As the world is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we see heightened global insecurity and anxiety. International cooperation is under severe strain due to heightened geopolitical tensions and rivalry. The rules-based order upon which the UN Charter was conceived is being challenged. Our UN, and the multilateral system more broadly, needs to answer to the real anxieties of people with practical responses.
To solve the global challenges of our times – from COVID-19 to climate change, raging conflicts and unchecked technological advances – we need more inclusive international cooperation rather than a regression to narrow nationalism. The SDGs are our common road map for the future we want. To realize the 17 SDGs we need stronger partnerships and deeper involvement from civil society, the private sector, trade unions, local governments and other relevant stakeholders. This message emerged loud and clear from the UN75 global consultation.
Through a multi-stakeholder discussion with the private sector, academia, the UN, youth and civil society, speakers will explore ideas and thoughts on how these stakeholders can participate in and reshape the multilateral system to deliver better on the SDGs.
Join us for a high-level virtual event “Zero Malaria Challenge: How the lessons of the past can inspire progress to end malaria” led by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya in his capacity as Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance.
Taking place alongside the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, this event will put the spotlight on the urgent need to protect historic gains against malaria that are under threat as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to reinvigorate global efforts towards a malaria-free world.
This roundtable event convened by the UN Secretary-General will showcase high-impact solutions by governments and real economy leaders, in line with the Secretary-General’s six climate-positive actions to recover better together. The event will show the vast social and economic benefits of a sustainable recovery and of action to limit global warming to 1.5°C by achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and ensure that people and planet are fully protected from climate change impacts. This event will also jump-start an ambition arc that will take us to the Fifth Anniversary of the Paris Agreement on 12 December, when governments are expected to present ambitious and quality climate plans (the Nationally Determined Contributions – NDCs – and Long-Term Strategies), all the way to COP26 in November 2021.
#ClimateAction
The UN75 Youth Plenary will be as a one-day event convened by the United Nations in which discussions are led and driven by young people. Young people will take the center stage throughout the day as “keynote speakers” and Member States and high-level Government officials as well as UN representatives will participate as “keynote listeners”. As such, the Youth Plenary will be held in an innovative and youth-led format and will not include a plenary debate with statements from Member States in accordance with usual practice of the Assembly.
The event will kick off with a ceremonial opening and remarks by the President of the General Assembly, followed by an interactive discussion between young people and the UN Secretary General regarding current global trends, emerging risks and the opportunities we have as a collective to bridge the gap between the future we need and the preset realities and experiences.
Lessons learned from HLPF and the way forward.
The webinar provides an important occasion to reflect on the lessons learned from the virtual HLPF (High-level Political Forum) 2020 and asses collective measures needed to enable genuine inclusion of civil society actors and other stakeholders during future UN processes, including HLPF gatherings. The webinar will be hosted by the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN in New York and feature speakers from the Danish Government, the Costa Rican Government, the SDG Kenya Forum, Action for Sustainable Development, UN Major Groups and UN DESA. The discussion will be moderated by the UN Foundation.
This webinar seeks to contribute to emerging efforts to address restrictions on civic space following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen greater inclusion of civil society in multi-lateral processes. The event will further provide an opportunity to identify multi-stakeholder recommendations to advance meaningful civil society inclusion in future UN processes including HLPF cycles.
Looking towards the UN Secretary-General’s Food Systems Summit and COP 26 – two critical international moments to come in 2021 – this event will feature leaders working at the intersections between climate and agriculture.
Participants and panelists will explore opportunities to leverage these key upcoming international moments to ensure that climate resilience in agriculture is at the heart of the global community’s efforts to “recover better” and transform food systems.
The programme will include remarks by:
• Khalid Bomba, CEO, Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency
• Rt Hon Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister of State for Pacific and the Environment, United Kingdom
• Agnes Kalibata, Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit
• Hellen Onyango, Farm to Market Alliance, Kenya
• Elizabeth Cousens, President & CEO of the UN Foundation
• Valerie Guarnieri, Assistant Executive Director, UN World Food Programme
#foodsystems
We know that the business-as-usual model of how we produce and consume virtually everything – from food, water, medicine, fiber – is unsustainable, and has created our planetary emergency. We need new stories to guide us toward a new normal. The UNDP-led Equator Initiative is a partnership that recognizes and shines a spotlight on new stories that embody the future we need – on local, nature-based solutions that help achieve multiple sustainable development goals. In this session, ten winners will receive the Equator Prize. The celebration will feature remarks by decision makers, celebrities, and the winners themselves along with videos and music. The event will make a powerful case that local action on the three categories of the prize: “Nature for Climate,” “Nature for Water,” and “Nature for Prosperity” offers a powerful planetary response to our planetary emergency.
WBA and Forum for the Future will discuss how they can collaborate on practical action to drive the transformation needed to deliver the SDGs. This workshop will draw on insights generated for Forum’s 2020 Future of Sustainability report, due for launch October 14. The report explores the tipping points set to define the decade ahead, and highlights the pathways we are seeing emerge from the major discontinuity caused by COVID-19.
This workshop is invite only.
Convened by the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, UN-Habitat, Goal 17 Partners and the City of Helsinki, this virtual event consists of an hour and a half discussion on local and regional governments actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This event will feature local and regional leaders who will discuss ways they are working to meet the 2030 Agenda while managing challenges such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. They will also provide key highlights from their 2020 Voluntary Local Reviews. Civil society and private sector representatives will explore the importance of partnership between these sectors and government to ensure no one is left behind.
This fall, BridgingTheGap Ventures is organizing the inaugural YOUNGA™ Forum making history as the first-of-its-kind global youth town hall using VR and XR technology. Through an inclusive, forward-looking youth-driven dialogue, YOUNGA will connect young people directly with influential decision-makers and industry leaders to co-create solutions for a more inclusive, sustainable world.
Live streamed worldwide, our mainstage features candid intergenerational fireside chats between influential leaders and young changemakers, along with immersive 360 performances in virtual reality. Over the course of the weekend, Youth Delegates and other attendees will also be able to experience spatial recordings of 35+ Innovation Masterminds at their own pace.
This World Rhino day, NTT Ltd. will be celebrating Goal 15, Life on Land. Join NTT Ltd.’s CMO, Ruth Rowan and founder and Executive Chairman of the Connected Conservation Foundation, Doc Watson as they share the journey of this great initiative and what the future of proactive conservation can look like.
Every year, Goalkeepers presents the annual Global Goals Awards. These awards recognize remarkable individuals taking action to help achieve the Global Goals by 2030. The fifth annual Global Goals Awards will be announced September 22, 2020. Come back then to meet this year’s remarkable recipients.
In the past, our annual Goalkeepers Report has focused on recognizing the progress we’ve made and offered a clear view of what still needs to be done. But as we’ve all experienced, 2020 is different. Our report reflects that.
We have to confront the current reality with candor: SDG progress has now stopped. In this report, we track 18 indicators included in the United Nations’ SDGs. In recent years, the world has improved on every single one. This year, on the vast majority, we’ve regressed.
Launching September 25, this 19-day series will cover all 17 SDG goals individually, reflecting on progress towards the SDGs’ objectives and the extent to which institutional investors are working with the goals in their financial decision making.
Includes proprietary journalism plus commissioned articles from CEOs, CIOs and heads of responsible investment at leading pension funds and investment houses globally.
With a number of key moments to advance ocean-climate action on the horizon—including the U.N. ocean-climate dialogue in November 2020, the ongoing submission of NDCs, and the U.N. climate conference in November 2021 (COP26)—join us for a discussion on how countries can create a blue-green future.
Climate change is the greatest threat to the ocean and the coastal communities that rely on its health. Yet the ocean is also a source of sustainable climate solutions. A comprehensive climate strategy will maximize ocean-based measures—from decarbonizing the shipping sector to protecting and restoring coastal blue carbon ecosystems—to complement the full suite of policies necessary to phase out carbon pollution and build climate resilience for frontline communities and ecosystems.
Kick off Climate Week as Ayana joins us for a chat about climate science, policy, and justice. In conversation with Patrick Flynn, VP of Sustainability at Salesforce.
Hear a discussion on the importance of forests to combat climate change and how you can join the trillion trees movement. Dr. Jane Goodall will be joined by Suzanne DiBianca, Chief Impact Officer & EVP, Corporate Relations of Salesforce for a fireside chat.
The Harvard-designed Outrage to Action: Adaptive Leadership and Change Management Masterclass equips current and emerging leaders with the mindset, frameworks, and tools to navigate uncertainty and lead systemic change on critical development and community challenges.
This high-impact Masterclass draws on real-life examples of current global issues to help leaders across diverse industries better understand how to navigate challenges to maximize their impact. The transformative training will cover leadership frameworks including: applied system thinking, adaptive leadership, authentic leadership, problem diagnostics, change management, behavioral insights, behavioral economics, challenging assumptions, and building strategic partnerships.
Together, we will explore new mental models and develop the grit needed to sustain the political and social pressures of creating change. The training is committed to unlocking the potential for bold leadership that the world desperately needs around the Sustainable Development Goals. As proud partners to Global Goals Week, and to further the commitment of the Humanity Lab Foundation to activate a global community around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Masterclass is offered free of charge and is accessible to all.
The Outrage To Action Masterclass is offered at various times for the duration of the United Nations General Assembly and Global Goals Week.
Achieving SDG 16 through digital solutions to enable transparency and efficiency.
Technology has the potential to boost government efficiency, transparency, responsiveness, and citizen trust; it can enable the achievement of SDG 16 and can thus support all SDGs. However, the capacity to leverage technology for public sector transformation is uneven and challenged by the digital divide. This webinar will show good cases from the UN E-Government Survey 2020, and discuss how technology and the digital transformation can support the public sector and the achievement of the SDGs around the world.
Join us for the first ever LIVE Global GoalsCast taping that will be a wrap up to Global Goals Week. Cohosts Claudia Romo Edelman and Edie Lush will be joined by special guests to share key learnings and recommended follow up actions after a week filled with international dialogues, proposed solutions, and calls to action across the 17 Sustainable Development goals and beyond.
The live recording will be followed by a high-level networking opportunity to encourage the creation of networks of support that will continue long past the week’s end.
