6th Session of the General Assembly Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals : Statement by Carlos Lopes, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

Abstract

Statement by Carlos Lopes UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA at the sixth session of the General Assembly open working group on sustainable development goals. Mr. Lopes, on his remarks highlighted that, we are conscious of the fact that sustainable development seeks to achieve social and economic progress in ways that will not exhaust the earth's natural resources. The world's resources are finite, and growth that is unmanaged and unsustained will lead to deteriorating conditions for all. Sustainable development is a process of transformative change - across scales- and governance regimes, which require an enabling environment, robust institutions and a set of rules. The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command." The African position takes into account the challenges of the MDGs, whilst calling for a structural transformation agenda based on a set of enablers of development (such as infrastructure, peace and security, human rights).