Fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda Needs a New World Order: Cuba

In his capacity as pro tempore president of the G77+China, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel demanded on Monday at the United Nations the establishment of a new world order that allows the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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"This mid-term review of the 2030 Agenda takes place at a time of extremely critical juncture, in which developing countries face multiple challenges and an unjust economic order that perpetuates inequalities and poverty," he said.

"We will reach 575 million people living in extreme poverty by 2030. By that date, barely a third of countries will manage to halve national poverty levels. We will not end hunger as agreed," Diaz-Canel recalled, stressing that "at the current pace, none of the 17 SDGs will be achieved and over half of the agreed goals will not be met."

"Aware of this situation, the G-77+China have given top priority to this event, with the aim of putting sustainable development back at the center of the international agenda and giving the necessary political impetus to accelerate the implementation of the Agenda 2030".

At the recent Havana summit, United Nations Secretary Antonio Guterres called for correcting the historical injustices at the core of the international financial system to give the most vulnerable countries and people a fair chance at a better future.

"Therefore, a better global sovereign debt architecture with the participation of the South is necessary. It will allow for fair, balanced, and development-oriented treatment," Diaz-Canel said.

The Cuban leader also called for more ambitious goals in relation to mitigation and adaptation to climate change, as well as increasing the transfer of resources from developed countries to developing nations in order to simultaneously address the fight against climate change and the promotion of development.

Finally, Diaz-Canel asked the United Nations to firmly reject unilateral trade restrictions incompatible with the agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO).