U.S. Mission to the United Nations: Statement on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Samantha Power
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
New York, NY
August 3, 2015
After more than three years of intense negotiations, the world has finally agreed on an ambitious and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the first global development agenda to be fully negotiated by member states.
While the new agenda is a worthy successor to the Millennium Development Goals, it is far more comprehensive, addressing economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in a holistic and integrated manner. The new agenda is universal and applicable to every country. It requires all of us to commit to eradicating extreme poverty, fighting inequality, empowering women and girls, protecting our natural resources, improving governance, encouraging sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and focusing our collective efforts to ensure that those most in need get an equal chance in life. We would like to thank the co-facilitators, Ambassador Donoghue of Ireland and Ambassador Kamau of Kenya, for their leadership and perseverance, and the delegations themselves for the tenacity, flexibility, and tremendous dedication they showed to reach consensus.
If we act to meet the promise of this Sustainable Development Agenda, we will together build a world in which no child will grow up in extreme poverty. Small-scale rural farmers will find easier access to loans and markets so they can grow their businesses and support their families. Poor children who previously were invisible will be able to obtain legal identification and be counted by their governments. Millions of girls will be spared the damage caused by child marriage and female genital mutilation. And developing countries will be able to access the financing and expertise they need to expand their economies and industrialize in a clean and sustainable way.
As difficult as these three years of often-grueling negotiations have proven, the truly hard part now lies before us. Our ability to deliver on the transformational benefits of this agenda will turn on whether we shoulder our collective responsibility to achieve results. We look forward to working with governments, civil society, academia, the private sector, the scientific community, and citizens around the world to implement this agreement. We must translate the bold promise of this historic consensus into better lives for people everywhere.