Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of 46 Member States - members of the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies.

In 2015, this body made a promise - that we would adopt and act on a transformative agenda for people, planet and prosperity through 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Eight years later, we have much to live up to. Yet, there is still no better blueprint for a more peaceful and prosperous world than the 2030 Agenda, and no greater catalyst for the change needed than SDG16+. 

We know that we are living in the midst of cascading and intersecting crises. Halfway through the 2030 Agenda, advancing peace, justice, equality and inclusion, is critical to mitigating the impact of these crises and to delivering the requisite policy solutions to fulfill our promises. Amidst global polarization and distrust, we need to rebuild the social contract between people and national and international institutions. 

In supporting the Secretary-General’s call to fast-track SDG implementation, allow me to highlight some of Pathfinders’ work across peace, justice, equality and inclusion. 

While conflict-related violence has increased, we know that approximately 80% of violent deaths occur outside conflict zones, and that governments and civil society have made real progress in reducing violence in such contexts. In this connection, the Pathfinders’ Halving Global Violence Task Force will launch its Flagship Report in 2024, amplifying proven solutions to advancing peace at all levels, while highlighting the social and economic costs of violence.  We must act on SDG16’s pledge to reduce violence in all its forms, on the battlefield, and in our homes and streets. 

Equal access to justice for all is a critical enabler for sustainable development. We need to put people at the center, with justice systems designed to address what people really need when they seek justice solutions, with services that help them achieve fair outcomes. To support this, a number of member states and partners have come together to form the Justice Action Coalition, a high-ambition, multistakeholder coalition that promotes people-centered justice and calls on all justice actors, including Young Justice Leaders, to join us in our quest to close the global justice gap.

Finally, the promise to leave no one behind lies at the very heart of the SDG agenda. Yet, since the adoption of the Agenda, inequality within and among countries has risen dramatically. The Pathfinders provide evidenced-based solutions in areas such as social protection, housing, taxation, inclusive green transitions, and the avoidance of divisive political narratives, demonstrating that change is possible.   

The 2023 SDG Summit represents a critical moment to change the trajectory of the SDGs, and SDG16+. We cannot fail in this effort. Trust in our domestic institutions, and in multilateralism, depends on it.

Ladies and gentlemen let me now briefly switch to my national capacity.

In 2015, the leaders agreed to improve people’s lives and make our planet a better place. Unfortunately, eight years later, the 2030 SDGs implementation is in deep trouble.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is facing devastating effects of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Apart from tremendous human suffering, it is also causing widespread food and energy crises.

Russia’s reprehensible actions have a direct impact on SDGs implementation. Not only in the most affected region, but also globally.

Today, we gathered to recommit our ambitions to accelerate our efforts to achieve the SDGs until 2030.

Czechia is fully aware of its global responsibility. We will continue to enhance the strategic planning to make it even more effective and avoid overlaps and inconsistency.

We are also fully committed to implement the Paris Agreement and we pledge to contribute 4 million US dollars to the Green Climate Fund for the period 2024 to 2027.

To promote good governance and policy making based on evidence, we pledge to establish an open data national platform for monitoring and reporting of the SDGs indicators.

Excellencies,

The implementation of the SDG 16 remains one of the priorities of the Czech foreign policy. To reach our common goals in 2030, we urgently need to highlight a link between peace, justice, security, development, climate, environment, human rights and strong institutions.

Czechia will continue to support our partner countries through bilateral and multilateral development projects, humanitarian assistance and transformation policy. No one should be left behind. Thank you.