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Alexei Overchuk, Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission's Council and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, presented the Joint Statement of the EAEU Member States on the impact of the Eurasian economic integration on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals within the EAEU at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit under the auspices of the UN General Assembly held on September 18, 2023.

Esteemed Chairman!

On behalf of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Member States - the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation, and as the representative of the State chairing the EAEU governing bodies in 2023, I would like to inform you how the development of economic integration processes within the EAEU contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the EAEU Member States.

Nowadays, the EAEU is one of the developed integration regional associations, which ensures free movement of goods, services, capital and labor. The EAEU prime objective is to improve the well-being of the Member States' citizens. For this purpose, persistent efforts are made to establish the EAEU common markets in certain areas of cooperation. Today the EAEU is more than 184.3 mln consumers. The aggregate GDP of the Member States is over 2 trillion US dollars.

The Eurasian integration is based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and respect for the interests of all its participants, as well as the functioning of the customs union without exemptions and restrictions. This close cooperation is a source of economic development for the participating countries.

Each EAEU Member State takes specific steps to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals using national program documents, strategies and development concepts.

At the same time, economic integration within the EAEU is an additional factor contributing to the SDGs achievement.

The EAEU has become the first association among regional economic integration organizations to analyze the relationship between the depth of integration and progress in implementing the SDGs. The starting point for further assessment of our path towards achieving the 2030 Agenda was the report "Indicators of SDG Achievement in the EAEU Region" prepared by the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and presented at the UN ECOSOC High-Level Political Forum in 2017.

The EAEU Member States are pleased to note the positive pace at which they achieve the SDGs in the areas within the EAEU competence.

The well-established work in the field of statistics within the EAEU makes it possible to expand the number of indicators that can be calculated within the integration association to evaluate progress in achieving the SDGs.

For these purposes, the Member States have determined a list of indicators for achieving the SDGs, with due regard to the EAEU development priorities.

For example, free movement of goods guaranteed within the EAEU has a substantial impact on the SDG indicators.

The citizens of our States experience practical benefits from free movement of labor implemented in the EAEU. The workers from the EAEU Member States do not need to obtain work permits, and confirm their certificates of education issued in the EAEU Member States.

Businesses of our countries and partners operating within the EAEU Member States are beneficiaries of the single market of services. About 50% of the total volume of services are rendered within the EAEU according to uniform rules. The number of service sectors applying a single legal regulation regime is constantly increasing.

In order to ensure free movement of capital, the Member States have agreed to gradually harmonize their national legislation in the field of financial market regulation until 2025. This work will result in establishing the EAEU common financial market and a financial market regulator within the EAEU.

The EAEU digital agenda has made a significant contribution to achieving the SDGs by the EAEU Member States. In particular, the Unified Search System "Work without Borders" significantly simplifies job search, while the EAEU Ecosystem of Digital Transport Corridors and the Eurasian Industrial Cooperation Network accelerate the process of marketing new products and strengthening cooperation with third countries.

Achieving the SDGs has much to do with the efficient implementation of the climate agenda. Our five countries realize the importance of ensuring universal access to sustainable and modern energy and of taking steps to combat climate change. The Bank of Climate Technologies and Digital Initiatives, including those related to carbon footprint accounting, was formed, and a list of criteria for the EAEU Member States' green projects was approved.

International cooperation is important in achieving the SDGs. The EAEU stands for an equitable dialog between integration structures and sees this as the key to a more efficient functioning of the global economic architecture.

We are pleased to note that this approach is shared by our partners in other regions of the world.

We also highly appreciate the attention to regional cooperation issues by the UN, its regional commissions and UN organizations.

We express our interest in studying the international best practices in reforming economic sectors aimed at achieving the SDGs, which is of particular importance in light of the forthcoming determination of the strategy for the EAEU further development.

Achieving the SDGs is a common goal for which all participants in international relations should join efforts and mobilize existing resources.