Ellen Addresses UN General Assembly in New York

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, addressing the United Nations Summit for the Adoption of the Post 2015 Development Agenda last Friday declared that the successful implementation of the 2030 Development Agenda will depend largely on the concrete measures taken at the sub-national, national, regional and global levels.

“We must craft ambitious national responses towards implementation of the Agenda,” President Sirleaf told the gathering. President Sirleaf is part of a 27-member panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in July 2012 to advise on the global development framework beyond 2015, the target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom were also part of the panel which includes leaders from civil society, private sector and government.

The Panel was part of the Secretary-General’s post-2015 initiative mandated by the 2010 MDG Summit. UN Member States have called for open, inclusive consultations involving civil society, the private sector, and academia and research institutions from all regions, in addition to the UN system, to advance the development framework beyond 2015.

The work of the Panel reflected new development challenges while also drawing on experience gained in implementing the MDGs, both in terms of results achieved and areas for improvement. The Panel's work was closely coordinated with that of the intergovernmental working group tasked to design Sustainable Development Goals, as agreed at the Rio +20 conference. In her presentation, the Liberian President said it is important to set in motion national processes that will guide member states’ efforts to integrate and domesticate the new Agenda into local content that will engender national ownership in the implementation process.

“Strong follow-up and review mechanism will enhance an effective implementation process where citizens have the means to assess their countries progress in implementation. We must also embark on a data revolution, geared towards developing capacities for development planning, monitoring and evaluation,” President Sirleaf added.

The President commended member states, regional groupings, civil society organizations, private sector actors, and all stakeholders who worked tirelessly to create this new framework. The Liberian President also paid homage to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his leadership in guiding the process, declaring that she was honored in 2013 to serve, along with Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom and President Yudhoyono of Indonesia as one of the three co-chairs of the Secretary-General's High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Agenda. President Sirleaf said the panel worked with 27 panelists from around the world to set the vision and policy framework for a bold, strategic and universal agenda. The membership of the Panel comprised representatives from every segment of society, including governments, academia, civil society organizations and the private sector.

The President added that the MDGs were launched some fifteen years ago with a vision to build a better world. “At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, we set time-bound targets to address critical challenges confronting. President Sirleaf added: “The world has made significant progress in achieving many of the MDG targets.

Average overall incomes have increased, extreme poverty has declined, child mortality rates have fallen, life expectancy has risen and more people in the developing world have access to improved sanitation services.”

She said progress has been far from uniform across the world-or across the Goals and that there remain huge gaps across and within countries. Poverty remains the greatest challenge especially in rural areas, though urban poverty is also extensive, growing, and underreported by traditional indicators. Nevertheless the Liberian President said the panel remains grateful that the new development agenda calls our attention to the unfinished business of the MDGs while broadening the vision to incorporate new challenges.

“This is why every segment of the global community contributed to making this agenda a reality. In Africa, a High-Level Committee was established by the African Union in 2013, which I was honored to chair. The Committee launched a consultative process culminating in the adoption of a Common African Position reflecting the priorities of our continent.”

The President said priorities are substantially integrated into both the 2015 agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. “Together these documents demand a universal commitment to the share vision of eradicating poverty and hunger, safeguarding our planet and opening the doors to prosperity for the benefit of people everywhere. Peaceful Societies and the revitalized global partnership are essential requirements for the achievement of these aspirations.”