On 18-19 September 2023, world leaders gathered at the SDG Summit in New York for the mid-point review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the implementation of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Summit adopted a political declaration to provide a roadmap for putting the world back on track to achieve the SDGs by their 2030 deadline. The Summit was informed by the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report prepared by an independent group of scientists and the 2023 Special Edition of the SDG Progress Report by the Secretary-General. More information about the 2023 SDG Summit is available here.
SDG Summit Programme
An Information Package for the SDG Summit, including the Programme, had been circulated by the President of the General Assembly on 11 September and is available here. More information on the Programme can be found here: https://www.un.org/en/
SDG Summit Political Declaration
On 1 September 2023, the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly transmitted to all Member States the draft of the political declaration of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development under the auspices of the General Assembly.
In his accompanying letter, the President stated that following open, transparent and inclusive consultations under the leadership of H.E. Mr. Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations and H.E. Ms. Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, he has been informed that the text attached to his letter has reached the broadest possible agreement among Member States ahead of the Summit. In this regard, the President stated his intention to transmit the draft political declaration to the Secretariat for its further processing. The President also expressed his sincere thanks to Ambassadors Mythen and Al-Thani for their steadfast and professional stewardship of the political declaration process.
The President noted in his letter that while it may not address all issues of importance for every delegation, the draft declaration ensures a common understanding among Member States to advance transformative actions leading up to 2030. He emphasized that the political declaration represents the beginning of a new phase of accelerated implementation of the 203 Agenda, which will need to be complemented by continuous high-level political guidance.
SDG Action Weekend
To galvanize all actors ahead of the SDG Summit the United Nations organized an SDG Action Weekend at United Nations Headquarters on 16 and 17 September 2023. Being the first time that the United Nations Headquarters was open to all stakeholders ahead of the General Assembly high-level week, the SDG Action Weekend was an opportunity for all stakeholders to showcase their innovative and ambitious commitments, contributions and multi-stakeholder partnerships to drive SDG transformation between now and 2030 and mobilize towards an ambitious SDG Summit. It brought together heads of state and government of UN Member States and other senior government representatives such as ministers, leaders from civil society and activism, youth advocates, academics, private sector representatives, and more.
The SDG Action Weekend consisted of the SDG Mobilization Day (16 September 2023) and the SDG Acceleration Day (17 September). The SDG Mobilization Day (16 September) featured seven “mobilization segments.” These included segments on Major Groups and other Stakeholders as well as on civil society, youth, women, local and regional governments, the private sector and science and academia. The SDG Acceleration Day (17 September) was centered around the twelve UN High-Impact Initiatives spearheaded by the UN development system to highlight a set of transformative transitions and cross-cutting enablers that can be brought to scale to bring SDG achievement back on track. The SDG Action Weekend also featured high-level opening and closing sessions as well as more than 40 high-level side-events organized by coalitions of UN Member States, UN entities and other international organizations, and global stakeholder networks. Please review the full programme here.
National Commitments to SDG Transformation
The Secretary-General urged world leaders to deliver a “Rescue Plan for People and Planet” at the SDG Summit including by announcing national and global commitments to drive SDG Transformation in the years ahead. Member States were encouraged to present forward-looking national commitments to SDG transformation that include (i) priority transitions and areas for investment that will help maximize progress across the SDGs; (ii) a national benchmark for reducing poverty and inequality by 2027; and (iii) steps towards strengthened national planning and institutional frameworks to support progress in these areas. Member States in a position to do so were further encouraged to put forward time-bound global and regional commitments to strengthen international cooperation and support for developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable countries. The SDG Acceleration and Accountability Platform included a separate, dedicated form for submitting National Commitments to SDG Transformation. The updated form sought to respond to the requests from RCs and Member States for a simplified process for registering national commitments on the platform.
Global Sustainable Development Report
The Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 (GSDR) was launched on Tuesday, 12 September, at a press conference at 12:30 p.m. EDT at UN Headquarters in New York. On Monday, 11 September, the Independent Group of Scientists who prepared the report met with the Deputy Secretary-General for a hand-over ceremony. Additionally, UN DESA organized a Global Policy Dialogue in the SDG Studio on “Time for Transformation” to further present the GSDR to the public in an engaging and informal way. Finally, the Report was presented to Member States and other stakeholders at the SDG Summit (18 September). Scientists also participated in webcast interviews at the UN-organized SDG Media Zone during the UN General Assembly High-level Week.
[Source: UN DESA NGO Branch.]
