VP James Wani’s Statement to the UN General Assembly on Post-2015 Development Agenda, New York
THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
Statement of H.E. James Wani Igga
Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan
At the Summit for the Adoption of the Post 2015 Development Agenda
26 September 2015-New York
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honor for me to address this august Summit of Heads of State and Government for the adoption of the Post 2015 Development Agenda.
On behalf of H.E. the President of South Sudan who could not be here today; on behalf of the people of South Sudan, and on my own behalf, I express our government’s commitment to enhancing the living standards of our people through embracing sustainable growth strategies.
As a new nation state, we have so much to learn and adopt in regards to past and present worldwide blueprints for sustainable economic development. Whether they are passed and implemented by individual member states or by this eminent assembly of States, we are mindful that such aspirations aimed at making our shared planet not only a livable space for current generations, but for generations to come.
It is very worthy in this spectacular forum, to mention that hardly had our people enjoyed their hard won two year independence, than uncalled-for devastating conflict been undeservedly imposed on the young country. This violent rebellion this time round, unlike the earlier noble ones, was founded on egoistic desires and scramble for nothing other than seats, moreover at the time when democracy, one of the central pillars, values and ideals should have determined who rightfully must carry the development torch for the people.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), the Troika, the Peoples’ Republic of China and many others whose list is too big to mention here, this fierce and brutal civil conflict was brought to a sure end last August when our President signed a remarkable peace Agreement with the rebels. My government is determined to permanently silence the guns but requires a rapid deployment of the Cease Fire Monitors and verifiers. It is a challenge to IGAD and the International Community, demanding a faster move.
From MDGs to Post-2015 Development Agenda
Mr. President,
Allow me to begin by saying that long last, the uncalled-for civil strife has been, with strong intervention of some countries of good will with the Intergovernmental Authority Development (IGAD) in the center, brought to an end. Our government has a solid commitment to anchor this peace. The rebels are yet to sign the last week memorandum of understanding on the Security Arrangements. The IGAD and all of you have the moral duty and responsibility to persuade them to do so. Of course, sanctions are not an option since they can easily be counter-productive.
Apart from the regrettable drawbacks brought by the current senseless civil war, South Sudan has taken some commendable steps towards poverty reduction and improving the livelihoods of its citizens. Through direct government driven initiatives and developmental assistance from friendly countries, sizable improvement of the standard of living has been achieved in the country.
In spite of the fact that South Sudan was born eleven years after the Millennium Summit in New York in September 2000, which set the goals that aimed at improving human well-beings in the world, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have become benchmarks which shall guide our planning for decades to come. While we might not have been realistically included in the timeframe set by such noble undertakings, simply because we were not yet born, we nevertheless achieved something in that direction and within our own parameters and timeframes.
As for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along their 169 targets, apparently it is going to cost the world nearly 45 trillion dollars just in one year and they clearly are overlapping. An uphill task as the may seem, South Sudan has confined and just selected six of the goals according to the countries priorities. These are: 1- food Security and agriculture, 2- Infrastructure including roads, 3- Energy and hydropower, 4-Health, 5-Education, and 6- Economic growth and full productive employment. We possess the will as the government, our impediment will be certainly financing.
Your Excellencies,
We are encouraged by the genuine commitments made in the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, and this document we are to pass during this session, that protecting Africa’s natural resources shall be given special consideration.
The call for all countries to prioritize sustainable development, in accordance with the goals and guidelines contained in this document, could be more realistic when we implement them together. They will only be realized when the synergies of existing international and continental financial institutions are immediately effected towards closing the gap between industrial and underdeveloped countries.
The gap between the industrialized and developing worlds should not be closed through employing the same patterns of economic growth, which have damaged the environment. Hence, while the developed world remains the exclusive emitter of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change, we in the third world must be assisted to promote green energy production for powering our eminent industrial growth.
Preventing the negative socio-economic implications of ecological damage and the need for energy and financial resources are competing priorities facing countries that are emerging from protracted civil wars. One of the main triggers of the twenty-one year war for independence in South Sudan in addition to search for liberty and human dignity, was also related to preventing an ecological damage that would have been created by draining one of the largest five wetlands in the world, which is the more than 130,000 square kilometers Sudd Swamps. As large oil deposits have been discovered in the Sudd, we call on the world to help us make the necessary trade-off to maintain the ecology of this vital global resource.
Indeed, the conflict between the ecology and economy, which preoccupied the agenda of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972, remains today the key challenge of sustainable development in South Sudan. Imperatives of poverty reduction in my country, as in Africa as a whole, makes adherence to the call for preservation of the environment and non-exhaustion of natural resources, a difficult balancing act to undertake.
That notwithstanding, we are more than committed to achieving that balance required of us as members of the global community. As we do so, we strongly believe in the positive spirit of the United Nations Conference on Development Financing (Rio+20) which advocated for strong support to developing countries for attaining sustainable development goals.
To that end, there are important prerequisites for us to walk together towards achieving these noble goals. One of them is that the regional based intergovernmental committees which are going to work closely with the UN General Assembly in terms of employing international financial resources and technical knowhow should be given due weight. This will generate a cooperative environment where the peculiar obstacles to sustainable development in Africa shall be effectively addressed.
Your Excellencies,
To conclude, I must underline that South Sudan is extremely rich in terms of mineral and other natural resources that remain untapped. But while we remain among the list developed countries in the world, services have improved in numerous mushrooming urban centers of the country. Juba, our capital city, which has become a relatively peaceful, vibrant and fast developing city of over 1.5 million inhabitants, can now comfortably accommodate all kinds of international and regional investment conferences and other events. We invite you to come and hold one of expected numerous such conferences on sustainable development in South Sudan.
Viewing at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and considering the fact that my country is among the least industrialized in the world, but thanks, with zero greenhouse gas emission, South Sudan’s rich and untapped natural resources make the country a suitable test-case for implementing the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Having regard to and making use of the positive commitments embodied in such undertakings as found in the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014-2024 as well as the official development assistance (ODA) platform, South Sudan stands to be a positive reckonable contributor to the sustainable development agenda.
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
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