Video Message
2023 ASEAN-China Conference on Sustainable Development Cooperation
Huzhou, China – 23-26 May 2023
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates，
Ladies and gentlemen，
It is an honour for me to address you at a critical juncture in our shared human history.
2023 is a make-or-break year for the Sustainable Development Goals.
We are at the midpoint of implementing the 2030 Agenda. This is an agenda of justice and equality, of inclusive, sustainable development, and of human rights and dignity for all.
But, halfway to the deadline, we are leaving more than half the world behind.
Among the Sustainable Development Goals with assessable targets, only 12 per cent are on track.
And if we continue with business as usual, 575 million people will still be living in poverty in 2030, hunger will return to 2005 levels, and carbon dioxide emissions will continue to rise, threatening the existence of millions of species.
Here, in the Asia-Pacific region, about 15 per cent of the progress needed to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals has been attained.
Unless we act now, we will fail to deliver on the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Excellencies,
The climate emergency has been continuing largely unabated.
More frequent and intense storms, floods, drought, heat waves, and rising sea levels have been threatening our very existence.
We must halve global emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.
Nationally Determined Contributions must demonstrate the highest possible ambition.
At the same time, we must also recognize that the world's poorest and most vulnerable people bear the brunt of our collective failures.
That is why the Secretary-General has called for an SDG Stimulus plan to finance digital transformation, renewable energy, universal social protection, decent job creation, health care, sustainable food systems, and urban infrastructure in developing countries. He has called for a fairer and more inclusive system of international financing that aligns with the priorities of the SDGs.
We have the knowledge, resources, and the technology to make significant progress toward the 2030 Agenda. We should not shy away from our responsibilities, and it is in the interest of all to act together.
The SDG Summit in the coming September must mark a genuine turning point, and we can contribute our part to make it happen.
I wish you a productive conference!
Thank you.