Legarda Supports UN Sustainable Dev’t Goals

Senator Loren Legarda today expressed her support to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and said she hopes countries would not only adopt the principle but also ensure that these targets are achieved through effective implementation.

Legarda made the statement as more than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the UN Sustainable Development Summit from September 25-27 at the UN Headquarters in New York to formally adopt the post-2015 development agenda, which will succeed the Millennium Development Goals.

“It is remarkable, and in fact timely, that the UN SDGs embrace the philosophy that man is one with the universe, that in order to eradicate poverty and hunger we also need to safeguard the health of the planet, and that even climate action should actually be a way of life,” said Legarda, UN Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific.

The Senator said that she looks forward to the result of the UN Sustainable Development Summit and that it will be a powerful prelude to the 21stConference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris, France in December.

“It is my hope that the result of this UN Summit will validate the significance and urgency of climate action that we need to come up with at the COP 21; that the climate crisis must be considered a primary factor in the future of humanity. Our only chance for a viable, livable world in the coming years is for man to consider the environment as valuable as the economy,” Legarda concluded.

The SDGs aim to guide nations on how they can achieve inclusive and sustainable development by achieving certain targets over the next 15 years. The 17 goals include: end all forms of poverty; end hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition; ensure good health and well-being; inclusive and equitable quality education; achieve gender equality and empower women; ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation; reduce inequality within and among countries; make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; responsible consumption and production; take urgent climate action; conserve and sustainably use marine resources; protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems; promote peaceful societies, provide access to justice for all and build strong institutions; and, strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize global partnership for sustainable development.