Building back better and advancing the SDGs

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused extensive suffering and death around the world. Beyond the many millions who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, billions of people have had their lives, livelihoods, education, physical and mental health disrupted. Large-scale economic disruption has increased the poverty, hunger and economic vulnerability of hundreds of millions of people.

The pandemic has set back progress towards many SDGs almost everywhere and slowed implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. At the same time, historic progress was made in some areas such as use of ICT for public services. The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) also made major advances with the adoption of the Glasgow Climate Pact. Today’s global challenges, such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the major food, energy and financial crises triggered by the war in Ukraine, along with the deteriorating humanitarian situation, require extraordinary efforts to address the major risks we are facing, with 1.2 billion people living how to make up lost ground and accelerate progress. To some degree, extraordinary measures have been taken by governments in the wake of the pandemic to cushion the impact on the poor and vulnerable populations. Yet, inequalities across countries translate into wide discrepancies in the affordability of emergency health, social protection and economic measures. Moreover, for while addressing risks and shocks, we must also reflect on complex geopolitical situation has further contributed to food insecurity, fuel shortages, spiking inflation and refugee crisis. Countries differ widely in their ability to cushion employment and income shocks through stimulus packages, social protection measures. Inequalities in access to financial resources and the vaccine have hindered the recovery of many. Moreover, many developing countries, the loss of vital sources of foreign exchange – due for example to the near total shutdown of international tourism and travel for many months – has contributed to debt distress and the need for debt relief.

This session at the HLPF in the format of a townhall meeting. This means that the first speakers have been identified but any other participant can then intervene from the floor. The townhall will take stock of where countries and the international community are with regard to implementation of the 2030 Agenda, considering the serious systemic and emerging challenges and setbacks caused by COVID-19, the impacts of the war in Ukraine, the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the risk of a decrease in resources dedicated to development. it will also identify opportunities for “building back better”. In this regard, it will focus on deep structural shifts to make economies more socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. It will look at whether the measures that are being put in place are really advancing the 2030 Agenda, implementing the structural changes it requires, and addressing synergies and trade-offs across the SDGs, while leaving no one behind. It will consider whether these measures take into account the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on vulnerable populations. This session will also address countries at various levels of development identifying impact, but also actions that need to be taken to address the impacts of the food, energy and financial crises and to advance towards a sustainable recovery in countries in special situations and looking at special challenges of middle-income countries.

Proposed guiding questions:

With less than eight years to achieve the SDGs, how can recovery from the pandemic be used to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the SDGs? What lessons learned and opportunities exist to galvanize the political commitment to make the structural reforms we need, and mobilize the financial resources required for a sustainable recovery that advances the SDGs?
How can we limit the negative impacts of the on-going food, energy and financial crises on the SDGs? How can we keep momentum on development while addressing humanitarian needs?
How can synergies be best maximized, and trade-offs minimized to advance accelerated actions to achieve the SDGs, step up climate action and leave no one behind?
Are the emergency social protection and health measures implemented in response to COVID-19 leading to durably strengthening social protection and health systems? Are resources for recovery invested in an environmentally friendly, climate neutral way? How can we ensure that recovery measures are gender-responsive?
How can we address the food security situation, including by building on the outcomes of the Secretary-General’s Food System Summit?
What targeted measures need to be undertaken for countries in special situations to ensure that policies and strategies are advancing the implementation of the SDGs? How can we address the challenges faced by middle-income countries?
What policies, measures and innovations have emerged during the pandemic that hold promise for inclusive and sustainable recovery and how can they be scaled up?

Chair:

Vice President of ECOSOC (Thailand)

Presentation:

Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, presentation of the report of the Secretary-General on the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (E/2022/55)

Followed by a townhall style meeting

(The speaking order in the meeting is thought of as to stimulate an interactive conversation rather than following protocol.)

Moderator :

Mr. Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR

Lead speakers :

H.E. Ms. Marta Lucía Ramírez, Vice-President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia
Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific
Ms. Linda Yueh, Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, Adjunct Professor of Economics, London Business School, and Visiting Professor, IDEAS, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization
H.E. Ms. Li Andersson, Minister for Education of Finland
H.E. Mr. Anar Karimov, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan
Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund
Mr. J. Jaime Miranda, Co-chair of the Independent Group of Scientists for 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report, Research Professor at the School of Medicine and Director of the CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru
H.E. Ms. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development of Egypt
Mr. António Vitorino, Director General of the International Organization for Migration
Ms. Najat Maalla M'jid, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
Mr. George Gyan-Baffour, Chairman of the Government Planning Commission and Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Finance of Ghana
Ms. Vera Katalinić Janković, Special adviser of the Croatian Minister of Health for the Public Health and One Health Approach, Croatia
Ms. Lynrose Jane D. Genon, Member of the Executive Council of Young Women + Leaders for Peace, Philippines
Mr. Ambuj Sagar, Member of the Independent Group of Scientists for 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report, Vipula and Mahesh Chaturvedi Professor of Policy Studies and founding Head of the School of Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Technology, India
Gabriela Zavaleta Vera, Political Advocacy Coordinator, Mas Igualdad Peru (MGoG)
Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI Alliance