UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at Local 2030 Coalition side Event on the Occasion of the UN Summit of the Future’s Action Days

H.E Ms. Eva Granados Galiano, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of Spain,

H.E Jader Fontenelle Barbalho Filho, Minister of Cities of Brazil,

Ugur Ibrahim Altay, President of United Cities and Local Governments,

Anaclaudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat,

Excellencies,

Colleagues,

 

I extend my appreciation to the Governments of Spain and Brazil for their invaluable collaboration with UN-Habitat, the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, and other members of the Local 2030 Steering Committee for organizing this event during the Summit of the Future Action Days.

 

Coinciding with the International Day of Peace, we should recognize how local and regional governments often serve as defenders of peace and mediators of peace, protecting people in the context of conflict and providing invaluable support to people on the move.

 

It is no secret that we have a lot of work to do between now and 2030.

 

With only 17% of the SDG targets on track to 2030, urgent and transformative action is imperative.

It is also our commitment following the2023 SDG Summit, when we agreed on transformative and accelerated actions for the SDGs.

 

And this is exactly the spirit that guided the creation of the Local2030 Coalition, brings together the UN systems with partners for SDG Localization.

 

Under our Coalition, a combined set of actors are championing the SDGs at the local level.

We are witnessing a diverse range of actors co-creating, incubating and investing in scalable solutions.

 

With a projected increase in the global population of 2.4 billion people by 2050, and urban populations reaching 6.5 billion, our capacities to deliver require effective multi-level governance to help us manage the demand for public services, with the financing to ratchet the pace of acceleration.

 

As we look ahead to pave the way for a better future, let me stress four points.

 

First, work across your networks and with national governments and parliaments to anchor the potential for growth and inclusion around key and urgent transitions – from renewable energy to green and blue economies, to sustainable food systems.

 

Use the Local 2030 Coalition to unlock new opportunities for change.  Through the UN Joint SDG Fund, supported by the Government of Spain, 30 UN Country Teams are already integrating SDG transitions.

 

Second, include local leadership, including local governments, and youth in decision-making processes and SDG implementation to drive impact, with measures for accountability.

 

Yesterday’s youth Action Day provided tangible opportunities to advance our shared goals and they spoke extensively about that inclusion and what that meant.

 

Third, create frameworks for collaboration, innovation and investment, ensuring that we measure progress across social, environmental, and economic indicators.  

 

The Local2030 Coalition Knowledge and Scientific Network is pioneering evidence-based strategies and capacity-building to support such learning.

 

Fourth, advance the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Local and Regional governments. A new social contract that is people-centered must foster dialogue, intergenerational conversations and create the space for voices to be heard and acted upon.

 

At the Summit of the Future Action Days, youth and civil society activists challenged conventional thinking and spoke for change that leaves no one behind.

 

Next year, the 2nd World Social Summit and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development will demonstrate the power of local transformations aligned to the SDGs.

 

COP29 and COP30 will also offer invaluable opportunities to respond to the aspirations of local actors and communities on the frontline of socio-economic and ecological crises.

The G20 Summit in Rio will also provide a platform this year to champion further reforms, as well as a connection to the urban agenda through the U20.

 

The success of the 2030 Agenda will also depend on our collective actions.

 

Together, we know we can achieve the SDGs; ensuring that all communities thrive in a future that is just, equitable and sustainable.   

 

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Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Summit of the Future’s Action Day on “A Sustainable Future For All”, in New York on 21 September:

 

Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Dear Colleagues,

 

Welcome to the Summit of the Future Action Days and thank you for joining us for this session devoted to sustainable development, intergenerational solidarity and the future we can build together.

 

We meet at a pivotal time. With only six years to go, the rallying cry of Agenda 2030 – leaving no one behind – has fallen abysmally short. Only 17 percent of our SDG targets are on track.

 

Hunger is rising. Fossil fuel use and global temperatures are soaring. Conflicts are spreading. And the fight for gender equality is floundering. Worst of all, our commitment to leave no-one behind – the rallying cry of Agenda 2030 – has fallen short.

 

In 2015, the world’s poorest countries were converging on incomes in the richest countries, albeit slowly.

 

Today, economic fortunes around the world are diverging.

 

Of the world’s poorest 75 countries, a third are poorer today than they were five years ago.     

This simply cannot go on.

 

Over the last 9 months, Member States have been negotiating the Pact for the Future and the state of development today has been at the heart of the discussions;

 

Indeed, a Summit that asked Member States to think about emerging and future challenges, from artificial intelligence, to modern weapons, and humans’ forays into space, has prompted reflections on the state of development today:

 

How new technologies might supercharge development progress, or create new and lasting inequalities;

 

How delivering on our sustainable development goals can renew a sense of trust and build a foundation of global solidarity. that can help us confront new threats together;

 

How the need for strong multilateral cooperation to deliver sustainable development in a world increasingly shaped by global shocks and risks.

 

Delivering the SDGs is vital, but will require deeper cooperation, especially when it comes to finance.

 

Finance is the engine for the SDGs. Yet the SDG financing gap has ballooned over the last several years – and is now estimated at between 3 and 5 trillion dollars a year.

 

We need bold investments in all areas including food security, green energy and digital connectivity.

 

But the challenge goes beyond a simple problem of dollars and cents.

 

The international financial system cannot provide the safety net that many countries – particularly developing countries – need today to pursue the SDGs.  

 

On this issue, the Pact of the Future sends an unequivocal message: it’s time for an urgent reform of the international finance architecture.

 

To strengthen the voice and representation of developing countries;

 

To mobilize far greater levels of financing for the SDGs, and direct that financing to countries most in need;

 

To enable countries to borrow sustainably, and with confidence, to invest in their long-term development;

 

To provide effective and equal support to countries during systemic shocks;

And to meet the urgent challenge of climate change.

 

Over the next few hours, we will hear about some of the exciting developments already underway, such as reforms to make our multilateral development banks bigger, better and bolder.

 

Or proposals for global solidarity levies to help finance underfunded global investments in a way that is fair and transparent. And new ways to boost private investment in the SDGs.

 

With bold goals we need bold new ideas. Today’s event is a platform for the brilliant minds on this topic, from stakeholders to experts, to share their ideas.

 

We will hear from academics developing new proposals; civil society members working directly with communities; and policymakers navigating policy and regulatory hurdles.

 

The ambition and the momentum doesn’t stop today. At next year’s Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, we must take forward this momentum to deliver a new financing framework that can deliver the goals and carry us into the next decade.

 

So today, I hope you will join me in a commitment to invest in hope, invest in sustainable development, and invest in a better future for all.

 

Thank you.

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