Opening statement by H.E. Mr. Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN, Vice-President of ECOSOC at the annual joint meeting of the UNGA80 Second[...]

Excellences,

Distinguished Delegates,

Dear Colleagues,

It is a privilege to deliver these remarks on behalf of the President of ECOSOC, Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa, who sends his sincere regrets for not being able to be here today, and to join Ambassador Lamin B. Dibba in welcoming you to this joint meeting of the Economic and Social Council and the Second Committee of the General Assembly.

With just five years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the theme of the meeting could not be timelier.

We face a defining moment. Despite unprecedented global wealth, we have not been able to direct it toward inclusive and sustainable outcomes in the interest of millions of people including women, children and vulnerable community.

The scale and complexity of the challenges - from climate change and biodiversity loss to persistent inequalities and continued development and digital divides - demand not incremental changes, but systemic transformation.

To truly deliver on the SDGs, we must move from financing projects to financing systems - in a risk-informed and gender-responsive manner - breaking down the institutional, sectoral, financial, and temporal silos that limit our collective impact.

This means reimagining public-investor partnerships - not as isolated transactions, but as dynamic collaborations that unlock long-term value for people and planet.

Excellences,

Today's meeting is more than a dialogue - it is a strategic opportunity to rethink:

• how we mobilize and align capital for sustainability;
• how to move beyond traditional financing models, and
• how to embrace holistic approaches capable of catalyzing large-scale societal transitions.

It calls to align public budgets, private investment, and multilateral resources to generate systemic impact.

Governments, UN system and other partners have already begun to chart this course.

From climate-smart infrastructure and digital inclusion initiatives to social protection and green industrial policies, we are seeing real-world examples of how diverse forms of capital can be harnessed to drive transformation.

These examples are not isolated occurrences - they are signals of what is possible when different stakeholders work together with ambition, determination and resolve.

Distinguished Delegates, Dear Colleagues,

This meeting provides a high-level platform to share unique experiences, inspire new thinking and learn from successful practices.

I invite you to discuss candidly how to:

• Create enabling environments for systems finance by reforming regulatory frameworks, aligning incentives, and supporting blended finance models.
• Invest in institutional capacity to design and manage complex transitions - especially in countries in special situations.
• Champion inclusive partnerships that center on equity, gender, and local leadership in key sectors such as financing for development, climate, energy and digital cooperation.

The discussions held here today will inform a joint informal summary to be prepared by the President of ECOSOC and the Chair of the Second Committee, capturing the key messages, ideas, and innovative policies emerging from your deliberations.

Let us make this dialogue a turning point - one that helps reconfigure development finance to meet the realities of our time, and that paves the way for financing systems capable of delivering lasting results for people and planet.

Thank you.