UN Deputy Secretary General encourages use of 2030 agenda for COVID-19 recovery

UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has welcomed Italy’s support for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and encouraged the use of 2030 Agenda as a beacon for the design of COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said this while briefing correspondents at UN headquarters in New York, on Friday on the visit of Mohammed to Rome.

Haq said the deputy secretary-general held talks with the Italian Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility, Enrico Giovannini, on SDGs and following this, Mohammed met with Italy’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio.

“She emphasised the link between climate and food systems and the alignment between the Food Systems Summit and Italy’s G20 objectives.

“She also underlined the need to move toward food systems capable of delivering healthy diets with greatly reduced environmental impacts,’’ he said.

According to him, Mohammed also met with Cardinal Peter Turkson from the Vatican and they discussed the UN Food Systems Summit, including the need for integration among all sectors.

“They discussed the need for integration among all sectors and for implementation of the new actions agreed during the summit, in order to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs,’’ he said.

In addition, Haq said the Deputy Secretary-General would take part in a Farmer’s Market Event on Saturday, where she would meet with farmers and would pay tribute to producers, particularly women, for their central role in food systems.

“She will then travel to London to attend the first day of the July Ministerial meeting convened by the incoming President of the Conference of Parties on Climate Change, Alok Sharma.

“She will return to Rome on Sunday for the Pre-Summit of the UN Food Systems Summit, which will take place in a hybrid format from July 26 to July 28,’’ he said.

On Climate Change, Haq said at the Environment and Energy Ministers meeting of G20 nations in Naples, Italy on Friday, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, called on countries to provide the necessary leadership.

He said Espinosa called on countries to provide the necessary leadership to hold the global average temperature rise to as close as 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Haq quoted Epinosa as saying, “There is no path to 1.5 degrees Celsius without the G20.

“Espinosa also reminded developed countries of their pledge to mobilise 100 billion dollars annually to developing nations by 2020, a commitment made more than a decade ago.

“Only 97 countries have submitted updated Nationally Determined Contributions – or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that’s less than half of all signatory countries of the Paris Agreement.

“Espinosa called on G20 nations to show leadership by presenting more ambitious NDCs in line with science and urged nations and businesses to align their portfolios and activities to the goals of the Paris Agreement.’’

(NAN)