What can we learn from each other to deliver better results on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? When governments and key stakeholders gather in less than two weeks for the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (21-22 March), they will have their hands full as they exchange experiences on how to realise the ambitious 2030 Agenda.
More than 600 key stakeholders from governments, civil society, academia and the private sector will engage in intense discussions, learning and exchange across a range of key sustainability priorities. The participants will be welcomed by a Special Address delivered by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed. H.E. Ms. Ogerta Manastirliu, Minister of Health and Social Protection of Albania, will be chairing the one and half days of the 2019 Regional Forum.
At the very heart of the Regional Forum will be round tables for practical peer learning on the five SDGs under in-depth review at the 2019 High-level Political Forum. Country representatives and other stakeholders will share concrete case studies from their national experience, propose solutions to identified problems and discuss how best practices can be adopted by peers.
Round tables: peer learning on concrete SDG solutions
SDG 4 Quality EducationLearning without Limits: Lifelong Learning and Inclusive Education
The Power of Knowledge for Change: Education and Learning as Drivers of Sustainable Development
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic GrowthThe Growth We Want: Solutions for Sustained, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth
The Future of Work: Productive Employment and Decent Work for All
SDG 10 Reduced InequalitiesBridging the Gap: Achieving Greater Income and Economic Equality
Towards a World of Equal Opportunity: Tackling inequality caused by exclusion and discrimination
SDG 13 Climate ActionActing for Climate: Stepping Up Climate Change Policies, Action and Awareness in the Region
Coping with Climate Change: Strengthening Resilience and Adaptation
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong InstitutionsStrengthening Institutions for Change: Fostering Effective and Inclusive Governance for Sustainable Development
Empowering People to Protect the Planet: The Environmental Dimension of SDG 16
Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in dialogues on pressing questions: How can we use technology, digitalization and artificial intelligence to accelerate SDG progress? How can we make better use of data and statistics to measure progress in SDGs?
Connecting the dots: breaking down silos
The 2030 Agenda calls for a change of perspective: rather than addressing individual SDGs, an integrated approach is needed which recognises the connections and interlinkages between the SDGs and the associated targets. The discussions at SDG-specific round tables will thus be followed by a plenary session on “Connecting the Dots” which aims to bring out the interlinkages between the several SDGs. The keynote speaker Ms. Eeva Furman, Director of the Environmental Policy Centre at the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, will shed light on the question why interlinkages call for systems transformations. Ms. Furman is among a small group of selected experts authoring the Global Sustainable Development Report 2019.
Alongside the formal agenda, several pre-meetings will channel and coordinate the inputs of civil society, youth and volunteers to the Regional Forum. Sixteen side events will offer further space for interactive discussions on current challenges, including how to ensure equal pay for work of equal value, how to harmonise economic growth and environmental sustainability and how to foster labour inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Regional Forums: accelerating SDG progress in countries and regions
In the run-up to the 2019 High-level Political Forum, each of the five UN Regional Commissions convenes a multi-stakeholder forum in their respective region to share experience and discuss concrete solutions on how to achieve the SDGs. Regional Forums feed both into national and global processes. Discussions at the forums foster mutual learning and help countries accelerate national progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda. The Chair’s summary of each Regional Forum provides the region’s official input for the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) which will be held in two sessions in 2019. In addition to the annual July session under ECOSOC auspices, the HLPF will also convene for 1.5 days in September 2019, under UN General Assembly auspices, for the first four-yearly review of all 17 SDGs.
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