EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Informal consultation on Summit of the Future Chapeau and Chapter 1 on Sustainable Development and Financing for Development

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf the EU and its member states. Candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the potential candidate country Georgia, as well as Andorra and Monaco align themselves to this statement.

Excellencies, Co-facilitators,

As this is the first consultation of substance on the Pact for the Future process, let me reiterate our thanks for your essential work as co-facilitators.

[Chapeau]

As todays' focus is on the Chapeau and Chapter 1, let me start there:

The Chapeau should frame the Pact for the Future and guide us "back to the basics", to the reaffirmation of our commitment to the core principles of the UN Charter such as the peaceful settlement of disputes, the rules based international order and to multilateralism.

It should draw linkages to other key processes and commitments, most notably the 2030 Agenda and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we need to recognize equal value and importance of human rights while reaffirming their universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness in our work to reform the UN system.

We also recognize that the reduction of poverty and of structural inequalities, and achieving gender equality, are keystones and a catalyst for the realization of all other SDGs. Women and girls' empowerment is crucial across the three UN pillars. The link between sustaining peace and sustainable development and the significance of SDG16 should be recognised, as well as the need to address the humanitarian - development - peace nexus, including managing and supporting transitions from conflict resolution to sustainable peace.

We also need to pay special attention to climate and biodiversity aspects across all chapters, and ensure that the Pact is fully aligned with our agreed objectivesfor a liveable planet, including the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty (BBNJ).

[Chapter 1]

The United Nations' relevance is largely conditioned by its ability to deliver the global conditions for better livelihoods for all, for current and future generations. Chapter 1 of the Pact shouldbuild on the 2030 Agenda and deliver on the Political Declaration adopted at this year's SDG Summit, which contains significant commitments relevant to the Summit of the Future:

1. First, the UN should use its convening power in countries to help increase alignment and effectiveness of development initiatives and make a difference for people. The Resident Coordinator, and tools such as the UN Development Cooperation Frameworks, the Integrated National Financing Frameworks, pooled funds, in particular the Joint SDG Fund, have a central role to play.

1. Second, the EU supports the development of measures of progress on sustainable development that complement or go beyond gross domestic product in order to have a more inclusive approach to international cooperation. This includes impact on biodiversity, water and climate, and social factors such as inequality, health and education.

1. Third, special attention should be devoted to the poorer and groups in vulnerable situations,in line with the commitment to leave no one behind. Poverty eradication and the fight against hungerand malnutrition should remain overarching priorities. The reduction of inequalities, transformative education and health policies and initiatives, are paramount. The EU also supports the recommendation of a Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions. Ultimately, the Pact should set the ground for the World Social Summit in 2025.

1. Fourth, the central importance of the environment,including biodiversity, water and climate to all aspects of our lives and collective well-being must be accompanied by their elevation within our global governance system, including its international finance component.

1. Fifth, the strong link between security, peace and development justifies a specific attention to SDG 16.

Chapter 1 also covers Financing for Development. The SDG Summit Political Declaration recommits us to the full implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and identifies many further actions which can scale up financing for sustainable development. For the Pact of the Future:

1. First, there is a need for increased cooperation between the UN and main institutions of the International Financial Architecture, including on climate-related investments. We support MDBs to look into how existing processes can be made more effective and inclusive. The Pact should welcome the efforts of the World Bank to further increase private sector mobilization as well as initiatives to capitalize on synergies through MDBs working as a system. It is important not to duplicate or undermine progress in these fora.The Paris Pact for People and Planet is an important reference for our discussions.

1. Second, unlocking additional support from all sources, including private sources, to the most vulnerable countries is key. Reforms of regulatory and policy environments, including domestic resources mobilisation, good governance and transparency, should be encouraged with a view to crowd in private investmentand promote free and rules-based trade. This is also something we will look at in Chapter 5 more closely.

1. Finally, we need the Pact for the Future to leverage the impact of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls to achieve the full realization of the 2030 Agenda.

[Closing]

The Summit of the Future, culminating our common endeavour, offers an excellent opportunity to upgrade the UN, reinvigorate the multilateral system and forge a new global consensus on what our future should look like.

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