Analytics, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Legislation, Modern EU

European Development Days, EDD took place in July 2017 in Brussels (7-8.07.2017), as well as in other EU member states. EDD are the EU’s leading forum on development since 2006; during these days, the EU states demonstrated remarkable achievements: the EU is admired globally for its high standards of living, and for the multilateral cooperation that has advanced peace for decades.

There is a strong synergies presently between the SDGs and the European Union’s priorities for sustainable development. And like the United Nations, the EU is focused on people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. In this regard, the United Nations welcomed signing of the New European Consensus for Development (7.07.2017). "Let us join forces to build a future of dignity for all, in which no one is left behind", said the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. She underlined that European leaders demonstrated strong commitment by aligning the EU work with the UN 2030 Agenda; she particularly mentioned Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

SDGs priorities in Europe

Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Sepetember 2015, they have been important rallying factor for the EU member states' actions on most vital global challenges.

In this regard, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed mentioned four UN states' priorities on the way to tackling these challenges: first, strengthening the bonds of solidarity. Young people face high levels of unemployment, with negative implications for the future, including social security. Refugees along with migrants face discrimination in places of destination. The UN wishes that there should be more efforts to provide protection and opportunities, while addressing the roots which caused migration.

Second, intensifying efforts to empower women and girls. Most pervasive is gender inequality; hence the UN Deputy Secretary-General have been welcoming the announcement made in June 2017 in Brussels the intention by the EU and the UN to forge a strategic partnership to take the equality and empowerment agenda further, including eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.

Third, increasing development financing. It is crucial that all countries meet their commitments on official development assistance (ODA), and to target the use of ODA more effectively. Public finance alone will not suffice, the UN argues: sot the states have to leverage public spending to generate private investment. That means forging the partnerships with the private sector that will unleash new financing and promote the dissemination of essential technology.

Fourth, pressing ahead with climate action. In this regard, the EU and UN are close together: both need to find an effective solution that ensures proper managing the dangers of climate change. The UN set out strategic vision for determined climate action; the UN remains convinced that actions against climate change offers opportunities to create jobs, build new markets, improve health and steer the world onto a safer and more sustainable path.

In this regard, the 2019 Climate Summit in New York is expected to be an important event in which the EU would help keeping "climate ambition" high.

Reference: https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/dsgsm1061.doc.htm

Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Europe: UNECE's role

Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region in Geneva took place in April 2017 (25.04.2017).

The UN Agenda-2030 principles are numerous: universality, transformation, interconnection, indivisibility and inclusivity. They encompass everyone: governments, parliamentarians, policymakers, academics, businesses, civil society, citizens and the UN system, said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed. 

Many governments, both in developed and developing countries, are moving ahead to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a central framework for national planning for development. There is widespread interest within countries in integrating the 2030 Agenda, national plans on climate and strategies for sustainable development. Besides, there is a powerful engagement of businesses, civil society, academics and regional bodies, and a growing appreciation that implementing the SDGs calls for different ways of living and working.

Europe is actively participating in the Voluntary National Reviews at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development. Nine of the 22 countries in 2016 were from Europe and 14 out of the 44 countries in 2017 have been the UNECE member states. Almost half of all the ECE countries have participated; of these, six are countries where the UN is represented through UN Resident Coordinators and UN country teams. UNECE is actively engaged in work related to 16 of the 17 SDGs, with significant work on 10 of them.

Coherent UN substantive support is provided to the Governments of these countries in preparing their reports to the HLPF and, more broadly, SDGs monitoring and review. To ensure that the UN is well positioned to help countries deliver on the 2030 Agenda and climate commitments, the UN system needs a much higher degree of integration, coordination, accountability and transparency on system-wide results.

The EU and UN work will be built on analysis and inputs of the two-year-long Economic and Social Council's dialogue process in collecting additional data on the reform efforts. In this regard, the UNECE's activity is engaged in the process which starts with the first-ever system-wide review of functions and capacities for delivery for the UN-2030 Agenda.

Three broad principles will underpin the work ahead in the EU collaboration with the UN system:

•        First, strengthening leadership at all levels for stronger coordination and integration;

•        Second, addressing the trust deficit through a clear and impartial accountability system;

•        Third, focusing on results at country level as the litmus test for any reform.

Consultations have already begun with some formal meetings and in regional groups and other settings.

The UN Regional Commission will be instrumental in mobilizing political leadership across sectors around the SDGs and facilitating regional and interregional partnerships. As the regional think tank of the system, the Regional Commission can assist with translating regional models into regional and global public goods and promote policy coherence.

It is important that they work hand in hand with the broader UN development system to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. They can do this in a number of ways:

•        By supporting the alignment of national and regional strategies and supporting UN country teams’ efforts with Governments to mainstream the SDGs into national planning and fiscal frameworks;

•        By strengthening regional and national institutions and structures to promote an inter-sectoral coordination;

•        By strengthening member states’ capacity to collect, process and analyse data and statistics and support the regional harmonization of statistics; and

•        By strengthening countries’ capacities and supporting their efforts to increase and align domestic resources for achievement of the goals, and to identify and leverage additional sources of financing, science and technology for improved development results.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is ambitious: only by building on past success and with further strengthening of the development system, the task can be achieved.

https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/dsgsm1052.doc.htm

Note: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed (13.04.2017) Olga Algayerova of Slovakia as the next Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE); she will succeed Christian Friis Bach of Denmark.

Ms. Algayerova brings to the position a combination of leadership and diplomatic skills, as well as deep knowledge of the region’s challenges and opportunities and a strong focus on building and nurturing partnerships among key stakeholders with the United Nations. She has been since 2012 a Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria. Previously, she was President of the Slovak Millennium Development Goals (2010-2012); State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2010); and Corporate Export Manager at Zentiva International, a.s. (2004-2006).

Born in 1959, she holds a master’s degree in contemporary diplomacy from Malta University, a Master of Business Administration degree from the Open University Business School in the United Kingdom, and an Engineer of Economy diploma from the Bratislava Business School at Slovakia’s University of Economics.

https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/sga1722.doc.htm