New York: With a prominent UAE contribution, the United Nations yesterday (Monday) concluded negotiations on the landmark Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the most far-reaching international decision on development in the 70-year history of the organisation.
The goals specify outcomes to be achieved by 2030 across a broad range of social, environmental, and economic areas.
Reflecting its international leadership, the UAE was notably credited for driving new goals on gender equality and sustainable energy, and also led the 22 country Arab Group in the negotiations. The SDGs will be adopted by all 193 UN member countries during a summit in New York City from September 25 to 27, influencing government policies and trillions of dollars in spending.
“The SDGs represent a breakthrough in the way the international community thinks about the interlinkages between growth, social norms, and the environment, and the UAE is proud to have high ambitions across these objectives,” said Lana Nussaibah, the UAE’s ambassador to the UN. “Countries now have a clear guide for transformation at home, as well as for the way they can support sustainable development in other countries.”
Majid Al Suwaidi, the lead negotiator and the head of climate affairs and sustainability at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the SDGs validate the UAE’s longstanding approach to make development progress through innovation. “The challenges of resource scarcity and climate change mean we have to quickly find new means to both raise people out of poverty and enable continued economic growth in wealthier countries. We were able to take many lessons from our own development and embed them in the SDGs — for instance, granting equitable rights for men and women to strengthen our economy, and using renewable energy to power it.”
