STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR OCH OD,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MONGOLIA
TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE STOCKTAKING SESSION
OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS ON THE
POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
New York, 19 January, 2015
(10.30-13.00 Synopsis of the process: how we got here)
Distinguished co-facilitators,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by South Africa, as the chair of G77 and China as well as by Niger on behalf of the group of landlocked developing countries.
I take this opportunity to thank esteemed co-facilitators, Ambassador Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya, and Ambassador David Donoghue, Permanent Representative of Ireland, for their leadership in advancing the process of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.
My delegation views that the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda should effectively reflect the achievements and lessons learned from the process of implementing the MDGs. It is worth noting that the MDGs set tangible targets for development and have been crucial in forging a global cooperation framework for development.
Mongolia stands strongly committed to achieving the MDGs and the full and complete implementation of the MDGs will be central for us for this year.
Our experience shows that the high growth does not necessarily enable everyone to participate in and benefit from economic opportunities and effective social policies. Therefore, it is important to continue to recognise "poverty eradication" as the overarching objective for the realisation of sustainable development.
Mongolia fully supports the principle of three dimensions of sustainable development. The Green Development Strategy was approved by the Parliament of Mongolia in 2014 with the aim to establish low-carbon and climate resilient society. The strategy follows the themes of climate change adaptation, green financing, green employment, promotion of our environmental and cultural heritage, and sustainable development governance.
The Rio+20 has set in motion several important intergovernmental processes, chief among a universal high-level political forum (HLPF) trusted with a mandate to follow-up on the implementation of sustainable development. The HLPF has emerged as an important forum to help setting the agenda of the entire UN system and the international community in relation to sustainable development. My delegation supports HLPF to be the main platform for reviewing and monitoring SDGs in the context of post-2015 development agenda, ensuring coordination and coherence, and advancing poverty-and-hunger eradication and sustainable development as its main objective.
My delegation welcomes the report of the Open Working Group on SDGs as a basis for integrating SDGs in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. However, the report could have better reflected the special needs of LLDCs as Rio+20 underscored the special challenges facing the most vulnerable countries, including LLDCs.
Geographical handicappness has major implications for economic, social and environmental aspects of development. The landlockedness has affected the implementation of the MDGs and will affect the implementation of the SDGs. Therefore, my delegation view that the special development needs of LLDCs should be clearly reflected in the Post-2015 development agenda.
As the main sponsor of the GA resolution on Cooperatives in Social Development and referring to the outcome of the International Year of Cooperatives 2012, my delegation is convinced that cooperatives with more than 1 billion members worldwide are strong partners in development. Cooperatives have been greatly contributing to poverty eradication, especially in rural areas, to inclusive growth and sustainable development, especially with regard to the social and economic pillars, and to employment-generation and social protection. Therefore, like-minded countries at the UN and development partners see the potentials of cooperatives as an important mean of implementation in the next global development agenda.
Finally, my delegation remains committed and will strive to play an active and constructive role in these intergovernmental negotiations so as to ensure that our common interests are duly taken into account.
I thank you.