Ministerial roundtable

 “Accelerating achievement of the SDGs by 2030: addressing on-going crises and overcoming challenges”

Thursday, 14 July 2022, 2:30 to 4:30 pm, Trusteeship Council Chamber

[Statement Time Duration: 3 minutes]

Excellencies,

We meet at a critical juncture in our journey towards realising the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030: after the significant developments at COP26 and before the SDG Summit next year, while we focus on recovering from the pandemic and its impacts.

With the onset of the pandemic a little over two years ago, India introduced an array of initiatives and focused interventions to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and protect lives and livelihoods. 

The response of India’s scientific research and vaccine manufacturing ecosystem has resulted in the world's most extensive free vaccination programme-with over 1.98 billion doses reaching all parts of the country including, the remotest regions and people living in situations of vulnerability. Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India has supplied over 235 million total supplies of COVID-19 vaccines to 98 countries of the world, doing good on our commitments to regional cooperation and multilateralism.

Our recovery journey has been paved by a focus on government spending, especially on building world-class infrastructure to induce a multiplier effect on the economy and act as a significant enabler for businesses and industries. The Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti Yojana, or National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, aimed at improving connectivity and easing logistical bottlenecks in the movement of goods, services, and people, is one such novel initiative. This is particularly significant given the pandemic-led disruptions to supply chains and mobility.

Harnessing the potential of digital innovations and technology took centre stage considering the nature of the health crisis that spread rapidly across the world. To that end, the sharing of technology and experiences represents critical a pathway to an accelerated move towards achieving the SDGs. From novel systems of public service delivery and direct beneficiary transfers to the digital platform that became the vehicle of our vaccination program, India’s experiences of utilising digital technology to deliver social protection and financial inclusion remain worthy of emulation. By leveraging such experiences, costs and risks can be reduced for the global community.

Our commitment to reach 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, meeting 50 per cent of energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030, a 45 percent reduction in carbon intensity, reduction in total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes from now to 2030, and achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2070, exhibits our climate action resolve. The global shared commitment to address climate change will require further deepening of partnerships, especially in technology, innovation, and financial flows.

Excellencies,

We must collectively focus on building back better. To achieve this, it is crucial to continue to embed the principles of sustainability in our recovery and rebuilding efforts. The Sustainable Development Goals framework is critical to this context; it enables us to chart a new course of development for the post-pandemic future. The 17 SDGs, after all, represent our promises to future generations. India, therefore, reiterates its commitment to the priorities under the SDG framework.