Georgia participates in 2016 HLPF

By Tea Mariamidze

Thursday, July 21

First Deputy Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani presented the national report over the steps made for the implementation of sustainable development goals in Georgia.

The United Nations Political Forum on Sustainable Development was held under the ECOSOC aegis, on 18-20 July 2016 in New York.

In the frames of the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), held on July 18-20 in New York, Georgia was the first country out of 22 participant states which presented the first National Voluntary Review on the steps Georgia has been taking in terms of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The report was presented by the First Deputy Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani. In his speech, Zalkaliani focused on the need to protect all groups of the population and highlighted Georgia’s efforts directed towards the integration of minorities.

The First Deputy Foreign Minister underlined that when implementing the sustainable development goals, special attention should be paid to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are not able to return to their homes. Zalkaliani also spoke about the needs of the IDPs and refuges from Georgia’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and about the continued violations of the fundamental human rights of people living in the occupied territories, including restrictions on receiving education in their native language and free movement.

While delivering his speech, Zalkaliani mentioned the murder of Georgian citizen Giga Otkhozoria in the village of Khurcha, who was killed on Georgian-controlled territory by so-called border guards on May 19, 2016.

During the presentation, it was noted that from the global Sustainable Development Goals, Georgia managed to identify priority areas and managed their integration into the national plans.

The Political Forum on Sustainable Development is the United Nations' central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The theme of the 2016 HLPF was 'ensuring that no one is left behind', which is also a central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Along with Georgia, within the frames of 2016 HLPF, national presentations were made by the representatives of Germany, Egypt, Estonia, Venezuela, Turkey, Colombia, Republic of Korea, Madagascar, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Uganda, the Philippines, Finland, France, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Togo and China.