2015 a ‘Once in a Generation Opportunity’ for Sustainable Development
View(s):The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said this week that while there is tremendous volatility and turmoil around the world, 2015 presented a unique opportunity to eradicate poverty and agree on a path for sustainable development.
“At UNDP, we see 2015 as a huge opportunity to advance the global sustainable development agenda,” noted Helen Clark at the opening session of UNDP’s Executive Board meeting in New York. The Millennium Development Goals are set to expire at the end of this year and UN Member States will meet in September to agree on the new Sustainable Development Goals, which will guide global development priorities for the next 15 years.
She also cited other events this year that would be critical to global development: the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March, in Sendai, Japan; the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development in July in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and the UN climate change conference in Paris, France, in December.
“The combined outcomes of these major processes are a once in a generation opportunity to set a transformational global agenda for sustainable development,” she said.
In her statement she also outlined UNDP’s work in response to current crises around the world such as the refugee crisis in countries neighboring Syria, and the crises in Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ukraine, and many others.
“Through our work on early recovery we aim to support countries to move from the relief phase to recovery as quickly as possible,” she said.