PRESS RELEASE : With 8 years left until 2030, we must leave no one behind – UK statement at UN Second Committee [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 October 2022.

Ambassador James Kariuki delivered the UK’s national statement at the General Debate of the UN’s Second Committee which opened in New York this week.

Madam Chair,

The United Kingdom congratulates you on your appointment. We look forward to working with you and the Second Committee bureau.

As we approach the midpoint of the Sustainable Development Goals, we must all renew our commitment to achieving Agenda 2030.

Development is at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy. We remain a committed and substantial development partner, through our range of funding and expertise. The UK spends 0.5% of gross national income on ODA, and is committed to returning to 0.7% when out fiscal situation allows.

We are channelling most of our ODA towards low-income countries. We support the global goal of providing at least 0.2% of our GNI to Least Developed Countries.

The tight fiscal situation and debt distress faced by many developing countries is concerning. Scaled up and more effective financing and investment – which doesn’t increase debt – is desperately needed, from a range of sources.

Through “British Investment Partnerships”, we are working with governments and private sector to mobilise up to £8 billion annually of UK-backed financing. This will support economic growth, sustainable infrastructure, and a green and just energy transition.

During our G7 Presidency, we launched the “Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment”, which also aims to mobilise $600 billion over the next 5 years.

Countries need better access to international trade, which is why we launched the “Developing Countries Trading Scheme” to enable duty-free, quota-free trade.

The international financing system isn’t working for many countries. The UK has signed up to the G20 ambition of channelling $100 billion Special Drawing Rights to climate-vulnerable countries. We have committed to channel $4 billion of SDRs via the IMF’s new Resilience & Sustainability Trust.

Madam Chair,

The UK is proud of our COP26 Presidency and the historic Glasgow Climate Pact.

As we approach COP27 in Sharm el-Sheik and the CBD COP15 in Montreal, we will work with Egypt, China, Canada and others to maintain focus on the goals of the Paris Agreement and Glasgow Climate Pact. These agreements must be the starting point for all climate discussions, including in Second Committee. We will resist any attempt to row back from these agreements.

The UK was the first major economy to commit to bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. We are committed to ‘No New Coal’.

We have promised to double our International Climate Finance to at least £11.6 billion to 2026. We will ensure a balance between mitigation and adaptation finance.

At UNGA High-Level Week, we launched a 10 Point Plan for Financing Biodiversity, with Ecuador, Gabon and the Maldives. This reinforces the need for all domestic financing and ODA to be nature-positive and eliminate harmful subsidies.

We are also hopeful about a new Global Biodiversity Framework with targets to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030.

The UK has been a strong supporter of multilateralism as the core of how to support global health in our interconnected world.

Madam Chair

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the UK has committed $2.37 billion to help low and middle-income countries to manage impacts on the most vulnerable.

Through COVAX, the UK supported distribution of 1.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines to 87 developing countries. The UK is prioritising equitable access to vaccinations, therapeutics and diagnostics to support the ‘One Health Approach’.

We look forward to discussing how to better prepare for future pandemics, at the upcoming UN High-Level meetings on PPPR and Antimicrobial Resistance.

We are acutely aware of how interlinked economic, social and environmental challenges affect countries in special situations such as SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs.

Last year, the UK co-authored the ‘SIDS Call to Action’ with Belize, Fiji and AOSIS, pressing for vulnerability to guide financial allocations, as set out in Glasgow.

We welcome publication of the interim report on development of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, and look forward to the final report. We encourage Second Committee’s support and consideration of SIDS and LDCs across discussions.

Gender equality must be at the heart of our efforts, and a cross-cutting focus in Second Committee.

We commend the Secretary General for the Transforming Education Summit, and action to advance gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment in and through education.

With 8 years left until 2030, we still have time left to muster our hope, commitment and courage, and work together to realize the SDGs. We must leave no one behind.

Thank you.