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Q: How are you going to find increasing. This means that you The experts are telling you about
that will? need to look again how you invest the threat of climate change. What
strategically and how you include is happening about food and nu-
Well, we are very fortunate that everyone. That requires lots of trition? What is happening about
this time we have a situation base-line disaggregated data and women and girls' education? We
where Member States have said certainly the multi-stakeholder bring that into a discussion in the
that they want to lead the process partnerships to make it happen. Open Working Group; it's a plat-
-- they want to own it. At the be- We cannot do this without neglec- form for deliberating on a set of
ginning, I think people were very ting the planet. goals. We should get a proposal
concerned about what they were for a set of goals before Septem-
going to seek to achieve. There are It is very difficult to think about ber 2014, and then we will have to
also concerns that we may end up the environment when you are establish the knowledge of what is
getting the lowest common deno- wondering where your next meal out there and where the real needs
minator for 193 countries. History will come from; but somehow we are. And then we have to priori-
shows us that the trade talks are have to find a balance. Even as we tize those across the globe. That's
not working very well; the climate empower people, we will be in a a huge task, but the UN system
change talks are still incomplete. much weaker position if we do not and agencies have been helping
I think that on the development take care of the environment and and bringing in expertise to do
agenda we have an opportunity global common goods, and then it. They distil the issues and help
to turn things around. Just over you have to build resilience to the Member States to clarify their
a year ago things looked very dif- cope with the effects that climate priorities. We ask external people
ferent. It did not look as if the sus- change is bringing. to come in and assess these issues,
tainable development agenda was and in this way we also obtain an
going to be a reality. There was a This is what we are working on. outside view of the process.
lot of concern about whether the There is a road-map that says we
poverty agenda would be forgot- have eighteen months to agree on Then we have another parallel
ten, as if this sustainable deve- something and it is important that process that talks about finance
lopment agenda just concerned we agree on one agenda. for sustainable development, and
the environment. This universal that is going to mean overseas
agenda -- would it forget about Now we have to prioritize. When development assistance. How
the poor? Because now it involves 193 countries are setting their can we keep that on the table and
everybody and competing de- priorities and are thinking about use it more innovatively, increase
mands would write off some parts goals, then we may end up with it where we can but at least hold
of the constituencies that also about 150 of them if a concerted on to what we have and get these
need the resources. Maybe we will effort is not made to synthesize commitments paid for.
lose them. and integrate these. We all know
that what is going to work is a And then we must look at the
Today we are in a much better concise set of goals like the MDGs wider possibilities for other re-
position. There is much more cer- that attribute a specific interven- sources: sovereign wealth funds,
tainty that a universal agenda is tion to specific action at country pension funds, illicit financial out-
needed -- a cohesive and integra- level. We need a set of measure- flows stashed in tax heavens -- the
ted set of goals. When we look at ments making everybody accoun- resource base that is available. But
sustainable development, then table in a framework that is not we need to find ways of unlocking
economic transformation, social legally binding but compelling it. So you need to find ways of
inclusion and the protection of the enough to drive concerted action taking the risk out of an environ-
environment become the vehicles on the ground. And then, last but ment, those resources could be ac-
to eradicate poverty. It is not just not least, how do you set the levels cessed to infrastructures in other
a question of eradicating poverty of implementation so you can countries. Or you could look at tax
through a few targeted invest- have a good menu that you can havens and how to access those
ments, but actually transforming actually pay for? resources. We know the legal ins-
economies, ensuring that young truments, We know where they
people get jobs, creating infras- Q: Have you negotiated these are, but we need to bring those re-
tructures so that you can deliver issues with each Member sources back to the country of ori-
the services in a sustainable way. State? gin. But, at the same time, can we
get additional resources to help
When you see economies growing, What has been done is that the these countries, to strengthen
you must ask why there are still so general public has been asked for their tax system so that the same
many people who are poor in those different kinds of information. thing does not happen again? You
countries. The inequalities are What is the world that you want? can see we are entering a transition

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