REMARKS OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL AT THE IV REGULAR MEETING OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

October 22, 2014 - WASHINGTON, DC

Thank you all for joining us this morning. Today we meet with the common aim of putting our own mark on the global effort to fashion a Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. This is indeed a very important meeting in preparation of next year’s Ministerial.

Yesterday we met in two side meetings, among member states and in a dialogue with civil society. I believe the discussions and observations made during those two meetings should filter in the deliberations today. Important suggestions and perspectives were presented in a frank and constructive manner.

And this morning I want to continue being frank with you. I do not see this as an exercise in hubris, nor do I see it as an exercise in futility. This is an effort rooted in our recognition of the realities, peculiarities and diversity of our hemisphere, driven by the acute understanding that ultimately we –individually and collectively- are responsible for our own journey towards development. We are the ones who can and must take the lead in determining our ability to propel our countries, our people and our region towards the goals of sustainable development.

In fact, it's is in this spirit that the Organization of American States was created. The recognition of the special circumstances in our hemisphere and the foresight that the challenges our countries faced could only be resolved through cooperation and collective action among its independent Nations. It was in this culture of self-sufficiency - this pioneering spirit that the OAS seized the notion of “Integral Development” nearly 4 decades ahead of the Bruntland Commission's formal introduction of the concept of “Sustainable Development.”

Today, in the face of an uncertain future, we must re-commit to defining our own vision, our own priorities, and our own strategies for attaining these goals, on the basis of evidence-based solutions.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let's look at the facts and realities around us: the majority of production and consumption patterns in our hemisphere are simply unsustainable. We are rapidly moving past the tipping point, and business-as-usual is no longer an option. Our population is increasing, our traditional resources are on the decline; our planet seems to be buckling under pressure.

Indeed, the debate is no longer about the practicality of sustainable development, rather how quickly it can be achieved. In my view, Governments and the people of the Americas have no choice here, there is simply no other option then embarking rapidly on the past of sustainable development.

With this in mind, I urge you to consider few things in your deliberations today:

First, if development is to be sustainable, development agendas must be made a national priority, demonstrated through deliberate leadership, targeted national planning as well as sufficient budgetary allocations.

Second, if development is to be sustainable, we must be practical. We must reward and incentivize sustainable development models through strategic partnerships, investments and tax incentives, involving non-governmental organizations, media, business community, academia, and other stakeholders.

Third, the critical importance of education, outreach and communication. Sustainable development needs to be incorporated and prioritized in national education systems. The leaders of the future need to embrace the values and norms that relate to environmentally friendly growth. We need to continue informing politicians, policy makers and others involved in making decisions in the private sector about the costs of no-action, of not acting on what is required. I believe our institutions of higher learning and the media have an important role to play in this regard.

Fourth, nothing sustainable can be achieved in isolation. For too long, we've engaged in isolated planning. It's the Achilles heel of development, to work in isolation. For anything to be sustainable, it must have buy in, respect and action from all parties, all stakeholders and all interests.

Ladies and gentlemen, Let us keep these issues in mind, even as we work toward Peru which will hold the 20thConference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change in December this year. It is our hope that we can achieve meaningful progress that will set the stage for an agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol by December 2015. I believe that working strategically and together we can have a big effect.

I believe the Americas will have an opportunity to demonstrate this commitment to sustainable development when leaders of this Hemisphere will meet for the 7th Summit of the Americas in Panama City next April. Maybe the Panama Summit, as it takes place six months before the global summit on the SDG’s, is also a fitting occasion for leaders to start a process of reflecting on a new development paradigm that places the human creativity and the care for the environment at its center. Maybe the Americas Summit will provide also an opportunity to discuss new modalities for the financing for development, more specifically financing for sustainable development, as part of the preparatory process towards the Financing for Development Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July 2015.

Ladies and gentlemen, by this time next year, our Hemisphere should make history, as I hope that your work today and in preparation for the meeting of Ministers for Sustainable Development in Honduras next year, will result in our own homegrown and designed Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. We can be the region in the world that can achieve this objective.

The OAS pledges to continue do its part and we reiterate our commitment to working with you to make a meaningful contribution. The OAs has undertaken many initiatives and activities to support sustainable development and to assist member states in policymaking and implementation. Ambassador Neil Parsan has already outlined the value of the OAS in this regard. Let me reiterate our willingness and readiness to continue this commitment.

Before I close permit me to extend my congratulations to the Government and People of Honduras for agreeing to take on the challenge ahead, of leading our hemisphere on this crucial journey. The meeting of Ministers of Sustainable Development next year is of critical importance as it will have to deliberate on continuing loss of biodiversity, the promotion of integrated water resources and forest management, the need to encourage efforts towards cleaner, more affordable and renewable energy systems and the effective application of national and international environment laws and the strengthening of governance and cooperation systems on sustainable development.

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your time this morning and I challenge all who are gathered here today and those who are listening and watching via webcast to not allow this issue to be mired in technicalities or bogged down by bureaucracy, but let us be practical, strategic and effective in all we do. Let us commit to this, for our own future, but most importantly for the future of our children and their children.

I thank you!