Distinguished Participants,Ladies and gentlemen,Colleagues and friends,
I am very happy to welcome you to this presentation of the Global Sustainable Development Report, which was launched in New York in September.
I am also pleased to welcome Dr. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Professor of climatology and environmental sciences at the Universit¨¦ catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and former vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is a member of the distinguished independent groups of scientists who have drafted this report.
The Global Sustainable Development Report, or GSDR, was born in the Rio + 20 outcome in 2012. It was there in Brazil, at the Rio+20 conference, when Member States highlighted the importance of strengthening the ties between science and policymaking. They called for a report to enhance and deepen this relationship. Indeed, they understood that pursuing sustainable development is inherently complex. It requires simultaneous and integrated work on social, economic and environmental challenges. It requires that scientific insights are absolutely essential in order to make genuine progress.
In 2016, Governments requested the United Nations Secretary-General to appoint a group of 15 independent scientists to prepare this report. The Independent Group of Scientists ¨C comprised of social and natural scientists representing a wide range of disciplines and regions ¨C worked for three years, supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, together with a task team of five other UN agencies.
The result is the current report, aptly named ¡°The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development.¡±
Distinguished Participants,
The report finds that the world is not on track to achieving the 2030 Agenda. In particular, we are at risk of missing the poverty eradication target, hunger is on the rise, and progress towards gender parity is too slow. Inequalities in wealth and income are increasing in many countries. And inequalities in opportunities are limiting chances for upward mobility. Vulnerable populations¡ªin countries in special situations, in conflict and post-conflict settings, migrants, women, youth, older persons and people with disabilities ¨C continue to be at risk of being left behind.
The Report also finds that we are approaching tipping points in biodiversity loss and green-house gas emissions.
The GSDR thus reinforces what we all know--sustainable development, poverty eradication and climate action are inextricably linked. Furthermore, the window within which we must take action, is within this coming decade. In the face of such urgency, science can be a guide to the bold and large scale transformations that are needed to get back on track.
The GSDR recommends action along six entry points. These were chosen on the basis of very strong interconnections across SDG goals and targets. These interconnections indicate the potential for realizing lasting co-benefits. However, they also warn us that we must alleviate the equally strong trade-offs.
I will leave it to our distinguished guest to discuss these entry points further.
The GSDR also describes how all of society needs to act together to realize the transformative potential of these entry points. I was pleased to also see the call for action to address gaps in scientific knowledge and capacity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The response to this Report has been impressive. It has already helped inform the outcome of the SDG Summit, and we trust that its findings and action will help inspire action on the ground. My Department stands ready to support these efforts.
I would now like to invite Dr. van Ypersele, for a more in-depth introduction to the findings of the GSDR.
I am very happy to welcome you to this presentation of the Global Sustainable Development Report, which was launched in New York in September.
I am also pleased to welcome Dr. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Professor of climatology and environmental sciences at the Universit¨¦ catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and former vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is a member of the distinguished independent groups of scientists who have drafted this report.
The Global Sustainable Development Report, or GSDR, was born in the Rio + 20 outcome in 2012. It was there in Brazil, at the Rio+20 conference, when Member States highlighted the importance of strengthening the ties between science and policymaking. They called for a report to enhance and deepen this relationship. Indeed, they understood that pursuing sustainable development is inherently complex. It requires simultaneous and integrated work on social, economic and environmental challenges. It requires that scientific insights are absolutely essential in order to make genuine progress.
In 2016, Governments requested the United Nations Secretary-General to appoint a group of 15 independent scientists to prepare this report. The Independent Group of Scientists ¨C comprised of social and natural scientists representing a wide range of disciplines and regions ¨C worked for three years, supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, together with a task team of five other UN agencies.
The result is the current report, aptly named ¡°The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development.¡±
Distinguished Participants,
The report finds that the world is not on track to achieving the 2030 Agenda. In particular, we are at risk of missing the poverty eradication target, hunger is on the rise, and progress towards gender parity is too slow. Inequalities in wealth and income are increasing in many countries. And inequalities in opportunities are limiting chances for upward mobility. Vulnerable populations¡ªin countries in special situations, in conflict and post-conflict settings, migrants, women, youth, older persons and people with disabilities ¨C continue to be at risk of being left behind.
The Report also finds that we are approaching tipping points in biodiversity loss and green-house gas emissions.
The GSDR thus reinforces what we all know--sustainable development, poverty eradication and climate action are inextricably linked. Furthermore, the window within which we must take action, is within this coming decade. In the face of such urgency, science can be a guide to the bold and large scale transformations that are needed to get back on track.
The GSDR recommends action along six entry points. These were chosen on the basis of very strong interconnections across SDG goals and targets. These interconnections indicate the potential for realizing lasting co-benefits. However, they also warn us that we must alleviate the equally strong trade-offs.
I will leave it to our distinguished guest to discuss these entry points further.
The GSDR also describes how all of society needs to act together to realize the transformative potential of these entry points. I was pleased to also see the call for action to address gaps in scientific knowledge and capacity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The response to this Report has been impressive. It has already helped inform the outcome of the SDG Summit, and we trust that its findings and action will help inspire action on the ground. My Department stands ready to support these efforts.
I would now like to invite Dr. van Ypersele, for a more in-depth introduction to the findings of the GSDR.
File date:
Tuesday, December 10, 2019