article by h.e. sam kutesa published in horizons magazine

892019 Article by he Sam Kutesa Published in Horizons Magazine

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullarticle-by-he-sam-kutesa-published-in-horizons-magazine 16

Middle EastThe Great Unraveling

Global

SPRING 2015 ISSUE NO3 $ 1200 | euro 850 | 1000 RSD



166

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 167

Mobilizing Resources

for the Post-2015

Development Agenda

Sam K Kutesa

HIS is truly a historic andmomentous year We have aonce-in-a-lietime opportunity

to change our world or the better Andwe must seize it o do so we need am-

bitious and successul outcomes romthree interrelated processes the Sum-mit or the adoption o the post-2015development agenda to be held in Sep-tember in New York the Tird Financ-ing or Development (FD) Conerenceto be held in July in Addis Ababa andthe wenty-first Conerence o the Par-ties on Climate Change (COP21) to beheld in December in Paris

As President o the General Assem-

bly I chose ldquoDelivering on and Imple-menting a ransormative post-2015Development Agendardquo as the overarch-ing theme o the sixty-ninth sessionTroughout my term I have continuedto underscore the importance o ensur-

ing that this new agenda is not onlyambitious inclusive and transorma-tive but983085most importantly983085that it isaccompanied by adequate means oreffective implementation

Te new universal developmentagenda currently being ormulated byMember States and other stakeholdersrepresents our collective commitmentto humankind and the planet

At the same time we have to intensiyand accelerate efforts aimed at achiev-ing the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) in the remaining periodmdashorcome as close as possible to doing so

he MDGs which were adoptednearly 15 years ago have con-

tributed to lifing over one billionpeople out o extreme poverty Teirimplementation has led to significant

Sam K Kutesa is President of the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly

Sam K Kutesa

Mobilizing Resources for the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Sam K Kutesa

improvements in access to educationhealth water and sanitationmdashamongother areas Nevertheless progress hasbeen uneven across the goals coun-tries and regions

Many developing countriesmdashespe-cially the least developedmdashcontinueto ace a dual challenge Tey have lowhuman development indicators andrequire greater investments in sectorssuch as education and health in orderto achieve the MDGs yet they lack theadequate resources to do so In manycases the capacity o such countries tomobilize domestic resources is limitedand the support rom external sourcesremains critical

In recognition o this the proposedSustainable Development Goals(SDGs)mdashthe main component o thepost-2015 development agendamdashbuildon the oundation laid by the MDGswhilst expanding their scope scale andapplicability

An Inclusive andTransformative Agenda

oday out o the worldrsquos seven bil-lion people nearly 11 billion still

live below the internationally acceptedextreme poverty line o $125 a day Wemust strive to eradicate extreme povertyby 2030 and significantly reduce thenumber o people living below nationalpoverty lines everywhere

P h o t o U n i t e d N a t i o n s



168

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 169

ogether we should spare no effort toensure that the post-2015 developmentagenda is ambitious inclusive andtransormative It should improve thelivelihoods o people worldwide whilstprotecting the environment

At the UN Summit on SustainableDevelopment held in June 2012 in Rio deJaneiro world leaders agreed that ldquoeradi-cating poverty is the greatest challenge ac-ing the world today and an indispensablerequirement or sustainable developmentrdquowhilst affirming their commitment ldquotoreeing humanity rom poverty and hunger

as a matter o urgencyrdquo In the outcomedocument o the Summit entitled Te

Future We Want they also reaffirmed thatldquopeople are at the center o sustainable development and in this regard we strive ora world that is just equitable and inclu-

sive983085and we commit to work together topromote sustained and inclusive economicgrowth social development and environ-mental protection and thereby to benefitallrdquo Tus poverty eradication and theachievement o sustainable developmentin its social economic and environmentaldimensions were defined as the overarch-ing objectives o the new agenda

1) End poverty in all its forms everywhere2) End hunger achieve food security andimproved nutrition and promote sustainableagriculture3) Ensure healthy lives and promote well-beingfor all at all ages4) Ensure inclusive and equitable quality educationand promote lifelong learning opportunities for all5) Achieve gender equality and empower allwomen and girls6) Ensure availability and sustainable manage-ment of water and sanitation for all7) Ensure access to affordable reliable sustain-able and modern energy for all8) Promote sustained inclusive and sustainableeconomic growth full and productive employmentand decent work for all9) Build resilient infrastructure promote inclusive andsustainable industrialization and foster innovation10) Reduce inequality within and among countries

11) Make cities and human settlements inclusivesafe resilient and sustainable12) Ensure sustainable consumption and produc-tion patterns13) Take urgent action to combat climate changeand its impacts14) Conserve and sustainably use the oceansseas and marine resources for sustainabledevelopment15) Protect restore and promote sustainable useof terrestrial ecosystems sustainably manage for-ests combat desertifcation and halt and reverse

land degradation and halt biodiversity loss16) Promote peaceful and inclusive societiesfor sustainable development provide access to justice for all and build effective accountable andinclusive institutions at all levels17) Strengthen the means of implementationand revitalize the global partnership for sustain-able development

Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international

intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change

Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

he proposed 17 SDGs are am-bitious and can transorm our

societies and preserve our planetmdashieffectively implemented Tey coverimportant priorities including endingpoverty in all its orms everywhere

ending hunger promoting sustainableagriculture ensuring quality educa-tion and healthy lives or all achievinggender equality and empowerment owomen and girls universalizing ac-cess to water and sanitation as well asaffordable modern energy promotingsustained inclusive and sustainableeconomic growth delivering ull andproductive employment as well asdecent work

Other key priorities include build-ing resilient inrastructure promotingindustrialization reducing inequalitywithin and among countries makingcities and human settlements inclusivesae resilient and sustainable ensuringsustainable consumption and produc-tion combating climate change and itsimpacts conserving and sustainablyusing oceans seas marine resourcesorests and ecosystems promotingpeaceul and inclusive societies provid-ing access to justice or all and buildingeffective accountable and inclusiveinstitutions at all levels

he negotiations on the post-2015development agenda are proceed-

ing well Member States have alreadyagreed that the proposed SDGs will be

the main component o the new devel-opment ramework It is envisioned thatonly limited ldquotechnical proofingrdquo cannow be made to the targets already therelevant indicators are being preparedby the UN Statistical Commission or

consideration by the Member States

Te other components being dis-cussed include a declaration in whichworld leaders will set out their visionambition and commitment to imple-ment the new agenda the means oimplementation (finances technologydevelopment and transer as well ascapacity building) and a review andollow-up ramework

Mobilizing AdequateResources

o successully implement theambitious agenda reflected in the

proposed SDGs a strong and sustainedcommitment will be required at all levelsto mobilize the scale o resources need-ed rom political leaders multilateralorganizations the private sector civilsociety and all other stakeholders

Te emerging estimates indicate orinstance that the additional financingneeded to eradicate extreme povertywill range rom $135 billion to $195 bil-lion every two years Investments thatwill be required in critical inrastruc-ture including transport energy waterand sanitation are expected to costbetween $5 and $7 trillion annually

Sam K Kutesa




170

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 171

In Arica or example the financinggap or inrastructure is nearly $95 bil-lion per year Te unmet credit needsor small- and medium-sized enter-prises are estimated to be around $25trillion in developing countries and

about $35 trillion globally

We also need tofind ways o ad-

dressing the significantchallenges that many developing countries acein accessing environ-mentally sound tech-nologies Tis could bedone through a technol-ogy acilitation mecha-

nismmdashthe details owhich Members Statesand other stakeholdersare currently discussingIt will also be essentialto build the develop-ing countriesrsquo sciencetechnology and innovation capacitiesand systems

We also need rameworks or intellec-tual property rights that achieve the rightbalance between incentivizing privateinvestment in innovation whilst maxi-mizing the diffusion o technology Tiswill result in a win-win situation or bothdeveloped and developing countriesechnology development and transer aswell as capacity-building will be criticalto achieving many o the SDGs

As I have pointed out beore the posi-tive news is that global savingsmdashinclud-ing oreign exchange reservesmdashremainrobust at about $22 trillion a year inclu-sive o public and private sources Tetask that we have is to devise the right

policies measures and instrumentsthat can incentivize channeling some othese resources towardsfinancing sustainabledevelopment

Commitmentsamp Deliverables

Significant finan-cial resources and

investments are evidentlyrequired or the success-

ul implementation othe new developmentagenda which shouldbe mobilized rom allsourcesmdashdomestic andinternational public andprivate Tere is also wide

recognition that while public sources willremain central in financing sustainabledevelopment the private sector and otheractors should also play a greater role

Given its critical importance in sup-porting the implementation o thepost-2015 development agenda wehave to ensure the success o the Ad-dis Ababa FD Conerence We muststrive or an ambitious outcome withconcrete and actionable deliverables Inthis context participation at the highest

Significant financial

resources and invest-

ments are evidently

required for the

successful implemen-

tation of the new

development agenda

which should bemobilized from all

sourcesmdashdomestic

and international

public and private

political level including heads o stateand government ministers o financeministers responsible or developmentcooperation oreign ministers headso international financial institutionsrepresentatives o the private sector

civil society and philanthropic organi-zations will be critical

A variety o innovative measuresand actions should be considered toincrease revenue collection improvebudget efficiency and combat corrup-tion tax avoidance and illicit financialflows Greater efforts will also be re-quired to create an enabling environ-ment or both increased domestic andoreign direct investment (FDI) In ad-

dition we need to find ways o tappinginto the resources that banks insurancecompanies pension unds and capitalmarkets among others can provide

It is also essential to reduce the charg-es on remittances rom overseas work-ers to between three and five percento the amount transerred Estimatedat about $516 billion globally this yearremittances constitute an importantsource o transer earnings or house-holds in many developing countries

Lastly increasing domestic resourcemobilization will be critical or financingthe SDGs In this regard cooperation ontax matters measures and strategies orimproving tax collection capacities onthe part o governments and adherence

to responsible tax-paying practices bycompanies will be essential

For many developing countriesinternational public finance re-

mains an important source or financ-

ing global public goods It is importantto ensure that Official DevelopmentAssistance commitments are ulfilled intheir entirety and that the resources areeffectively utilized and leveragedmdashin-cluding as catalytic financing

International financial institutions andregional development banks will need tobe more responsive in supporting coun-triesrsquo access to resourcesmdashespeciallylong-term financing or inrastructure at

affordable ratesmdashin order to implementthe new development agenda

In this context we look orward to theproposals that the multilateral develop-ment banksmdashincluding the World BankGroup and the International MonetaryFundmdashare working on as part o theirinput or the FD process We also needto give attention to the increasing com-plex sovereign debt situation whichaects many developing and somedeveloped countries

Greater PrivateSector Involvement

We have to ind ways o enhan-cing the private sectorrsquos par-

ticipation in the implementation othe new agenda

Sam K Kutesa




172

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 173

In many developing countries theprivate sector employs about 70 to 90percent o the workorce whilst con-tributing around 60 percent o GDPIn view o the significant amountso private capital or investment that

institutional investors companies andoundations can provide the role o theprivate sector is critical

At present only a small portion oinvested assets o banks pension undsinsurance companies and transnationalcorporations worldwideare in areas related toSDGs While businessesare keen on profit andshareholder value ways

should be ound to incen-tivize their contributionto achieving sustainabledevelopment983085buildingon the work being doneby the UN Global Com-pact and other initiatives

While some progress contin-ues to be made towards the

holistic integration o environmentalsocial and governance issues in invest-ment decision-making the volume andscale o such efforts has yet to reachsignificant impact levels By engagingand incentivizing businesses and inves-tors to scale up investments embracingsustainability more private capital islikely to be channeled towards achiev-ing the SDGs

It is encouraging that a number o initia-tives are being undertaken in this regard983085including by the UN Global Compactthat currently brings together over 800companies rom 150 countries the UNConerence on rade and Investment

and the UN-supported Principles o Re-sponsible Investment One o the ways oincentivizing reallocation o private capitalto sustainable development investmentscould be through enhancing risk mitiga-tion mechanisms such as the World BankrsquosMultilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

Increasing domesticand oreign direct

investment can con-tribute significantly

to achieving sustain-able developmentFDI which constitutesthe largest net flow ocapital to developingcountriesmdashamounting

to nearly $780 billion in 2013mdashcan alsobring technology transer and capacity-building benefits Te challenge ormany Least Developed Countries isthat taken together they only attracttwo percent o global FDI flows

We also have to harness and optimizethe contribution o trade as an engineor sustained economic growth anddevelopment A universal open andequitable trading system is essential toacilitate market access983085especially ordeveloping countries

Te challenge for

many Least Devel-

oped Countries is

that taken togetherthey only attract two

percent of global

FDI flows

In this context greater political com-mitment is required to conclude theDoha round o trade negotiationsIt is also important to consider greaterinvolvement o the World radeOrganization in contributing to the

ongoing processes on the new develop-ment agenda and FD

Multi-stakeholder partnershipswith civil so ciety academia

and philanthropic organizations willalso play an important role in realiz-ing the SDGs as a keycomponent o the newagenda

We need to build on

and expand successulinitiativesmdashsuch asthe Global Initiativeon Vaccination theGlobal Fund or HIVAIDS the Roll Back Malaria partner-ship and the Every Woman EveryChild programmdashwhilst optimizing thecontribution o oundations and otherstakeholders

On February 9th and 10th 2015 I con- vened a high-level thematic debate fo-cusing on how to mobilize the resourcesrequired for implementing a transforma-tive post-2015 development agendaMany useful proposals and inputs weremade by Member States and stakehold-ers including the private sector civilsociety and academia

As the negotiations on the July 2015Tird FD International Conerence inAddis Ababa proceed to the next stageit is essential to remain ocused onensuring a holistic and action-orientedfinancing ramework underpinned by

concrete deliverables as well as a strongollow-up and review mechanism

Combatting Climate Change

Our resolve to ormulate andimplement a sustainable devel-

opment agenda will count or less i wedo not address cli-mate change We nowhave incontrovertiblescientific evidencemdashparticularly rom the

2014 Fifh AssessmentReport o the Inter-governmental Panelon Climate Changemdashwhich shows that

mostly as a result o human activityour planet is warming at an alarmingrate Te report points out that manyo the physical changes to our planetcurrently being observed are unprec-edentedmdashranging rom increasingconcentrations o greenhouse gasesand warming o the atmosphere andoceans to diminishing snow and iceand rising sea-levels Many countriesare aced with requent and prolongeddroughts while floods and landslidesare becoming more commonmdashtomention but a ew o the most visibleimpacts o climate change

A universal open

and equitable trad-

ing system is essential

to facilitate marketaccess especially for

developing countries

Sam K Kutesa




174

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 175

Te adverse impacts o climate changeaffect every country around the worldmdashthreatening ood security and under-mining efforts to eradicate poverty andachieve sustainable development Wemust act now beore it becomes too late

any delay in combating climate changewill come at a great cost to us all

In my own country Uganda thesnow-capped glaciers on the Rwen-

zori Mountains983084 highest peaks983085at al-most 17000 eet983085had a combined areao around 27 square miles at the starto the last century Tey now occupyless than 04 square miles And it is es-timated that i the current trend causedby atmospheric warming continues

there may be no snow glaciers on themountain within the next two decades

For some Small Island DevelopingStates such as Maldives and Kiribatirising sea levels pose an existentialthreat to their very survival

No country and no region will remainunaffected

When I addressed the High-level

segment o the Conerence othe Parties (COP20) in Lima Peru in

December 2014 I called upon MemberStates and the international communityto summon the collective political willto effectively combat climate change Ido so again

As we build up to a legally bindingagreement on climate change at COP21 inParis under the aegis o the UN Frame-work Convention on Climate Changeour resolve towards mitigation andadaptation measures should not waverIncreasing financing or climate changetechnologiesmdashincluding investment inrenewable clean technologiesmdashwill becritical or many developing countries

I will be convening a high-level event

on climate change on June 29th 2015at UN headquarters in New York tomaintain momentum and take stock ofthe progress at the mid-point b etweenCOP20 and COP21

As we ormulate an ambitious andtransormative post-2015 Develop-ment Agenda we have to constantlyremind ourselves that its successulimplementation will largely dependon mobilizing adequate resources and

mainstreaming the agenda in our na-tional development plans



166

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 167

Mobilizing Resources

for the Post-2015

Development Agenda

Sam K Kutesa

HIS is truly a historic andmomentous year We have aonce-in-a-lietime opportunity

to change our world or the better Andwe must seize it o do so we need am-

bitious and successul outcomes romthree interrelated processes the Sum-mit or the adoption o the post-2015development agenda to be held in Sep-tember in New York the Tird Financ-ing or Development (FD) Conerenceto be held in July in Addis Ababa andthe wenty-first Conerence o the Par-ties on Climate Change (COP21) to beheld in December in Paris

As President o the General Assem-

bly I chose ldquoDelivering on and Imple-menting a ransormative post-2015Development Agendardquo as the overarch-ing theme o the sixty-ninth sessionTroughout my term I have continuedto underscore the importance o ensur-

ing that this new agenda is not onlyambitious inclusive and transorma-tive but983085most importantly983085that it isaccompanied by adequate means oreffective implementation

Te new universal developmentagenda currently being ormulated byMember States and other stakeholdersrepresents our collective commitmentto humankind and the planet

At the same time we have to intensiyand accelerate efforts aimed at achiev-ing the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) in the remaining periodmdashorcome as close as possible to doing so

he MDGs which were adoptednearly 15 years ago have con-

tributed to lifing over one billionpeople out o extreme poverty Teirimplementation has led to significant

Sam K Kutesa is President of the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly

Sam K Kutesa


Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Sam K Kutesa

improvements in access to educationhealth water and sanitationmdashamongother areas Nevertheless progress hasbeen uneven across the goals coun-tries and regions

Many developing countriesmdashespe-cially the least developedmdashcontinueto ace a dual challenge Tey have lowhuman development indicators andrequire greater investments in sectorssuch as education and health in orderto achieve the MDGs yet they lack theadequate resources to do so In manycases the capacity o such countries tomobilize domestic resources is limitedand the support rom external sourcesremains critical

In recognition o this the proposedSustainable Development Goals(SDGs)mdashthe main component o thepost-2015 development agendamdashbuildon the oundation laid by the MDGswhilst expanding their scope scale andapplicability

An Inclusive andTransformative Agenda

oday out o the worldrsquos seven bil-lion people nearly 11 billion still

live below the internationally acceptedextreme poverty line o $125 a day Wemust strive to eradicate extreme povertyby 2030 and significantly reduce thenumber o people living below nationalpoverty lines everywhere

P h o t o U n i t e d N a t i o n s



168

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 169

























Sam K Kutesa




170

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 171

















ments are evidently

required for the


tation of the new

development agenda



and international

public and private

















Sam K Kutesa




172

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 173














Te challenge for

many Least Devel-

oped Countries is


percent of global

FDI flows





We need to build on










A universal open

and equitable trad-




Sam K Kutesa




174

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 175


















168

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 169

























Sam K Kutesa




170

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 171

















ments are evidently

required for the


tation of the new

development agenda



and international

public and private

















Sam K Kutesa




172

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 173














Te challenge for

many Least Devel-

oped Countries is


percent of global

FDI flows





We need to build on










A universal open

and equitable trad-




Sam K Kutesa




174

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 175


















170

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 171

















ments are evidently

required for the


tation of the new

development agenda



and international

public and private

















Sam K Kutesa




172

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 173














Te challenge for

many Least Devel-

oped Countries is


percent of global

FDI flows





We need to build on










A universal open

and equitable trad-




Sam K Kutesa




174

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 175


















172

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 173














Te challenge for

many Least Devel-

oped Countries is


percent of global

FDI flows





We need to build on










A universal open

and equitable trad-




Sam K Kutesa




174

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 175


















174

nSzoriHo

Spring 2015 No3 175
















article by h.e. sam kutesa published in horizons magazine

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