(As delivered)

Statement by Ms. Yumi Omiya
Advisor of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
At the Commission for Social Development
Agenda Item 3(a): Strategies for Eradicating Poverty
To Achieve Sustainable Development for All
6 February 2017

 

 

Mr. Chair,

 

          To begin, I would like to thank the chair for holding this session of the Commission for Social Development. I also thank the bureau and the UN Secretariat for their efforts in organizing this meeting.

 

          The eradication of poverty is essential to realize a peaceful and inclusive society. Poverty prevents people from living with dignity and enhances violence and conflict. Eradicating poverty is an overarching objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which Japan, as a promoter of human security, strongly supports.

 

Mr. Chair,

 

          The UN Secretary-General presented several recommendations in his recent report on “Strategies for eradicating poverty to achieve sustainable development for all”. Today I would like to touch upon two of these recommendations, which might be useful for member states to consider while addressing this issue.

 

          First, the Secretary-General reminds us of the importance of enhancing human capacity by investing in education and health care for the most vulnerable. Japan’s policy on international cooperation shares this concept. Our Development Cooperation Charter which was decided by the Cabinet in 2015 sets forth “human security” as a guiding principle and identifies “no one left behind” as a basic policy of Japanese international cooperation. The Charter outlines Japan’s commitment to provide cooperation that protects and enhances the capabilities of each person, especially of vulnerable groups, including women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly.

 

          In the field of health care, Japan has established the Basic Design for Peace and Health established in September 2015. Under this policy, Japan actively contributes toward the achievement of Universal Health Coverage and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, Japan will provide assistance totaling around 1.1 billion US dollars which enhances response to public health emergencies as well as strengthening health systems toward achieving Universal Health Coverage.

 

          With regard to women’s empowerment, quality education for girls and women is the key for the success of future generations. To that end, Japan pledged to implement more than 42 billion Japanese yen of ODA over three years starting from 2015 to provide access to quality education to women and girls.

 

Mr. Chair,

 

          The Secretary-General also recommends continuing to work with development partners to create an enabling environment for inclusive, multi-stakeholder partnerships. In order to achieve the SDGs, cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders is of utmost importance. In the case of Japan, the SDGs Promotion Headquarters, which is chaired by Prime Minister Abe holds multi-stakeholder roundtable meetings. These roundtable meetings consist of representatives from relevant governmental agencies, NGOs, NPOs, academia, the private sector and international organizations.

 

          Reflecting the discussions at the roundtable meetings, Japan established the SDGs Implementation Guiding Principles last December. Such framework of incorporating various perspectives is effective in implementing measures toward achieving SDGs.

 

Mr. Chair,

 

          Poverty has various root causes and affects people in numerous ways. Therefore, we must take a holistic approach that addresses the whole of society. This includes legislation that provides minimum guarantees, education which lifts future generations out of cycles of poverty, and health care systems that reach all people, to name a few.

 

          Sharing best practices is crucial to achieve such holistic measures. In this regard, this session is a great opportunity for such an exchange.

 

Mr. Chair,

 

          Allow me to conclude by stating that the Government of Japan will continue to tackle the challenging social development issues in order to ensure that no one is left behind.

 

I thank you.