The President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, on Thursday, June 23, urged the international community to accelerate delivery on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitments to build back better, stronger, greener, and bluer.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Business Forum, in Kigali, Shahid particularly welcomed this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) theme: Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming, with a focus on "A Global Reset.”
The theme deals with the impact of the pandemic and the Commonwealth’s role in rebuilding and reinvigorating the global economy.
"This topic is dear to my heart and particularly resonates right now, as we strive to build a more resilient future and recover from Covid-19. As we are all aware, the pandemic has been devastating for our global economy – the backlash of which has been particularly acute for small island states and developing countries,” Shahid said.
It is for this reason, he noted, that he has made recovery from Covid-19 a priority during his Presidency of the General Assembly.
"However perilous our road has been, we find ourselves in an opportune moment to build back better. This moment is one we must seize; we must learn from this and attempt to tackle the myriad challenges we face in addition to Covid-19: climate change being one of the most pressing. We cannot let this moment pass us by.”
Shahid noted that the pandemic has shown leaders that science and innovation are at the heart of efforts to transform the world for the better and achieve "our 2030 Agenda.”
Headed: "This was evidenced by the rapid and joint development of novel vaccine technology. We cannot let our ingenuity stop there. We must lean into our innovative capacities, strengths, and skills, while ensuring no one is left behind.
"We must transform our production and consumption patterns to be more sustainable and resilient. We must alleviate the digital inequalities causing a rift between developed and developing countries.”
In this journey, he echoed other leaders, business leaders and the private sector have a key role to play.
As central actors of the global economy, he said, business leaders and the private sector are in a unique position to invest in innovation and play a crucial role in shaping a more sustainable and resilient world.
"This requires adoption of sustainable and responsible business models, ones in line with the 10 Principles of the UN Global Compact. These principles drive competition while bolstering equity, inclusion, and climate resilience,” he said.
The 10 Principles of the UN Global Compact are derived from: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization's Declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work, the Rio Declaration on environment and development, and the UN convention against corruption.
These Principles include radical inclusion, gifting, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.
Zipline an example to look to
"The private company Zipline is an example to look to. Its role in both Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s Covid-19 vaccine distribution is an instance of successful partnership between public and private entities, and demonstrates the use of innovation for common good,” Shahid said.
In 2021, Zipline, a drone delivery service for medical supplies founded in Rwanda, announced that they were building a delivery solution to distribute all leading Covid-19 vaccines in countries where they operate.
"Achieving our complete recovery from Covid-19 and our SDG targets is conditional upon our prioritizing those most vulnerable. This includes women and young people.”
He stressed that inclusive and multilateral discussions are the only blueprint for a more resilient and sustainable world, guided by the SDGs.
"Let us seize the opportunity to build a new world – one built on science, innovation, and creativity.”