We welcome the recognition that sustainable development in all of its three dimensions is a central goal in itself that applies to all countries and that its achievement, leaving no-one behind, is and always will be a central objective of all member states and multilateralism. We will spare no efforts in accelerating achieving the SDGs and in supporting developing countries in pursuing the interrelated objectives of achieving sustainable development, including poverty eradication and promoting sustainable, inclusive, resilient economic growth, and addressing climate change. And in ensuring the full implementation of the Pact’s pivotal pronouncement that “sustainable development and the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.” The recommitment to the 2030 Agenda and localization of its Sustainable Development Goals is key for that purpose.
To address key challenges to sustainable development we must also continue reforming the IFA architecture, a key milestone of the Pact.
The EU and its Member States worked diligently during the Pact’s negotiations to narrow the gaps between opposing views on this issue and ensure a significant level of ambition and numerous detailed actions to accelerate the ongoing reform of the international financial architecture.
As the biggest ODA donors and leading development partners of the UN system and of partner countries around the world, we have from the beginning fully recognised the imperative of mobilizing financing to achieve the SDGs and a more inclusive, just, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world for people and planet, for present and future generations. The Pact will serve as a good basis for our upcoming discussions towards an ambitious outcome of the 4FFD Conference.
We will continue to support strengthening the voice and representation of developing countries, mobilizing additional financing that responds to the needs of developing countries to those most in need. We will support efforts to support developing countries to borrow sustainably to be able to invest in their long-term development.
In that vein we welcome the call for the IMF to undertake a review of ways to strengthen and improve the sovereign debt architecture, building on existing international processes, and engaging all relevant stakeholders including the Secretary-General, the World Bank, the Group of 20 and major bilateral creditors, as well as debtor countries in these efforts. We will support strengthening the system, booting its operational efficiency and effectiveness, to respond impactfully and equitably during systemic shocks and make the financial system more stable. The UN has an important role to play in global economic governance and coordination with international financial institutions, that have independent but complementary mandates, will be crucial in achieving a global system that is more just and fit for purpose.
The Pact recognises our ongoing work and international cooperation on taxation, with the shared goal of making this more effective and inclusive, taking into consideration the work of other relevant fora such as the OECD-G20 Inclusive Framework. This is a critical part of the domestic resource mobilisation necessary, along with investment from all sources, to finance sustainable development.
[On digital]
We welcome the adoption of the Global Digital Compact as a significant step forward in articulating concrete objectives towards bridging all digital divides between and within countries, as well as in the global governance of digital and emerging technologies.
We look forward to the SG’s proposals for innovative voluntary financing options for artificial intelligence capacity-building, understanding that a Global Fund on AI as proposed by the High-level advisory body is only one potential option, among many, and that such proposals should provide clear added-value to existing mechanisms. When it comes to the GDC follow-up and review, we call for caution in order to avoid duplicating efforts and conversations taking place in other fora, notably in Geneva and in the Internet Governance Forum. We need to ensure complementarity and synergies across all spaces.
Regarding the establishment of an Office, incorporating the activities of the existing Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, we look forward to consultations to be held with member states and would emphasise the need for a lean office that focusses on facilitating existing coordination mechanisms and addresses tech crises, such as Internet Shutdowns.
[On human rights, gender and multi-stakeholder engagement]
Finally, we have fully re-committed to universal and indivisible human rights – reflected throughout the Pact, underscoring once more the deep interdependence between human rights, sustainable development and peace and security. Promoting and protecting all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, is a prerequisite for the constant improvement of the well-being and development of individuals. That is also how we appreciate the right to development, as an individual right, to enable the development of an individual. Technological and economic progress, if not anchored in universal UN values and rights, can lead to a stark future for our people and societies, and to the catastrophic degradation of everyone’s humanity and dignity.
Let us underline the crucial role the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has to play in the implementation of the Global Digital Compact. In line with its principles, human rights and the multi-stakeholder approach must be meaningfully embedded in the set-up of new entities derived from the GDC, notably the establishment of an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
We welcome the need for the Secretary-General to give his written assessment on the need for adequate, predictable, increased and sustainable financing of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and human rights mechanisms. We invite the Secretary General to present his findings in a report, including through concrete budget proposals.
Distinguished colleagues,
We have shown great ambition through our crosscutting references for the need of greater gender equality. This ambition must continue when we systematically strive for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels, across fora and processes. In this context, we must, acknowledge that in different cultural, political and social systems, various forms of the family exist, and that they must be respectful of and compatible with gender equality and children’s rights. Our ambition to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health for all must be upheld for youth and future generations in particular.
Finally, let me conclude by expressing our thanks to the Secretary General for convening the SOTF Action Days: they have showcased that working hand-in-hand, with youth, civil society, academia, the technical community and the private sector is in the fabric of multilateralism. Their role will be indispensable for the implementation of the Pact and its annexes, at the UN and on the ground.
The European Union stands committed to continue our efforts to find compromise and closely cooperate across our continents. We owe it to our people to re-build trust among us and to give new hope to a turbulent world.
