Inclusion must be ‘front and centre’ in post-2015 agenda, Mexican Foreign Minister says

The global development agenda that countries are crafting for the period following 2015 must be concentrated on inclusion, the Mexican Foreign Minister today told the United Nations General Assembly.

In his statement, Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade Kuribreña said that in the negotiations for the years after 2015, the deadline for achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), inclusion must be “front and centre.”

It must guarantee “not only the reduction of inequality, but also of the gap between haves and have-nots, fostering active participation of the most vulnerable groups in our societies,” he added.

Mr. Kuribreña noted that to achieve the goal of inclusion, the international community must look at not only the lack of income but “every single dimension of poverty,” including finances, nutrition, health, education, housing and other basic services.

Mexico will call for an international meeting to promote ‘A Global Perspective for Inclusion,’ with the aim of setting minimum thresholds of inclusion “to which every human being is entitled,” the Foreign Minister said.

Mr. Kuribreña also stressed the idea of disarmament, which be called “a key purpose of the United Nations.”

He also noted Mexico’s recent approval of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), and stressed the need to address climate change, given recent floods in the country and the simultaneous arrival of hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel.

The Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), of which Mexico is a member, also spoke at the General Assembly today.

In a statement delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba which holds CELAC’s Presidency, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla urged that the post-2015 agenda should be inclusive, transparent and comply with commitment entered in the official development assistance (ODA) and encourage South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

The General Debate continues through 1 October.