UN Secretary-General calls on G-77 countries to adopt new technologies to accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs

2024-03-05 09:17:28

UN Secretary-General calls on G-77 countries to adopt new technologies to accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs

Richard Wetaya, Alliance pour la Science*

During the third Southern Summit (G-77 + China) which has just ended in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterresurged Nations to harness new technologies to accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Halfway to the 2030 deadline for achieving the goals, several countries from the G-77 bloc + China – which contributed to the development of the United Nations open working report on sustainable development and proposed SDGs concrete actions ahead of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – are behind schedule.

Mr. Guterres said he had proposed an SDG stimulus of $500 billion per year for affordable, long-term financing for sustainable development and climate action in developing countries. He added that initiatives such as the Digital Global Compact, which he proposed in his joint agenda, could accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs for the bloc’s Nations.

“The Digital Global Compact initiative aims to ensure that no one is left behind in this new technological era,” Mr. Guterres said at the summit, whose theme was “Leave no one behind.”

Progress in the fight against poverty and hunger is stalling

He noted, however, that half the world was being left behind and that new technologies such as artificial intelligence, while having enormous potential for benefits, were also exacerbating inequalities.

“Progress in the fight against poverty and hunger is stalling and, in some countries, reversing. Many G-77 members are struggling with the economic aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic, crushing debts, a cost-of-living crisis and high borrowing costs. Climate disasters, which most of you have done little to cause, are significantly reducing your economies and worsening people’s suffering,” he said.

On AI, Guterres said he established a High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence last year, which has already made preliminary recommendations on global AI governance, including the objective of accelerating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. He also said a new Scientific Advisory Board was tasked with ensuring that scientific breakthroughs were shared equitably.

This year, as the Bloc, which works for a more equitable world order and is the United Nations’ largest intergovernmental group of developing countries, celebrates its 60th anniversary, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni assumed the presidency.

Holding developed countries accountable for climate justice

Mr Museveni stressed that while the Bloc had made progress in defending and promoting the interests of developing countries, as evidenced by its growing contribution to global GDP, challenges remained.

“Overall, progress towards the SDGs, as agreed at the September 2015 Heads of State and Government meeting in New York, is falling short of expectations, with developing countries falling far behind “, he said, adding that effective actions to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for the SDGs over the remaining seven years were needed. “Uganda remains committed to the promise of leaving no one behind. We have accelerated our efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for the SDGs. We firmly believe that accelerating progress towards their full implementation is essential to the country’s national aspirations to ensure that no one is left behind. »

Besides calling for cooperation among G-77 countries to combat the climate crisis, Mr. António Guterres urged them to hold developed countries accountable for climate justice and lead a just and equitable transition based on phasing out of fossil fuels and investing in renewable energy.

“The very existence of several countries depends on limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius, in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in light of different national circumstances. The Loss and Damage Fund adopted at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference is a step forward and a testament to the power of the South,” said Mr. Guterres.

“But we must call for significant contributions that have not yet been announced. We must also advocate for an ambitious new financial target for the future at COP29. And we must not forget that the just and equitable energy transition includes the production and trade of essential minerals in a fair and sustainable way that maximizes benefits for developing countries. »

Ms. Rose Mwebaza, Director of the Regional Office for Africa of the United Nations Environment Program.

Ms. Rose Mwebaza, Director of the United Nations Environment Program Regional Office for Africa, told the media that the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP28 would help developing countries prepare their communities to the already present effects of climate change and to manage the inevitable losses.

“There has been a strong desire to make it operational, but governments should consider various financial options. The good news is that there were discussions during the summit on strengthening domestic resource mobilization capacities and managing the remittance process. »

Reforming the global financial architecture

Mr. António Guterres highlighted that the September Future Summit, which aims to reform and revitalize multilateralism so that it works for everyone, everywhere, and responds to today’s challenges, would be a generational opportunity for countries to find common solutions to global challenges.

“This is an opportunity to create the conditions for countries to achieve the SDGs and find consensus on frameworks to address new challenges. We are counting on the G77 and China to make the Future Summit a success,” he said.

The Future Summit will also examine ways to reform the global financial architecture, which many analysts in the G-77 bloc view as outdated and unsuitable for today’s global challenges and the needs of developing countries.

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* Richard Wetaya is an award-winning, Uganda-based independent multimedia journalist specializing in reporting on science, environment, health and education.

Source : Embrace new technologies to accelerate progress towards SDGs, UN Sec-Gen urges G-77 nations – Alliance for Science

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