Text vystoupení GT OSN Ban Ki-moona:

 

Let me start by thanking you for your support and wishing you every success as we begin our important work in 2016.  Happy New Year to you all.

There was great turbulence in 2015.  As we address those troubles, let us take heart from the triumphs.  I congratulate you once again on the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.  These towering achievements point the world in promising new directions.  At a time of massive humanitarian need, they give hope that we can overcome global divisions in the name of the common good.

Other milestones of 2015 include the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development.  Polio moved closer to extinction.  The transmission of Ebola ended in Guinea and Sierra Leone.  Today, the outbreak has been declared over in Liberia, too.  These are all victories for collective action.  And where international cooperation was strong, peaceful solutions and transitions also followed.

Iran and the P5+1 countries reached a landmark deal to resolve questions regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.  There were smooth transfers of power in Sri Lanka and Nigeria, and democratic gains in Myanmar and Tunisia.  Negotiations on Cyprus moved closer to fruition.  The Government of Colombia and the FARC [Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia] entered the last stretch in their search for peace, and expect to sign a final agreement in the coming months.  And at long last, the Security Council, in adopting resolution 2254 (2015) on 18 December, found unity on a political path for resolving the nightmare in Syria.

The trial of former President Hissène Habré of Chad, along with several cases before the International Criminal Court, continued the surge in accountability mechanisms.  With former political and military leaders in jail, and victims seeing justice done, the world is witnessing a sea [of] change in ending impunity for atrocious crimes.

Yet, we know armed conflict, poverty, disaster and discrimination continue to stalk millions.  2015 saw rising threats to the global commons and our shared values.

The year just past was one of extremes — the hottest in recorded history, with hate-filled ideologies on the rise and the highest levels of forced displacement since the Second World War.  Major emergencies deepened in Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.  Burundi teetered on the edge of cataclysm.  And as the occupation of the West Bank nears half a century in duration, Israelis and Palestinians grew even more polarized.

We begin 2016 needing to get our priorities right.  The United Nations continues to deliver results.  But we need to do more, and we need to do better.

This is a moment heavy with responsibility:  year 1 of the new 15-year agenda, and year 10 of my 10-year mandate.  One year may seem to be very short in United Nations time.  But, I believe we can make it dynamic and productive.  In that spirit, I would like to share my thoughts on the direction of our work in 2016.

First, this must be a year in which landmark decisions on sustainable development that were made in meeting rooms and conference halls gain solid footing on the ground.  If 2015 was a year of global sustainable development action, 2016 must be a year of national SDG [Sustainable Development Goal] traction.  Each and every Government needs to show strong ownership by aligning policies, legislation and resources in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Gender equality is at the heart of the new agenda.  Yet, progress has been too slow and uneven.  I have seen too many parliaments, ministries, cabinets, board rooms and peace processes with few or no women at the table.  Sadly, that has sometimes been the case within this Organization.  I have worked determinedly to change this, with some inroads, but much distance still to travel.

We must also grasp the full meaning of universality.  The 2030 Agenda applies to all countries.  Even the wealthiest have yet to conquer poverty, fully empower women, build inclusive societies and achieve environmental sustainability.

In March of this year, the United Nations Statistical Commission will review the proposed indicators for the SDGs.  We have 169 targets in the SDGs, but we are now working very hard to have indicators how we can measure the progress of implementation.  I welcome this early step towards ensuring that we can track progress rigorously.