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Thursday 13 July 2017
ECLAC Underscores Leadership and Political Commitment by the
Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to the 2030 Agenda
-Alicia Bárcena, Executive do so in 2018, underscored between government, the
Secretary of the regional Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s private sector and citizens,
organization, participates Executive Secretary, during fostering coordination with
in the annual session of the the panel on Implementa- the United Nations system,
High-level Political Forum tion at the regional and regional organizations and
on Sustainable Develop- sub-regional levels. development banks.
ment inaugurated today at In addition to Bárcena, In order to mobilize pub-
United Nations headquar- representatives of the five lic and private resources
ters in New York. regional UN commissions around the 2030 agenda, it
participated in the session: is crucial that the countries
NEW YORK - The Economic Shamshad Aktar, Executive of the region increase their
Commission for Latin Amer- Secretary of the Economic taxation – and change
ica and the Caribbean and Social Commission for its structure – and reduce
(ECLAC) underscored the Asia and the Pacific (ES- tax evasion, emphasized
political commitment by CAP); Mohamed Ali Alha- Bárcena, who alerted that
the region’s countries to kim, Executive Secretary of the high levels of debt
the 2030 Agenda for Sus- Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary. the Economic and Social faced by Caribbean coun-
tainable Development and New York. plementation of this agen- Commission for Western tries limit their fiscal space
its 17 goals (SDGs) at the first Nineteen of the 33 coun- da and 14 countries have Asia (ESCWA); Olga Algay- for meeting the SDGs.
meeting of the High-level tries of Latin America and presented their Voluntary erova, Executive Secretary The United Nations senior
Political Forum on Sustain- the Caribbean have high- National Reviews (VNRs) of the Economic Commis- representative also advo-
able Development (HLPF) level intersectoral institu- between 2016-2017, while sion for Europe (ECE) and cated for the economic
taking place through July tions to coordinate the im- two more are expecting to Aida Opoku-Mensah, Spe- autonomy of women and
19 at UN headquarters in cial Advisor to the Execu- productive diversification
tive Secretary of the Eco- hand in hand with a great
nomic Commission for Af- environmental push as
rica (ECA), as well as Oleg cross-cutting themes in the
Pankratov, Vice Prime Min- 2030 Agenda.
ister of the Kyrgyz Republic, Along these lines, she called
on behalf of the Eurasian for the reinforcement of
Economic Union. intra-regional trade; direct
“The main driver of change foreign investment in non-
for the eradication of pov- extractive sectors that fa-
erty and the construction vor supply chains with local
of shared prosperity in Latin and regional providers; the
America and the Carib- promotion of a trade-fa-
bean must be the end of cilitating agenda; the pro-
the culture of privilege, motion of industrialization
tax evasion, illicit finan- and innovation, increasing
cial flows and corruption,” local and regional content
said Bárcena during her in exports; the regional co-
presentation. She pointed ordination of fiscal and ex-
to the six pillars for action change-rate policies, and
and cooperation around joint action to build better
the 2030 Agenda agreed global and regional gover-
at the first meeting of the nance on financial issues.
Forum of the Countries of During the inaugural ses-
Latin America and the Ca- sion of the HLPF, Frederick
ribbean on Sustainable De- Musiiwa Makamure Shava,
velopment held in April of President of the United Na-
this year in Mexico under tions Economic and Social
the auspices of ECLAC. Council (ECOSOC), under-
These pillars are the cre- scored the importance of
ation of an inter-institu- the regional dimension of
tional and inter-sectoral the 2030 Agenda, which
architecture at the highest warranted opening the Fo-
level in each country; the rum’s work with a panel on
incorporation of the SDGs the theme.
(Sustainable Development All the presenters at the
Goals) into national bud- session highlighted the key
gets and development role of the five UN region-
plans; the strengthening of al commissions, including
national statistical capaci- ECLAC, in the implementa-
ties; the need to prioritize tion of the 2030 Agenda,
the means of implementa- i.e. in the analysis of trends,
tion (financing, technolo- progress and gaps in each
gy, trade and accountabil- country, in the identifica-
ity); the strengthening of tion of the critical links be-
regional architecture; and tween the SDGs in each re-
the promotion of dialogue gion, in the contribution . q
