Statement by U.S. Ambassador Bathsheba Crocker 

UN Economic Commission for Europe – 2023 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development 

Ambassador Prica, Ambassador Reubi : thank you for your leadership of this year’s Regional Forum on Sustainable Development. As 2030 approaches, stocktaking events like this are increasingly important, and over the last two days, experts have made clear that the ECE region is not on track to achieve the SDGs. Frankly, we are running out of time to implement the 2030 Agenda. 

Russia’s war against Ukraine makes this moment in time all the more urgent; there is no realistic path to achieving the SDGs while Russia’s forces are on Ukraine’s soil. Each day, Putin’s war of choice drags the world further away from meeting our shared development goals.  We remain unwavering in our support for Ukraine and for communities all around the globe suffering from the widespread consequences of Russia’s aggression. 

And the United States remains unwavering in our commitment to the 2030 Agenda.  

For example, the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act support SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11, and 17 by providing historic investments over the coming years in decarbonizing the energy supply, reducing non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, and building sustainable and resilient infrastructure. 

On SDG 7, we also introduced new programs that mobilize billions of dollars in both public and private sector funding to support developing countries in designing sustainable and green financial markets, like the “Climate Finance Plus” program and Sustainable Banking Alliance. Last year, we announced a Climate Gender Equity Fund to ensure that in our race to meet the 2030 Agenda, we leave no one behind. We are also facilitating new exchanges to empower youth representatives, both in the United States and abroad, to become leaders on resilience and clean energy in their communities. 

The United States has a whole-of-society approach to sustainable development, and much of it begins at the local level. On SDG11, many of our city, state, and municipal leaders have answered the call for support with leaders in the cities of Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Pittsburgh, and the State of Hawaii completing Voluntary Local Reviews. And we encourage increased commitment to subnational diplomacy as way to achieve the 2030 Agenda. 

SDG 17 on partnerships is crucial to achieving the other 16 goals. The promise of the Agenda cannot be met without the support of the entire multilateral system within and beyond the UN, as well as innovative and inclusive partnerships at all levels. That’s why the United States remains committed to productive partnerships with Member States, local communities, NGOs, and the private sector. Our partnerships with the private sector in particular facilitate billions in additional support for the 2030 Agenda across the SDGs. 

We are hopeful the results from this meeting contribute to the High-Level Policy Forum and SDG summit later this year and fuel the necessary progress toward fulfilling the 2030 Agenda. 

Thank you 

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