NEW YORK: Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy headed the Sultanate of Oman’s delegation at the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit, which kicked off on Tuesday at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.
At the opening of the summit, Sayyid Badr delivered Oman’s speech during which he conveyed His Majesty the Sultan’s greetings to the conferees, as well as His Majesty's appreciation for the efforts made to organise this major summit.
Sayyid Badr pointed out that the event takes place at prime time for joint efforts to improve all aspects of life, notably towards the realisation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in all sectors.
"Oman is exerting tangible efforts to achieve the goals of sustainable development, and, accordingly made technology, science and digital transition an essential part of its national strategies and legislation," said Sayyid Badr. He said, "Oman will submit its second voluntary national report in 2024, which will highlight the country’s strong commitment to achieving the target objectives and maintaining comprehensive progress in various social, economic, scientific, environmental and renewable energy fields."
Sayyid Badr stressed that Oman’s march to achieve sustainable development goals, as stipulated in Oman Vision 2040, reflects the country’s strong commitment to science, technology and innovation. Oman’s action also consolidates international efforts and cooperation to transfer knowledge and technology and facilitate investment and employment opportunities to ensure a safe and prosperous future for all, said Sayyid Badr.
In this context, he expressed the conviction that integration and cooperation among various sectors constitute a necessity and require good understanding of challenges and opportunities, as well as the development of innovative solutions.
ON TRACK
Roughly halfway to the 2030 deadline to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - agreed as a development yardstick in 2015 - only 15 per cent of the targets are on track, raising the stakes for a SDG Summit.
"It's time to take a hard look at how badly we are off track," said John Gilroy, climate and sustainable development lead for the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations.
"At the halfway point to the SDG deadline, the eyes of the world are on you once again," UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the gathering. "We can prevail. If we act now. If we act together."
Seeking to regain lost momentum, Guterres has called for at least $500 billion per year in extra funding from wealthy nations to help reach the goals by 2030 - and leaders are expected to make new interim SDG commitments this week, including benchmarks to cut inequality and poverty by 2027. - ONA
