Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698076244455.pdf (Saint Lucia)
Remarks by Hon.

James Fletcher Minister for Public Service, Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology Government of Saint Lucia High Level Debate on the Sustainable Development Goals Thursday21stApril, 2016 United Nations Headquarters New York 1 Introduction Mr. President, achieving a high quality of life for all Saint Lucians is the goal and purpose of my Government’s national development strategy.
We understand that this objective requires more than economic growth - it requires a whole system approach to development.

We see increasing prosperity, eradicating poverty and hunger, improving social cohesion, caring for our natural resources and securing peace and justice for all Saint Lucians as critical and clearly inter-connected goals.
Departure from One-Dimensional View of Development The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development marks a departure from a one-dimensional view of development toward a multi-dimensional and integrated approach that addresses the social, economic and environmental drivers of development.

Our government welcomes this necessary paradigm shift and is currently engaged in a National Visioning process that aims to bring economic, social and environmental policies into balance.
Our intention is to develop the requisite synergies so that policies work well together to create optimal outcomes.

Our national strategy will also work to integrate the seventeen sustainable development goals and their targets, so that Saint Lucia’s development will be mirrored in the SDGs.

Adequate Policy Space is Necessary Mr. President, it is universally understood that States have a national responsibility for sustainable development.
However, what seems to be less evident is the necessity of adequate policy space in which to maneuver toward national development goals.

The SAMOA Pathway, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the revitalized global partnership that is rooted in this 2030 Agenda, are necessary to produce better policies to facilitate enhanced access to international public sources of financing – especially grants and highly concessional loans - for Small Island Developing States.
It is important that multilateral trade policies are revised to ensure improved market access for small vulnerable economies; and it is also necessary that more inclusive governance structures are strengthened at the international level to ensure that the concerns of SIDS with middle income status are taken into account when setting and executing policies.
Genuine Global Partnerships ‘The call in the SAMOA pathway for genuine and durable partnerships is a call for those partnerships that put our people’s priorities first.

Deepening our global partnerships is essential for the successful implementation of our 2030 Agenda.

Partnerships work best when they are country-owned and country-driven and when they provide for a balanced relationship between donor and recipient, based on mutual respect and accountability.
The SDGs similarly are an overarching framework for aligning private sector and public sector interests at the national, regional and global levels.

2 We must forge a viable global partnership to harness the appropriate technology, innovation, data and finance, which are critical means of implementation.

Access to appropriate technology is a crucial and powerful accelerant of sustainable development.
Similarly, high quality, accessible, timely, reliable and disaggregated data are essential for evidence-based decision making and for effective follow-up and monitoring of SDG implementation.

Synergies between 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement Mr. President, whilst partnerships and improving the wider enabling environments can catalyze transformation in our economies, no transformation can be sustained in the face of the dangerous adverse impacts of climate change.
Our national visioning process is deliberately informed by our climate change adaptation imperatives, in concert with the global goals that treat with the environment.

Our government’s goal is to initiate deep synergies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement – which my country will sign and ratify tomorrow.
As a Small Island Developing State we understand very clearly how climate actions can inspire and catalyze action on many of the SDGs and we intend to strengthen relationships at all levels toward concrete actions and initiatives that enhance resilience, incentivize investment and mobilize the appropriate support.

Mr. President, our work on the ground in crafting the most effective national plan is ambitious It reflects our evolving understanding of the social, economic and and purposeful.
environmental linkages that define our lives.

We commend you for convening this High Level debate to charge up political momentum and exchange views and we hope that the result is ambitious and immediate action by all stakeholders at all levels.

Thank You.

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