SA adds its voice to sustainable development dialogue

President Cyril Ramaphosa has joined the call to address the deep rooted challenges that continue to beset the development agenda across the world.

“South Africa joins the call to address the fundamental development challenges that have long characterised our unequal world. This requires targeted investment, technology transfer and capacity building support, especially in key areas such as industrialisation, infrastructure, agriculture, water, energy, education and health.

“It will also require predictable and sustained financial support, including supportive trade policies, from the international community,” he said.

The President was delivering remarks at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, UN General Assembly, in New York, on Monday.

President Ramaphosa is on a working visit to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) convening under the umbrella of ‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all’.

He emphasised that the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals depends on the fundamental reform of global social, economic and political relations.

President Ramaphosa told world leaders that the summit is vital and must therefore revive and accelerate progress towards the fulfilment of the promises that were made to the peoples of the world in 2015.

“The world’s poorest and most vulnerable people are carrying the cost of our collective inability to significantly advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

“We therefore need urgent action to reverse the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on development,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa stressed the need to step up actions against climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. At the same time, he said, they must recognise that every country has the right to pursue its own development pathway towards shared global objectives.

He emphasised that national efforts to eradicate poverty require a conducive international environment.

“There is an urgent need to transform the global financial architecture. In the face of growing protectionism, we need to ensure a fair, rules-based and multilateral global trade system that gives developing economies equal access to world markets,” he said.

South Africa has welcomed the important steps taken to address the impact of the current global economic crises on low- and middle-income countries through the mobilisation of additional financial resources for the 2030 Agenda, debt restructuring and concessional and grant financing to reduce poverty and hunger.