The first workshop of 2024 was held on the 5th of February and was on SDG 16 and its Interlinkages with other SDGs – Challenges and Opportunities.
It was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations in New York on behalf of the Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development in cooperation with the United Nations Development.
Introduction/Background
“Our world is in peril — and paralyzed” … “global governance is stuck in time”…..”Let us be determined to heal divisions and forge peace. Determined to realize the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind. Determined to reform multilateralism for the 21st century and come together for the common good”.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, address to the General Assembly, 19 September 2023
As we approach the final stretch of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the need to address the underlying enablers of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has never been more urgent.
SDG 16 stands as a cornerstone in this integrated framework, at a time when “structural injustices, inequalities and emerging human rights challenges are putting peaceful and inclusive societies further out of reach” (2023 SDG Report).
In the lead-up to HLPF 2024, where SDG 16 will be reviewed for the penultimate time before 2030, it will be key to galvanize member states and the international community into accelerated action on peace, justice and inclusion.
This workshop aspires to serve as a forum for discussions and insights on the multi-dimensional impact of SDG 16, including its critical role in advancing climate action and progress for all the SDGs.
The workshop will focus on SDG16, its interlinkages with the 2030 Agenda, and its indicator framework – including its potential for improving critical understanding of the governance-related drivers of sustainable development. The workshop will also explore strategies for improving the availability of high-quality SDG 16 data to inform policies that uphold human rights and ensure just and inclusive governance.
Objectives
● To emphasize the integral role of SDG 16 in the broader 2030 Agenda, highlighting interlinkages with other SDGs and its synergy with SDG 13 on Climate Action, which will also be reviewed at the 2024 HLPF. , NY 10017
● To exchange successful strategies and policies that accelerate progress on SDG16 and have the potential to advance other interconnected SDGs.
● To understand progress and challenges in achieving SDG 16, including looking at available data on SDG 16 indicators
Agenda
9:15- 10:25: Session 1 SDG16 Data and Indicators Framework
Welcome and introduction by Session 1 Moderator: Ms. Andreea Mocanu, Deputy Permanent Representative Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations
Keynote speech H.E. Cornel Feruţă Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations
Showcasing Best Practices on Reporting for SDG 16 – Alan E. George, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations PowerPoint
“To be a custodian”: Fireside chat between Moderator and the UNDP Global Policy Centre for Governance, Marianne Neves, Is the Governance Statistics Specialist for the UNDP Oslo Governance Center
“Spotlight” on SDG16: Perspectives from Stakeholders’ Reporting Processes – John Romano, Director, Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network
Session 2: SDG 16 Interlinkages
Welcome and introduction by Session 2 Moderator: Ms Minke van der Sar, Senior Policy Officer at the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations.
Called away for Mission Business Showcasing Best Practices: Daniel Zavala Porras, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations
“Connections that matter”: understanding SDG16 interlinkages: Julia Kercher, Team Leader, Research and Innovation, UNDP GPC for Governance (online) PowerPoint
Role of civil society and multi-stakeholderism: Margaret Williams, Associate Director, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies PowerPoint
Governance challenges shared by the SDGs and the Summit of the Future: Jan Gustav Strandenaes – Senior Adviser on Governance, Stakeholder Forum
“Transforming institutions to achieve the SDGs after the pandemic” – World Public Sector Report 2023 – David Le Blanc, Chief, Institutions for Sustainable Development Goals Branch, UN DESA
12:00- 12:50: Session 3 Building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions to advance climate action
Welcome and introduction by Session 3 Moderator Ms. Meriem El Hilali, Counsellor Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations (called away for the LLDC Prepcom)
Showcasing Best Practices: Lisa Segovia, Advisor Climate (Climate and Security, Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness, Climate and Finance Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations (called away for the LLDC Prepcom)
A “deep dive”: Peace, just and inclusive societies to advance climate action: Mr Jamil Ahmad, Director in the UNEP New York Office
12:50- 1:00: Session 4 Conclusions
Moderator Ms. Andreea Mocanu, Deputy Permanent Representative Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations
Felix Dodds, Director, Rob and Melani Walton Sustainable Solutions Service, Arizona State University
The second workshop of 2024 was held on the 9th of December 2024 and was on the launch of a White Paper on Financing the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement: The UN Ecosystem of Initiatives on Private Sector Finance
It was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Croatia to the United Nations New York on behalf of the Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development
We have now reached the halfway point of Agenda 2030.
In November 2024 the UNFCCC COP29 focused on negotiating a new climate finance goal, the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), to replace the existing $100 billion annual commitment that expires in 2025.
The NCQG is a key part of the 2015 Paris Agreement and aims to help developing countries adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to provide more than the 2009-set goal of $100 billion per year to address the needs of developing economies.
The United Nations’ Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) will be held in Servile, Spain, from June 30 to July 3, 2025.
The conference aims to implement policies and mobilize resources to achieve the 2030 Agenda and it’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will support the conference.
Aim of this webinar
This webinar will look at what key parts of the UN have been working with the private sector finance to help deliver the US$3-5 trillion that is needed annually to deliver the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future produced in 2021 a paper with the UN on what each of the parts of the UN is doing with the private sector. An updated version of this paper will form the backdrop to the workshop.
Those presenting were asked how their work with private sector finance would:
1. Help the implementation of COP29 and preparation for COP30, and
2. Input to a successful Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development
9:30-9:45 am
Moderator Tanner Glenn, Associate of Stakeholder Forum
Welcome: Ahmed Rachid (AR) El-Khattabi, interim Executive Director at the University of North Carolina Environmental Finance Center and Associate of the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future
Keynote presentation: Irena Zubcevic, Senior Adviser, Permanent Mission of Croatia to the United Nations
9:45- 10:45 Session 1
Moderator: Ambassador Diamane Diome Deputy Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations
• Dr. Amelia Santos Paulino, Chief of the Investment Research Section at UNCTAD’s Division on Investment and Enterprise PowerPoint
• Sahba Sobhani, Director of UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development
• Tim Hilger, Economic Affairs Officer · United Nations Financing for Sustainable Development Office, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
• Camille Malafosse, Associate Economic Affairs Officer United Nations Economic Commission for Europe PowerPoint
• Carleigh McFarlane Senior Manager, Sustainable Finance & UNGC-PRI Liaison UN Global Compact
• Casper Sonesson, Policy Advisor, UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) PowerPoint
10:45 – 11:00 Next Steps and Recommendations
Moderator: Petra Bollich, Senior Counselor from the German Mission to the United Nations
Felix Dodds, Adjunct Professor the University of North Carolina and Fellow of the Stakeholder Forum
Ahmed Rachid (AR) El-Khattabi, Interim Executive Director at the University of North Carolina Environmental Finance Center and Associate of the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future