As the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up more than a dozen reports relating to sustainable development today, delegates spotlighted the importance of promoting renewable, sustainable and affordable sources of energy, also calling for more support for developing and least developed countries to sustain progress.

One of the reports, introduced by Lotta Tahtinen, Officer-in-Charge of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, titled “Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” (document A/78/201), provided an update on UN‑Energy efforts towards strengthening coherence and coordination in support of SDG 7.

In a similar vein, Daniele Violetti, Senior Director of Programmes Coordination of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, introducing via videoconference section I of the report “Implementation of United Nations environmental conventions” (document A/78/209), underscored the need for providing targeted support to the poorest and most vulnerable to accelerate transition to clean power generation and energy efficiency measures.

In the ensuing debate, many delegates spotlighted the importance of increasing investment, including in renewable energy, to achieve sustainable development, while some presented their national achievements in promoting clean energy and fostering the use of alternative and affordable sources to that end.

Introduction of Reports

LOTTA TAHTINEN, Officer-in-Charge of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced five reports of the Secretary-General, prepared by her Division.

The first report, “Agricultural technology for sustainable development” (document A/78/228), recognizes that science and technology have the potential to accelerate transformative change in agricultural practices in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, she said. “Examples are given of how biotechnologies, digital technologies, renewable energy, mechanization and data advancement can help accelerate SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] implementation and manage trade-offs by boosting production, improving efficiency, minimizing waste and reducing drudgery in agrifood systems,” she stressed.

The second report, “Cooperative measures to assess and increase awareness of environmental effects related to waste originating from chemical munitions dumped at sea” (document A/78/276), explores the possibility of establishing a database as well as identifying appropriate intergovernmental bodies, she noted.

The third report, “Towards the achievement of sustainable development: implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including through sustainable consumption and production, building on Agenda 21” (document A/78/208), provides an update on strengthening the science and policy interface, financing sustainable development and partnerships for sustainable development. “The report notes that addressing many of the challenges faced by the world today requires a total transformation in the way we produce, consume and do business,” she said, adding that the document highlights a few significant recent policy developments, such as the approval of a Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production to support the achievement of global sustainability ambitions and a just transition by 2030.

The fourth report, “Follow-up to and implementation of the SIDS [small island developing States] Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States” (document A/78/222), responds directly to the requests of the General Assembly contained in its resolution 77/245 for an update on the data platform for small island developing States by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), she noted. “The report also highlights potential priorities for further enhanced action and implementation after the SIDS 4 Conference, scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda from 27 to 30 May 2024,” she said.

The fifth report, “Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” (document A/78/201), highlights a global stocktaking to further accelerate the implementation of SDG 7, to be held in 2024 as mandated by General Assembly resolution 77/170, she informed, adding that the document provides an update on UN-Energy efforts towards strengthening coherence and coordination within the United Nations system in support of SDG 7.

ANDREA MEZA, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, speaking via video-teleconference, introduced the Secretary-General’s report “Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa” (document A/78/209 Part II). Recalling that in 2020, in Riyad, the Group of 20 (G20) declared their ambition to reduce 50 per cent of the world’s degraded land by 2040 and launched the G20 Global Land Initiative, she said that 130 countries are involved in the process for setting land degradation neutrality targets. In addition, the International Drought Resilience Alliance was established to accelerate action, she reported, announcing that the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification will be held in December 2024 in Saudi Arabia as a “moonshot moment for the land and drought resilience agenda”.