NEW YORK, 11 July 2018 – H.E. Mr. Teodoro L. Locsin, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, pushed for stronger cooperation in addressing the specific challenges being faced by middle-income countries during the Thematic Session on Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies: Perspectives of Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Middle-Income Countries at the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development held on 11 July 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.

 

Ambassador Locsin underlined that international support for implementing effective and targeted assistance to middle-income countries is crucial.

He underscored that in the United Nations, all the tried and tested sizes on are display, with every country showing how well or badly the size fitted them if at all. “In showing and sharing experiences, they discover the adjustments others made, and make the one size fit each one better,” he stated.

He also underscored that there are many ways to govern people but these should be done with decency. “Countries, societies, people and their futures are too important to be left to originality and chance. However, only one size must fit all: morality which is never relative to time or place but universal over all,” he said.

In his intervention, Ambassador Locsin also shared that the Philippines is set to become an upper middle-income country.

The HLPF is the main platform on sustainable development of the United Nations and it has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals at the global level.

The thematic review session evaluated the progress and challenges in achieving a transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies among the group of vulnerable countries to ensure that no one is left behind in reaching the SDGs. The session also recognizes that many countries in special situations are experiencing challenges such as unplanned urbanization, development within high-risk zones, underdevelopment and poor infrastructure, combined with increased vulnerability to natural hazards and economic shock.

The Philippines is a founding member of the Like-Minded Group of Countries Supporters of Middle-Income Countries in the United Nations along with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama. END