Your Excellencies,
Commissioners Urpilainen and Gentiloni,
Members of the Press,
Colleagues,
Good afternoon.
Allow me to say a few words on behalf of the Deputy-Secretary-General at this joint EU/UN press briefing.
We very much welcome and appreciate the first European Union Voluntary Review, that was presented this morning in the High-level political forum. This is a clear demonstration of the leadership and commitment of the European Union and its Member States to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
I also want to thank Commissioners Urpilainen and Gentiloni for spearheading this very significant initiative.
It is significant because it shows the tremendous effort that is needed to achieve the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda.
The voluntary report outlines the ‘whole of government’ approach adopted by the EU, which places the SDGs at the core of EU policy, legislation and funding.
The EUVR provides a comprehensive, data-driven picture of what the EU is doing to implement the 2030 Agenda and achieve the SDGs. It captures what the EU is doing externally, in relation to each of the SDGs, as well as its internal policies and actions.
As we have heard many times during the HLPF this week, the picture for achieving the SDGs is grim. But it is not too late. This is a pivotal year where we can make up for lost ground.
We can do this nationally. This week we heard 38 countries report what they have done.
We can do this regionally. You just heard the European Union present its honest, yet ambitious report.
And finally, we can do this internationally, within the framework of the United Nations and the High-level Political Forum.
This brings me to the SDG Summit taking place later this year. When world leaders gather for the SDG Summit in September, they must inspire a radical shift - a turning point in SDG implementation.
This starts with an ambitious Political Declaration that generates fresh momentum and higher ambition. And it requires that countries outline clear and concrete plans for making the necessary transformations in the seven years ahead.
As part of its broader contribution to a successful SDG Summit, the UN development system has mobilized behind a set of high impact initiatives to support SDG acceleration efforts.
These Initiatives will serve to engage further support, leadership, investment and contributions to bring progress to scale at country level, in the second half of the SDGs. The work to expand these initiatives for the Summit is underway, and Member States should join this effort. Information on these initiatives is available on the SDG Summit website.
For now, I again thank and congratulate the EU on its first Voluntary Review.
Thank you.