UN Foundation Welcomes Addis Ababa Action Agenda as Vital Step to End Extreme Poverty and Protect the Planet

The United Nations Foundation welcomed the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as a significant step to achieve sustainable development and end extreme poverty by 2030. The agreement, reached after months of negotiations, paves the way for the Sustainable Development Goals, expected to be adopted in September in New York.

“This is an important moment in the fight for human dignity and a healthy planet,” said Elizabeth Cousens, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Foundation and leader of the Foundation’s delegation at the conference. “The Addis Ababa Action Agenda includes advances in important areas, including sustainable infrastructure and energy; domestic resource mobilization; essential social services for all; women’s economic empowerment; and science, technology, innovation, and data. The international community has seized this opportunity to end extreme poverty in a generation, put our economies on a sustainable path, ensure a healthy planet, and deliver a life of dignity for people around the world. There is still much work to be done, but this is a vital step toward realizing the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa is the first of three crucial convenings this year to set the world on a new path of prosperity and sustainability. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda lays the groundwork for the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and to reach a robust agreement on climate action in Paris in December. Containing more than 100 concrete measures, the Action Agenda is an ambitious continuation of the previous financing conferences held in Monterrey, Mexico and Doha, Qatar.

“World leaders have stepped up to the plate and delivered a comprehensive and fresh framework for mobilizing a full range of resources for sustainable development,” said Cousens. She also noted the impressive showing in Addis of business and civil society leaders from every region committed to action on the Sustainable Development Goals.

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About The United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.