Leaders of the whole UN system rally behind sustainable development goals

The United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) that brings together the executive heads of the organizations of the UN system under the chairmanship of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, met on 14-15 April to discuss Rio+20 and adopted an important joint declaration Conference that notably supports the adoption of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Following are excerpts:

“We are heartened that momentum is building for agreeing at Rio+20 to define sustainable development goals (SDGs). These will need to complement and reinforce the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), which have been instrumental in advancing poverty eradication and social development. The SDGs should form part of an integrated, coherent agenda for addressing the critical changes of the post-2015 period.”

“We stress that a key feature of SDGs should be that, while respecting national sovereignty and policy space as well as common but differentiated responsibilities and other UN principles, they would apply to all countries and unite them in common efforts to tackle sustainable development challenges. We strongly emphasize that many developing countries will continue to need financial and technological support in their efforts to integrate the three pillars of sustainable development.”

Read the full statement here.