United Nations, Apr 8:
UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis has said that there is no conflict between promoting sustainability and economic growth and development, underscoring that sustainability has to be the anchor for development in the 21st century.
Francis will convene the UN’s first-ever ‘Sustainability Week’ April 15-19 under the theme ‘Paving the Way for a Sustainable Future’ at the world body’s headquarters here. The week will feature dedicated events focused on sustainability in critical sectors such as tourism, infrastructure connectivity, transport, energy and debt.
“The reality is that sustainability has to be the anchor for development in the 21st century. Since we are talking about prioritizing people and the planet, the sustainability dimension of things lies at the very heart of everything we are seeking to do developmentally in the UN,” Francis, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, told PTI in an exclusive interview here.
“We have identified five key areas or economic sectors that we think have extraordinary potential for really transformative change.… and we know these five sectors have a great impact on sustainability. They are tourism, transportation, infrastructure, energy and debt” sustainability,” Francis said.
He added that these sectors have a huge impact and potential “if we make sensible choices in the way we restructure our behaviours in those sectors, to have an extraordinary impact in effecting the transition towards sustainability.” He highlighted issues such as climate change, energy security concerns, and investments in sustainable infrastructure as well as addressing problems of debt traps that create “further cycles of poverty in which people get left behind or get left out of the system.” “The consequence (of) the debt trap that confronts and confounds many developing countries in the Global South is also a development crisis,” because they do not have enough resources to invest in education, housing, national security and poverty alleviation, he said.
During the Sustainability Week, Francis will convene a ‘High-level thematic debate on debt sustainability and socio-economic equality for all’, ‘High-level thematic event on Tourism’, ‘High-level meeting on Sustainable Transport’, ‘Informal dialogue on Building global resilience and promoting sustainable development through infrastructure connectivity’ and ‘Global stocktaking marking the completion of the UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All to further accelerate the implementation of SDG 7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.
The UN leader underscored that the high-level week will emphasise “the most important lesson that there is no conflict whatsoever between promoting sustainability and promoting economic growth and development. There is no conflict.” Francis underlined that sustainable living and concepts will create new opportunities and jobs to replace the ones that may be lost, as he cited the example of transitioning from hydrocarbon-based energy to green energy and the resultant creation of new green jobs.
