Jason R. Mack
Counselor for Economic and Social Affairs
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
June 25, 2021
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Vice President.
I begin by thanking the co-facilitators—Austria and Senegal—for their efforts to achieve consensus on this important issue.
The United States has abstained from the vote on A/RES/75/L.101 to protest the failure of some Member States to approach the negotiation on this vital issue in good faith. Our collective goal should be to make ECOSOC and the HLPF more effective and responsive to meet the challenges that we—as Member States—face. The concessions made by many were a true effort to reach consensus. However, the repeated breaking of silence and amendment made following the passage of silence suggest that not all Member States share this goal. It is our hope that in future negotiations on this issue, Member States will come to the table to address the issues at hand.
The amendment offered today undermines the importance of human rights, mainstreaming a gender perspective into the policies and programs of the UN system, and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, including the vital necessity for effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. We reject any attempt to undermine these principles, and underscore their importance to the fundamental work of the UN, including the need to incorporate the voices of civil society in informing our efforts and achieving our goals.
The addition of 1.5 days to the ECOSOC calendar does not advance the goal of a more effective ECOSOC. We urge Member States and the UN secretariat to focus on making existing meetings more relevant to Member State concerns before adding additional days with additional costs to the ECOSOC calendar.
Finally, we must note again that the term “right to development,” including references in this resolution, lacks an internationally accepted definition, and our views on this matter are well known. Additionally, the United States wishes to underscore that the 2030 Agenda was conceived as a whole, and is concerned by the decision to selectively highlight a particularly sensitive paragraph from the Agenda to suit the interests of some delegations. The United States thus dissociates from PP3 of A/RES/75/L.101, as amended, and PP6 in A/RES/75/L.102.
Thank you.
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