2015 has been a watershed year for sustainable development. Last month, we adopted a new framework that will chart the course of our collective journey towards a world free of poverty and hunger.

In the last decade, our understanding of development has changed dramatically. We now recognize that development is a multi-faceted concept, directly linked to our society, our economy and our environment.  If we want to achieve long-lasting results, we must look for long-term solutions.

Israel looks forward to the phase of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and is doing its part to actively promote sustainable development, both at home and abroad. Today I will focus on two out of the many topics that can help us make this change.

Mr. Chairman,
Israel is a strong believer that reinforcing gender equality and the empowerment of women is an essential requirement for achieving sustainable development, and considers it as a critical component of its development policy and planning.

Our experience taught us that women have the potential to change not only their own economic status but that of their families, communities and countries.

Investing in women's and girls' education is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty. Therefore, providing an enabling environment for them to exercise their rights and make choices in their own lives is crucial.

All of us know that statements and resolutions are not enough. In order to bring about real change, we must engage stakeholders at all levels – from public to private, and from sub-national to international. Everyone has a role to play.

Mr. Chairman,

Sustainable Development is about reaching those furthest behind, first.

Most of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. If given the right tools and skills they can break free from the cycle of poverty, improve their income and benefit their entire communities.

This year, Israel is proud to submit its resolution on "Agricultural Technology for Development" under the Sustainable Development agenda item. Agricultural technology has the unique power to eradicate poverty and ensure the sustainability of food systems, while preserving resources, and therefore plays a key role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The resolution also highlights the link between agricultural technology and capacity building, resilience and the empowerment of women and youth – all of which are essential building blocks of development.

We look forward to work with our colleagues on this important resolution in the weeks to come.

Mr. Chairman,

With few natural resources and mostly arid land, Israel has always had to do more with less. For decades, Israeli innovators have developed technological solutions that helped grow our fields, water our crops and preserve our harvest.

From drip irrigation and water management to post-harvest storage and seed engineering, technological innovation is not only in our soul, it’s in our soil.

For the past 6 decades, Israel has been sending experts around the world to share their agricultural know-how, from the stages of planning and sowing to harvesting and processing.

Allow me to add a personal story that demonstrates the effect agricultural technology had on my own family.

I grew up in a family of farmers living in a rural village in Israel. When my father started growing eggplants 38 years ago, his entire family had to help in the field when it was time for the harvest. Today, he can remotely water his crops from my laptop in New York, or any other computer around the world.

Like my father, my mother also devoted her life to agriculture. Heading an advanced Field Service Laboratory, she helps farmers select crops that would match their soil, as well as determine the most suitable irrigation and fertilization techniques, while preventing soil and water pollution.

Being a farmer is not easy, as you are always dependent on weather conditions and the forces of nature. I remember times when we would have our entire fields damaged by pests or destroyed by an unpredicted storm. Nevertheless, during these years we gained experience and expertise as we learned how to harness technology in order to improve the quantity and the quality of our product, as well as the quality of our lives as farmers.

Mr. Chairman,

Psalms teaches us that “Those who sow with tears, will reap with joy”.

In order to fully realize the transformative power of agricultural technology, the international community must unite and commit to the research, development and implementation of these technologies.

Developing countries hold in their hands the seeds of the future – however, it is in our hands to help them become masters of the field and of their own destiny.  

Thank you