Pre-recorded Video Message by USG Fleming on the occasion of the Adoption of a General Assembly Resolution on enhancing the role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

Dear friends,

On 14 December 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a pioneering resolution recognizing the crucial role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals – the SDGs.

The resolution passed at a critical time for our world – as we are grappling with old and new conflicts, the devastating climate emergency, widening inequalities and hunger reaching record levels.

Each one of these threats is pushing the SDGs further out of our reach. In some cases, progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has dramatically slowed — in others, it was even reversed.

However, the Sustainable Development Goals retain their vital importance as our roadmap to lasting peace and development. Urgent action is needed to fast-track their implementation, and everyone has a role to play – including parliaments.

Parliaments represent the voice of the people and give them the possibility to shape the policies that affect their lives. With their power to enact laws, allocate budgets and oversee government action, parliaments can make a significant contribution in putting the SDGs back on track.

For the UN, parliaments constitute a key partner, linking the global to the national agendas.

This resolution urges UN Member States to engage more with parliaments in order to assess progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.

It also underscores the importance of the direct, equal, and substantive participation of women and young people in parliamentary processes, to successfully implement the 2030 Agenda. 

At the international sphere, Uzbekistan played a key role in mobilizing the support of some 80 Member States co-sponsoring the resolution, showing commendable initiative.

Inside Uzbekistan, the UN Country Team is also proud of its involvement in promoting parliamentary engagement for the implementation of the SDGs.

Everywhere, every time, let us work together to reshape and secure our common future, ensuring that no one is left behind.