Legarda on UN Day: We Need to Work Harder to Achieve Global Targets

Senator Loren Legarda today joins the world in celebrating United Nations Day as she expressed her commitment to help in the efforts for the Philippines to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among other global commitments of the country.

“I join the world in commemorating United Nations Day. I agree with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon when he said that ‘humanity has entered the era of sustainability’. Indeed, the past year has been fruitful for the world community as we move towards the path of sustainable development, a global low carbon economy, and better risk management. We all have to work harder to achieve our global targets,” said Legarda, Global Champion for Resilience of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

The Senator noted that in 2015 alone, the global community adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (Sendai, March); the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development or SDGs (New York, September); and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (Paris, December).

Recently, UN Member States adopted the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Amendment, which is seen as a historic breakthrough in the fight to save humanity and the Earth from climate change impacts, aims to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that were found to largely contribute to global warming.

“These agreements provide us hope for a better future but we have a gargantuan task ahead of us. Addressing the climate change and sustainable development nexus requires a firm grip on financing and resilience issues.  Setting a development agenda is just one part of the story.  Delivering the agenda into action, in a way that builds a more resilient global community, is the more important part.  Without realistically addressing the problems of today’s climate realities and its risks, as well as financing, the lofty goals we have established on paper will remain just that—goals,” Legarda stressed.

The Senator expressed her commitment to help the country achieve these targets, especially the SDGs.

“As Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, I am helping our government ensure that the national budget is attuned to the SDGs, which are global aims to end poverty and hunger, improve health and education, make cities more sustainable, combat climate change, promote peace and justice for all, and protect the environment and biodiversity, among many others. I enjoin everyone to do their part as well because keeping our international commitments is not merely a contribution to the global community but also crucial to our people as our nation treads on the path of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive growth,” Legarda concluded.