United Nations A/S-29/ PV.1 General Assembly Official Records asdf Twenty-ninth special session 1st meeting Monday, 22 September 2014, 1 p.m. New York Temporary President: Mr. Kutesa ................................... (Uganda) The meeting was called to order at 1.05 p.m. attention of the General Assembly to document A/S-29/2, concerning Article 19 of the Charter of the Item 1 of the provisional agenda United Nations. Opening of the session by the Chairman of the May I take it that the General Assembly duly takes delegation of the Republic of Uganda note of the information contained in this document? The Temporary President: I declare open the It was so decided. twenty-ninth special session of the General Assembly, on the follow-up to the Programme of Action of Item 3 of the provisional agenda the International Conference on Population and Appointment of members of the Credentials Committee Development beyond 2014. The Temporary President: In accordance with As representatives are aware, this special session decision 69/505, of 19 September 2014, the Credentials is being held pursuant to resolutions 65/234, of Committee of the twenty-ninth special session has 22 December 2010, and 67/250, of 21 February 2013, already been appointed and consists of the same and serves to assess the status of implementation of the membership as that of the sixty-ninth regular session Programme of Action and to renew political support for of the Assembly, namely, Brazil, China, Bangladesh, actions required for the full achievement of its goals Denmark, Jamaica, Namibia, Senegal, the Russian and objectives. Federation and the United States of America. In that context, may I invite the attention of the Item 2 of the provisional agenda members of the Assembly to a note verbale from Minute of silent prayer or meditation the Secretary-General, dated 11 July 2014, in which it is stated that credentials should be issued for all The Temporary President: I now invite representatives to the special session in accordance representatives to stand and observe one minute of with rule 27 of the rules of procedure of the General silent prayer or meditation. Assembly. I would urge all members to submit the The members of the General Assembly observed a credentials of their representatives to the Secretary- minute of silent prayer or meditation. General as soon as possible. Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the Item 4 of the provisional agenda expenses of the United Nations (A/S-29/2) Election of the President The Temporary President: I should like, in The Temporary President: I now invite the keeping with the established practice, to invite the Assembly to proceed to the election of the President This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506. Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 14-54455 (E) *1454455* A/S-29/PV.1 22/09/2014 of the General Assembly at its twenty-ninth special groups, women’s organizations and many others. session. We must also recognize the decisions of parents to educate their children, especially girls, about the full In that connection, it has been proposed that and effective enjoyment of all their human rights and the President at the sixty-ninth regular session, His to foster an environment of equality between their Excellency Mr. San Kutesa of the Republic of Uganda, sons and daughters so that they can reach their highest be elected by acclamation as President at the twenty- potential and live in dignity, free from violence and ninth special session. discrimination. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to Therefore, in recognition of the progress elect Mr. Sam Kutesa President of the General Assembly made — lives transformed and saved — we can at its twenty-ninth special session by acclimation? celebrate our collective efforts. Let me take this It was so decided. opportunity to thank the United Nations Population Fund for its important support for national efforts and The Temporary President: I extend my sincere for the implementation of the Cairo agenda. congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa, and I invite him to assume the presidency. But the agenda that began with national surveys and included regional and ministerial conferences and I request the Chief of Protocol to escort the the global intergovernmental meeting in April this year President to the podium. does not end today. The remarkable progress the world Mr. Kutesa took the Chair. has seen since the historic Conference and the summits of the 1990s and the 2000 Millennium Summit still Statement by Mr. Sam Kutesa, President of the falls short of our ambitions and needs. A lot more must General Assembly at its twenty-ninth special session be done to improve the quality of life of all our peoples. It is therefore essential to address with urgency the The President: Twenty years ago, at the findings of the ICPD Beyond 2014 Review, which show landmark International Conference on Population that despite significant gains in poverty eradication and and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, our Governments economic growth since the International Conference on affirmed that population was not about numbers. Population and Development, many people have been It is about people. They reached consensus on the left behind — their basic needs unmet, their human Programme of Action, that it was to transform the rights unfulfilled and their potential unrealized. quality of life for all, to expanded human choices and to achieve economic growth and sustainable development. Poverty, discrimination and income and wealth inequality threaten economic growth and the well- Today we recall and reaffirm the historic goals being of individuals, societies and our planet. Those and objectives of the 1994 Cairo Conference so as to common challenges are relevant to the discussions at better prepare for the future we want — a future where tomorrow’s Climate Summit 2014 and at the general people can realize their aspirations, where their human debate that follows, and they should be addressed in the rights are respected and their well-being and dignity post-2015 development agenda. are supported and our environment is protected for this generation and for generations to come. The ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Review Report concludes that investing in individual human rights, This special session marks the culmination of the capabilities and dignity, across sectors and throughout 20-year review of the implementation of the ICPD the life course, is the foundation of sustainable Programme of Action and is an occasion to consider its development. The Review’s findings have significant follow-up beyond 2014. implications for development policy. We urgently The results of the ICPD Beyond 2014 Review show have to address rising wealth and income inequities, that our countries have made considerable progress in unfulfilled gender equality and the empowerment of implementing the Cairo Programme of Action during women, gender-based violence and discrimination, the the past two decades. It is impossible to speak of need for lifelong learning and investment in building that progress without acknowledging the leadership young people’s capabilities, inequalities in access provided by Governments and the contributions of to sexual and reproductive health care services, and civil society, including religious communities, youth strengthening health systems. Similarly, increasingly 2/98 14-54455 22/09/2014 A /S -29/PV.1 diverse household structures and living arrangements protected, societies are more just. And when they are require that we plan and build sustainable cities empowered to determine their own future, societies and strengthen urban-rural linkages. The impact of become stronger. population dynamics is so important that we need to (spoke in French) better integrate it into development planning at the national, regional and international levels. Twenty years on, those wise principles still guide our actions. In the space of two decades, almost 1 billion The development challenges before us require people have escaped poverty. Maternal mortality has a coordinated, systematic response through greater fallen by almost 50 per cent. We have made progress cooperation, partnership and global leadership, which on gender equality, particularly in reaching parity in I intend to promote further as President of the General primary education for boys and girls. More women are Assembly. We must build on lessons learned and able to choose the number of children they will have maintain the momentum. Together with the Millennium and when they will have them. More laws enable a Development Goals, the ICPD agenda helps pave the greater number of people to exercise the rights set out way for the post-2015 development agenda and the in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the achievement of sustainable development. Charter of the United Nations. This special session provides the international (spoke in English) community with a crucial and timely opportunity to share ideas and reinforce its commitment to improving The Cairo Programme of Action has made a the lives of people, fostering equality and dignity and meaningful difference in people’s lives — people like ensuring sustained, inclusive economic growth and 15-year-old Zeinabou of the Niger, who was married sustainable development. Let us commit ourselves to a violent older man. With the help of the United to stronger action, guided by the ICPD Beyond Nations, she now advocates ending child marriage; 2014 Review, to fully implement the Cairo agenda people like Fajra, a mother in Tunisia, who had to drop on population and development.