STATEMENT BY:
H.E. FRANCESS PIAGIE ALGHALI
DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Chair,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
At the outset, let me congratulate you, Chair, Your Excellency Muhammad Abdul Muhith of Bangladesh and members of your Bureau on your respective elections to the Bureau of the Second Committee at its 79th Session. I want to assure you of my delegation’s full support throughout your tenure.
Let me also express our deep appreciation to your predecessor, H.E. Carlos Daniel Amorín Tenconi, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations and his bureau for successfully chairing the Committee during the 78thsession.
We thank the UN Secretary-General for the comprehensive reports on the different agenda items and the Secretariat for their invaluable support to this Committee.
Sierra Leone aligns itself with the statements delivered by the Distinguished Representative of Iraq on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, Chad on behalf of the African Group, and Nepal on behalf of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), respectively.
Mr. Chair,
This debate is taking place at a time when the world is experiencing multiple interconnected global crises and emerging threats. These include the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of the Ukraine-Russia war, the dire impacts of climate change, disasters, and biodiversity loss. These challenges have imposed severe fiscal constraints, especially on developing and fragile, conflict-affected nations such as the g7+ group of countries.
We, therefore, appreciate the theme of the General Debate: “Fostering resilience and growth in an uncertain world” for its significance and for highlighting the need to address the enormous challenges confronting the global community.
First, and in line with the statement delivered by His Excellency, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, during the General Debate of the just concluded High-Level Week, Sierra Leone reaffirms the urgent need forcomprehensive reform of the present global financial architecture to make it deliver effectively and fairly for all. We need a transformed global financial system that seeks to create a fair global economic system that addresses the needs of developing countries and places their priorities at the heart of every decision and mechanism to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The crippling debt distress is a major bottleneck for unlocking the financing of sustainable development in developing countries. Thus, we support the overwhelming call to urgently address the long-standing injustices in the international debt architecture. There is an urgent need to review the international debt mechanism and the implementation of measures that will ease untenable debt levels and assist countries to have adequate fiscal space to invest in sustainable development.
Addressing the issue of illicit financial flows is essential for Africa’s economic stability and growth. Reforming the global financial architecture to close loopholes, enhance transparency, and foster international cooperation will be critical steps toward achieving this.
Additionally, we call for the reallocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) or redirecting unused Special Drawing Rights to developing countries in need as critical steps towards expanding finance for sustainable development and providing critical liquidity to countries facing fiscal challenges to achieve the SDGs.
Similarly, collective effort and multilateral action are required to ultimately achieve the objectives of the Summit of the Future and accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. In this regard, we must continue to urge developed countries/partners to scale up/fulfill their Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments including channeling new and additional resources for LDCs in the spirit of solidarity and ensuring no country is left behind.
Mr. Chair,
Secondly, we need to emphasize the importance of a fair and inclusive global tax system in addressing inequalities in international trade, especially in developing nations. Collaborative tax cooperation is crucial for strengthening domestic resources, enabling countries to finance and implement policies aligned with the SDGs.
Furthermore, Climate change poses a real threat to the lives and livelihoods of people, especially in African countries. Collective efforts to adapt to and mitigate the negative effects of Climate Change demands immediate and robust strategies. We hereby reaffirm the strong need for adequate access to climate financing, particularly for adaptation and resilience as well as loss and damage, and technology transfer, to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation plans as a matter that requires our immediate and urgent global attention and response.
We must recognize the urgency for substantial financial resources to bolster climate action. Hence, we urge developed countries to honour their commitment to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance and especially in allocating at least half of all public climate finance to adaptation to close the current adaptation finance gap.
Chair, our third point highlights the importance of a strong and well-funded United Nations Development System (UNDS) to achieve results that align with our country’s development priorities. We stress the crucial role of Resident Coordinators in ensuring that the UN’s development aid is coherent, organized, and in line with our national development goals. The upcoming Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) should provide important guidance to enhance the assistance of UNDS in achieving the SDGs.
Finally, despite the multiple interlocking global challenges, my delegation continues to foster resilience in an uncertain world by undertaking concrete initiatives towards growth and stability. We remained strategic in pursuing the SDGs targets, implementing the 2030 agenda within the framework of our national development strategies. In this plan, the Government of Sierra Leone has prioritized our “Big Five Game Changers” for a sustainable transformation of our economy. The first of the “Game Changers, the “Feed Salone” Initiative is directly aligned with (SDGs 1,2 &14) and is the Government’s flagship programme for attaining food security, boosting economic growth, and reducing poverty.
In addition, our government continues to prioritize Human Capital Development, emphasizing gender equality, as well as the Youth Employment Scheme and Technology and Infrastructure Programme and reform of our Public Service Architecture in our effort to attain sustainable development.
To conclude, Mr. Chair, my country is committed to addressing its fiscal and financing difficulties by embracing innovative financing methods, including climate finance, and others. Our focus is on achieving the targets of the SDGs and implementing the 2030 agenda within the framework of our national development strategies as the roadmap for recovery, renewal, and building resilience in an unpredictable world. However, I wish to stress that without adequate financing, developing countries like ours will continue to face challenges in meeting all our development goals, including our collective aim of not leaving anyone behind. While we have the policy tools and resources to achieve the SDGs globally, sufficient financing is crucial for investing in sustainable development. Finally, by collaborating, we can drive the necessary change for a fairer and more sustainable future for all.
I thank you.
