CANADA, August 6 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley today issued the following joint statement on building a sustainable, resilient and equitable future through the Development Goals sustainable :

“The world has changed since we last met in Lima in 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic and financial crises have laid bare the cracks and gaps in the system that we now need to fill. . Millions of people falling into poverty for the first time in almost a quarter of a century; growing inequalities within and between countries; devastating weather events, limited progress on gender equality; the rise of conflict and instability around the world; the slow pandemic of antimicrobial resistance; and the emerging food crisis all indicate that the status quo is not an option.

“As co-chairs of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advocates Group, we believe that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers us a path of hope for a better, more sustainable, fairer and more prosperous. . But achieving the 2030 Agenda will require more effort, a high level of determination and a renewed commitment to international solidarity. As champions of this agenda, we see some areas that we, as leaders of the Americas, need to focus on to accelerate progress and achieve our goal of sustainable development. We need to provide better public education and health care for more and create the political space to do so.

“We must provide greater space for the voices of young people, women and girls in all their diversity, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities and other historically marginalized groups to be heard and respected. We will not achieve the SDGs without them.

“Strong democracies with resilient institutions that protect and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and support strong civil societies are essential to creating a better future for all. We call on leaders in the Americas to work together to empower parliamentarians, civil society, and community leaders to raise awareness and mobilize citizens to accelerate progress on the SDGs.

“We must also ensure that our international institutions work for all of us, and in particular that they respond to the needs of the most vulnerable and those most affected by the new challenges of the climate crisis and the over-indebtedness of the pandemic. As co-chairs, we pledge to work alongside the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and other international and regional financial institutions to ensure that these specific vulnerabilities are reflected in the international response to the challenges we are facing.

“Diversified partnerships are the cornerstone of sustainable development. We must do better to align all sources of financing with the SDGs, including multilateral development banks, the private sector and philanthropic organizations.

“For many of us in the Americas, we know the devastating impact of sea level rise due to climate change and the catastrophic effects of tropical storms and adverse weather effects on our countries and peoples. existential risk posed by climate change cannot be ignored. Funding greater resilience for those in our region on the frontlines of the climate crisis is a new and essential priority. And we must all work to mitigate the crisis through a greener future that balances economic and environmental considerations, shifts the world to cleaner energy sources, conserves land, oceans and biodiversity, and mobilizes private savings and new environmentally friendly technologies .

“We support the ambitious achievement of the Paris Agreement and call on leaders to redouble their efforts to find the missing ingredient so far: climate finance. We encourage our citizens and youth to hold us to account, including by promoting the adoption, expansion and regional integration of carbon pricing to accelerate climate change mitigation efforts and help fund climate change efforts. reconstruction following climate-related events.

“The global challenges we face are complex and interrelated. In the response to the pandemic and the global financial crisis before, it is clear that we can rise to the occasion of major disasters. We need to give greater priority to the even larger but slower-moving challenges facing the SDGs. Bold, innovative action and long-term thinking are essential. The 5Ps of the 2030 Agenda put it succinctly: Investing in people, fostering partnerships and protecting the planet will enable us to achieve peace and prosperity. We call on you to bring your boldest ambition, your brightest ideas and your best efforts to help us all achieve the SDGs and a better world for all.