Remarks by UNRC Antje Grawe at the Extended Meeting of the Working Group on Monitoring the Implementation of Legislation on the Implementation of the SDGs

Excellency, Vice Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, Madam Djamilya Isaeva,

Excellency, Member of Parliament, Mr Aidarbekov Chingiz Azamatovich, Chairman of the Working Group on Monitoring the Implementation of Legislation on the Implementation of the SDGs in the Kyrgyz Republic,

Distinguished Members of Parliament and representatives of the Presidential Administration,

Dear Ombudswomen,

Dear Representatives of civil society,

Dear Alexandra and UN colleagues,

It is a great honor for me to be here with you today in Parliament for this timely and important discussion of some of the aspects most critical for the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kyrgyzstan. I wish to thank the organizers for convening this meeting and for inviting representatives of multiple State institutions and development partners for this exchange. Thank you also for inviting me to make some remarks, in this august forum, on behalf of the UN family and its 25 agencies, funds and programmes working in Kyrgyzstan in support of the implementation of the country’s national development plans and priorities, which include the SDGs.

Today’s meeting is timely in several regards:

Firstly, it allows for a reflection on the outcomes of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit held just a little more than one month ago in New York and on their relevance for Kyrgyzstan.

Secondly, it provides a platform for a discussion of the President’s commitments made at the SDG Summit to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in the Kyrgyz Republic and how to translate these commitments into tangible impact for the Kyrgyz people. In so doing, I am sure its conclusions can also help inform the outcomes of the Development Forum on Poverty and Inequality, which the Presidential Administration is organising on 3 November as one tool to follow up to the SDG Summit, and inform the Government’s position at COP 28 later this year.

Thirdly, the outcomes of today’s exchanges can provide further direction for the critical role that Parliament plays in providing an enabling environment for the achievement of the SDGs including through its legislative, oversight, and budgetary roles. 

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had convened Heads of States of all 193 Member States of the United Nations, including Kyrgyzstan which was represented by President Japarov, for the SDG Summit in the margins of the 78th Meeting of the General Assembly to develop and adopt “a global rescue plan for the SDGs”, or, as he has also called it: A “rescue plan for people and for the planet”.

The convening of the SDG Summit, halfway through in the implementation of the Agenda 2030,  was not just to take stock of the achievement of the SDGs progress, but first and foremost a call for urgent action in light of many worrisome global trends, including an accelerating increase in poverty and extreme poverty levels for the first time since decades; the threat emanating from climate change, also felt by many in Kyrgyzstan; or increases in violence including gender-based violence. These and many other negative trends, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and wars including in this region, have led to the fact that only 15 per cent of the SDGs are globally on track.

The SDG Summit resulted in a Political Declaration in which global leaders have committed themselves to a “Call to action” which is an urgent “to-do list” around financing for development, increased accountability and a focus on areas that are conceived as enablers to both reverse negative trends and accelerate progress. Poverty eradication in all its forms and for all groups is at the center of the “Call to action” which acknowledges the need to focus on the poorest and those groups in the population who are left behind first. Global leaders further acknowledged the need to strengthen support in the areas of   food, energy transition, digitalization, education, social protection and jobs, and biodiversity, as accelerators for SDG achievement. On financing for development, the Secretary-General has put forward a proposal for a so-called SDG Stimulus to deliver much-needed additional resources including through reforms of the global financial systems, whilst he encouraged member states to accelerate efforts to identify innovative financial resources nationally and to strengthen national accountability mechanisms including through enhanced monitoring of progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.

Kyrgyzstan has made huge strides towards the implementation of the SDGs, however, the relevance of the Call for Action is obvious also for Kyrgyzstan. At the SDG Summit, President Japarov made ambitious commitments to further advance the achievement of the SDGs in Kyrgyzstan, which, as you know, form integral part of the country’s Kyrgyzstan’s national development strategies and plans. I do not want to pre-empt what the distinguished representative of the Presidential Administration, Mr. Isanov, will shortly present, but in essence, the President’s commitments centered around poverty alleviation and the reduction of inequalities, which is very much in line with the global “Call to action”. He outlined the way to implement these commitments including through a focus on inclusive and quality education, social protection, the green economy and climate action. He also announced that Kyrgyzstan would conduct its second National Voluntary Review of SDG achievement to take stock and initiate course-correction where and as needed in 2025.

First measures have already been initiated to translate these high-level commitments into reality. I and my colleagues from the UN system look particularly forward to the upcoming Development Forum which will focus on poverty alleviation and the reduction of inequalities in Kyrgyzstan. We also look forward to working with authorities to incorporate these commitments in national policies and strategies and to determining concrete and tangible measures designed to eradicate both poverty and inequalities in Kyrgyzstan. 

Distinguished Members of Parliament,

The SDG Summit has created a new momentum for the SDGs, globally and very concretely in Kyrgyzstan. It presents a unique opportunity for all relevant stakeholders, including Parliament to make extra efforts to help translate these commitments into realities and make a veritable difference for the Kyrgyz people. As I already said on the last occasion of the meeting in the format of the SDG WG in Parliament: the role of national parliaments in SDG achievement cannot be over-estimated.

In concrete terms, there is a unique opportunity for you to make a major contribution to the effective delivery of the SDGs in Kyrgyzstan by, among other:

• Reviewing and enacting laws that underpin SDG achievement in general and across all 17 Goals and support policies aimed to eradicate poverty and inequalities in particular;
• Helping ensure the incorporation of the SDGs in all relevant policies, plans and practices;
• Strengthening the systems in place to monitor progress towards the achievement of the SDGs, including through contributions to the upcoming National Voluntary Review with a view to help identify gaps and obstacles in the implementation of the SDGs and drive policy adjustments and targeted interventions to accelerate progress;
• Shaping budgetary decisions and ensure adequate funding for relevant sectors including underfunded whilst identifying innovate financing  modalities.

Last but not least, as the representatives of the people, you can reflect the needs of those who are otherwise not heard or underrepresented such as women and children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, migrants and refugees, ethnical, religious and linguistic minorities and other groups to shape policies which eventually indeed leave no one behind.

In closing, let me assure you that you can count on the full support of the United Nations system in Kyrgyzstan to support you on this path towards the achievement of the SDGs.

Chon Rahmat.