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EU Statement – United Nations Briefing on CBD COP15 and the 2nd UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference

22.10.2021
New York

22 October 2021, New York - Statement delivered by H.E. Ambassador Silvio Gonzato, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations, at the Briefing on CBD COP15 and the 2nd UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Transport for Global Development, Co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN, the CBD Secretariat and the UNDESA

Thank you your excellency for giving me the floor.

 

I am delivering this joint statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

 

We thank the UN Secretary General and the government of the People's Republic of China for hosting the 2nd UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference. We see the UN’s work in this area as a tangible contribution towards achieving sustainable transportation and mobility, which responds to what the GA membership asked for in resolution 72/212 of 20 December 2017. That said, we regret that we cannot endorse the Beijing Statement and the practices associated with its preparation and release. 

 

The text of the Beijing Statement was not made available to Member States prior to its release, and was not circulated to Delegations at the Conference itself.  The document does not make it clear, as would be appropriate, that no prior consultation of participants had taken place, and that participants had not approved the document. We therefore do not endorse the Beijing Statement.  

 

We are concerned about outcome documents of UN conferences being unilaterally drafted and issued without meaningful and transparent input and review by UN Member States. Such unilateral documents should be clearly marked as host statements.

 

We expect high-level meetings mandated by the UN General Assembly and related outcome documents to be as consultative as possible with UN membership.  This was not the case with regards to the Beijing Statement, and as such we cannot support new mandates and initiatives included therein.

 

We reiterate our commitment to working at the United Nations to make progress on this important topic, including advancing the priorities set out in resolution 72/212. However, it will be essential for the non-negotiated nature of the Beijing Statement and its contents to be accurately reflected and its status as Chair’s Statement to be clarified. As we look to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, we must all do our utmost to sustain the rules on which the UN system is based and work to build solidarity to address the most pressing issues we face.

Thank you.