Cuba advocates for the effective implementation of the post-2015 development agenda at the UN

Cuba yesterday defended the creation of mechanisms aimed at guaranteeing and checking compliance with the sustainable development objectives which will form part of the UN post-2015 agenda.

One of the great lessons of the Millennium Development Goals is that without the necessary means of implementation, it is impossible to make these plans for development a reality, Cuba’s Alternate Ambassador, Oscar León, noted in the high-level debate to discuss ways of implementing the new framework for global progress, according to reports from Prensa Latina.

The forum installed on Monday, seeks to identify key instruments for the effective implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, focused on the eradication of extreme poverty and reducing inequities, in order to give continuity to the goals previously set for the 2000-2015 period.

According to León, Cuba is advocating new priorities accompanied by measures to ensure the required conditions in the countries of the South, including the flow of resources, capacity building, transfer of environmentally sustainable technology and updating of multilateral trade rules.

In this regard, he stressed the significance of official development assistance, an unfulfilled commitment by many of the world powers, who nevertheless continue to maintain huge military expenditures. According to the Cuban alternative ambassador, equally important is the role of mechanisms for monitoring and tracking the implementation of the agenda, for which intergovernmental negotiations are already underway, in order to establish these in September.

León urged UN member states to set clear and realistic indicators to assess compliance with the goals, which should be arrived at through global debate, rather than limited or reduced agreements with different bodies.

The international community is currently shaping the post-2015 agenda, for which 17 development goals and 169 related tasks have already been identified.