Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations

PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

REMARKS

by H.E. DR. ALIE KABBA PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE

ON AGENDA ITEM 19: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE FOR THE 75TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY MONDAY OCTOBER 12 2020

New York (please check against delivery)

336 East 45th Street, New York NY 10017 Tel: (212) 688 1656 - FAX (212) 688 4924 email: [email protected]

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, Sierra Leone aligns with the statements delivered by the distinguished representatives of Guyana on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, Malawi on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and Cameroon on behalf of the African Group, respectively.

I would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the Secretariat for providing the reports for consideration under this agenda item.

Mr. Chairman,

The COVID-19 Pandemic has strengthened the Government and People of Sierra Leone’s resolve to fully recommit to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. We take note in this direction, that the United Nations has tirelessly pushed for Member States to increase commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, COVID-19 has obliged all of us to re-invest and scale-up cooperation in the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development; especially in areas with special emphasis on financing the transformation of least developed countries (LDCs) and countries in fragile situations.

In this context, Sierra Leone, has recommitted to enhancing implementation of policy actions crucial to financing the 2030 agenda in the era of COVID-19 and beyond. This commitment is consistent with Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan, which is specifically aligned with the AU Agenda 2063, the SDGs and other internationally agreed agendas that reflect Sierra Leone’s roadmap to growth and stability. Despite the enormous consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic on our financial sector at macro and micro economic levels, including its adverse effect on the implementation process of our Medium-Term National Development Plan and the 2020 Budget, concrete efforts are being implemented by our Government to set the country on a sustainable trajectory.

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, the start of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development. The unprecedented situation presented by the COVID-19 pandemic has, however, further worsened existing vulnerabilities, especially for countries in special situations who are the most vulnerable countries with massive challenges in decrease investment, trade, remittances, growing debt burdens, and limited fiscal space, including huge spending needs to fund the urgent health response well outside their capacities. Decades of development gains have been reversed, economic growth slowed, poverty and inequality intensified, and progress towards the attainment of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals has been disrupted. Hence, we believe that the pandemic has presented us all with a unique opportunity to recommit to our collective commitments to scale up multilateralism and global solidarity and to reaffirm the crucial need to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda, especially the elimination of poverty. In this regard, our recovery plans should be centered on accelerated progress towards implementing the 2030 Agenda as our collective road map to respond and build back better; help prevent future pandemics; achieve a sustainable, resilient, and prosperous future for the present and future generations. We believe that the United Nations remains a key player of the world now and the future we want, and we believe the UN is essential for the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

Mr. Chairman,

Countries in fragile situations, especially African LDCs continue to grapple with several challenges in order to achieve sustainable development, owing of their unique and particular vulnerabilities, which have now been worsened by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We therefore reiterate the urgent need for enhanced support, designed to meet their specific needs with respect to the implementation of the remainder of the IPoA and its successor programme, as well as the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

We reiterate our call to Member States to uphold and implement our commitments within the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, addressing climate change vulnerabilities and increase access to climate finance as a matter of urgency to stem the tide against climate change. It is therefore crucial for Member States to adhere to the commitments made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate Change as well as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as crucial elements to reach the agreed milestones. By implication, it is relevant to Sierra Leone being one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change incidents.

We note with concern that biodiversity continues to deteriorate, including the persistent biodiversity-related funding gap that exists. Also, we must be reminded that action on biodiversity is inseparably associated with broader human development through the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. We therefore call on our development partners that international public funding to LDCs for biodiversity should at least be doubled by 2030 to cover the cost of their biodiversity needs.

My Delegation welcomes the convening of the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity during the high-level week and reiterates our commitment to the conservation of biological diversity as we stand ready to work for a successful fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. As the discussions for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework is underway, we envisage that the framework will be ambitious and in turn support the crucial changes needed to realize the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity and to incorporate a funding framework, especially for LDCs, as a fundamental part of the framework.

Furthermore, my Delegation reiterates that disaster-prone developing countries, especially countries in special situations and African countries, require specific attention considering their higher vulnerability and risk level. Likewise, financing gap remains a key challenge to implement mitigation and adaptation measures by LDCs. We therefore urge our development partners to transform the green climate fund and the LDC fund with additional aid, aiming at meeting $100 billion target to support mitigation and adaptation plans of developing countries and LDCs. We also note that ensuring complete access to affordable, sustainable, and clean energy remains a key challenge for low income countries and for the advancement of new economic opportunities, creating sustainable and inclusive communities and building resilience against environmental shocks. Therefore, we call upon all actors, including development partners, intergovernmental financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, to work together to ensure universal, seamless, and affordable access to energy, especially renewable energy to LDCs, including transformational programmes and multi-stakeholder partnerships tailored to meet the needs of LDCs. Let me end by reiterating the need to reinforce our collective aspirations to build back better through multilateral action and global solidarity in order to achieve the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and leaving no one behind. My Delegation stands ready to constructively engage with our development partners with a view to achieving sustainable development for all.

I thank you for your attention.