The Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, in her capacity as President of the United Nations General Assembly for the Environment, called yesterday, Tuesday in New York, for the establishment of solid governance to achieve the goals of sustainable development, by 2030.
During a side event within the framework of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held at the initiative of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, under the title “Accelerating recovery from COVID-19 and fully implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels,” Ms. Benali highlighted that ” With solid governance, backed by economic policies, we can lay the foundations for the change needed to save the SDGs.”
She indicated that achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030 depends on significant changes and increases in public and private financial flows, debt and investment patterns, including the water, food and energy sectors, highlighting that developing countries need extensive access to low-cost financing to enhance their capabilities and review accounting systems. and policy frameworks, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The President of the United Nations General Assembly for the Environment stressed that these changes require partnerships within the framework of North-South cooperation, South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation, calling for urgent attention to strengthening the interaction between science, politics and decision-making.
Ms. Benali also noted that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the post-Covid recovery period and rebuilding degraded ecosystems requires benefiting from the scientific knowledge and skills of indigenous peoples, strengthening the governance of these goals, mobilizing financing and envisioning comprehensive solutions, to restore the health of the planet.
She also stressed the need to strengthen the links between preserving biodiversity and its sustainable exploitation and public health, according to the One Health approach, and securing livelihoods through sustainable and resilient infrastructure, especially in cities, highlighting the need to integrate the true value of nature. Within the financial structure and economic systems to encourage transformative changes, allowing policies to overcome environmental, economic and social challenges simultaneously, to achieve the goals of sustainable development.
“We have no choice but to strengthen governance to ensure a fair acceleration of recovery for the benefit of all, and to commit to finding innovative solutions by strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors,” the minister said.
In this regard, the President of the United Nations General Assembly for the Environment indicated that the World Summit on Sustainable Development Goals, scheduled to be held next September in New York, is an opportunity to renew commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its goals.
The UN Environment General Assembly is a global decision-making body on the environment that serves as a political platform that brings together, in particular, ministers in charge of the environment of the 193 UN member states as well as observer states, organs of the UN system, intergovernmental organizations and relevant actors. This body meets every two years to set global environmental policy priorities and develop international environmental law.
Mrs. Benali headed an important delegation to participate in the high-level political forum on sustainable development, in the presence of Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, and senior officials from the Ministry and the High Commissioner for Planning.
The UN Forum meets annually, under the supervision of the Economic and Social Council, and every four years with the participation of leaders of states and governments under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly.
State leaders will meet on September 18 and 19 in New York, in order to track the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.
