Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has called for transformative action in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The foreign minister made the statement at the Bahrain Visions Forum 2020 (BVF), held virtually on the sidelines of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The BVF was held under the theme ‘Sustainable Development Goals beyond the COVID-19 pandemic’ as it was identified as the most pressing challenge to the global economy and sustainable development.
In his remarks delivered at the BVF 2020, Minister Shahid emphasised the need to collectively take transformative action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals during the upcoming decade of action and delivery. Despite the urgency of the COVID-19 response, the minister said countries must not lose sight of the medium and long-term development goals which are essential to ensuring the world builds back better.
Minister Shahid further stressed on the fulfillment of SDG13 – the need for stronger climate action. He noted climate change and sustainable development are inextricably linked and it has left the world with a narrow window of opportunity to reverse its negative effects. He warned that the attainment of many SDGs will be threatened if the world cannot reverse the current trajectory of climate change.
The foreign minister also drew attention to the plague of marine plastic pollution and the need to protect our ocean. He described the ocean as being linked to the identity, culture and way of life of Maldivians and highlighted the Maldivian government’s pledge to phase out single-use plastics by 2023 and the readiness of the Maldives to work with like-minded countries to preserve the health and wealth of the ocean.
In his remarks, Minister Shahid acknowledged the difficulty of achieving the 2030 Agenda due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, he reiterated the need to build a more secure, resilient and prosperous world for everyone, which leaves no one and no country behind, through genuine partnership in the spirit of multilateralism.
The Bahrain Visions Forum is held annually at the UN Headquarters in New York during the high-level segment of the United Nations General Assembly. Each year a different theme is chosen for the Forum, which provides an opportunity to discuss pressing current challenges facing the world and advancing effective collaborative approaches to address those challenges including the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The forum was held virtually this year due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to Minister Shahid, a number of eminent speakers addressed the forum including the Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.