Statement during the intersessional meeting for dialogue and cooperation on Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ss delivered by First Secretary Mr. Sean Lobo (Norway)
Check against delivery
Norway welcomes this opportunity to reflect and strategize as we prepare for the HLPF 2019. Human rights and the SDGs are mutually supportive – if understood and implemented in a complementary and reinforcing manner. We thank the panelists for inspiring statements and discussions.
We need to be concrete to move this agenda forward. Both frameworks are complicated and complex, with multiple commitments, actions and stakeholders. While the human rights machinery has a stronger accountability component, actors working with the SDGs have access to more international support in terms finance and technical advice. We must be practical and operational as we support implementation of both frameworks.
A platform that enables us to plan, implement and report on human rights and the SDGs in a joint manner will help us with that. This should be free and available to all countries. We encourage one system for everyone responding and reporting on the same needs, and we are looking forward to the platform to be presented for this purpose.
All parts of the UN, including UN country teams and the resident coordinators, are responsible for upholding the norms and values of the UN. Advice from the UN on SDG implementation should be informed by international human rights norms and standards. The promise of “leaving no one behind” puts equality and non-discrimination at the heart of SDG implementation.
The UN has a pivotal role to play in efforts to align the SDGs with other international standards. We need the UN to take the lead, with our political and financial support.
We are looking forward to hearing from later panelists on these issues throughout today.