The July edition of the Focus of the Month editorial looks at the social and economic dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Based on the state and outlook of the global economy in mid-2023, the global economy is expected to grow 2. 3% in 2023, well below the average rate of 3. 1% in the two decades prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting demanding situations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In July, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (10-19 July) and the SDG Report 2023: Special Edition (10 July) will be at the heart of global efforts to scale up action on the goals.
Where are we?
Halfway to the 2030 deadline, the SDGs are in jeopardy. The UN Secretary-General’s SDG Report 2023: Special Edition shows that around 12% of the goals are on track; More than half, although they appear to be making progress, are moderate or serious and around 30% have not noticed any movement or have regressed below the 2015 baseline.
Unless we act urgently now, 575 million people will still live in extreme poverty by 2030, and only about a third of countries will manage to halve national poverty levels. 2005, and food costs remain higher in more countries than in 2015-2019. At the current stage, it will take 286 years to close gender gaps in legal coverage and eliminate discriminatory laws.
In addition, the gap between and deficient is widening, with the most vulnerable countries bearing the brunt of global crises. Developing countries face exorbitant borrowing costs, up to 8 times higher than those of developed countries. architecture has failed in its project to provide a global safety net for emerging countries,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the recent Paris summit on the New Global Finance Pact, emphasizing the long-term desire to reform the global monetary formula while calling for a prompt revival of the $500 billion in line with the year’s SDGs. for investments in sustainable progression and meteorological action.
Point of return
But there is hope. Early efforts following the adoption of the SDGs have produced trends. To cite just a few examples, rates of excessive poverty and infant mortality have continued to decline. Humanity has made progress in its opposition to diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. The SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023, preceded by the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July, aims to mark a basic shift in commitment, solidarity, financing and action to put the world on a bigger path.
High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (10-19 July)
Governments from developed and emerging countries will meet with business, civil society, thought leaders and influencers at the 2023 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development organized through the Economic and Social Council from 10-19 July at UN Headquarters in New York to scale up transformative action to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The theme of this year’s Forum is “Accelerating recovery from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”. In addition to an in-depth review of Goals 6 (drinking water and sanitation), 7 (affordable and blank energy), nine (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 11 (sustainable villages and communities) and 17 (partnerships), the forum will also feature a general debate and thematic discussions.
Thirty-nine countries and the European Union will provide their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), the moves they are taking on the SDGs, from 14-19 July. The suppliers for 2023 are: Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chile, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, European Union, Fiji, France, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mongolia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam and Zambia.
The Forum will feed into the SDG Summit and the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, when world leaders gather at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the high-level week of the General Assembly in September to turn the tide and start a new momentum. . for the achievement of the SDGs. As the main multi-stakeholder platform for reviewing progress on the SDGs, the Forum will serve as a pre-SDG Summit occasion to help identify substantive priorities, raise awareness and build political momentum.
Opening press conference
When: 13:00 (EDT) on Friday, July 7
Where: UN Press Conference Room, S-237 (live on UN WebTV)
Who: Lachezara Stoeva, President of the UN ECOSOC
Join a press conference on the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Report: Special Edition featuring an honest assessment of the SDGs. While highlighting existing gaps and urging the world to redouble its efforts to achieve the SDGs, the report also highlights the immense prospect for good. Fortune through strong political will and the use of available technologies, resources and knowledge. Together, we can reinvigorate progress towards the SDGs and create a better long term for all.
Press conference
When: 12:30 h. (EDT) on July 10
Where: UN Press Conference Room, S-237 (live on UN WebTV)
WHO:
Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs;
Francesca Perucci, Deputy Director, United Nations Statistics Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs;
Astra Bonini, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (to be confirmed).
After the press conference, there will be a high-level “Call to Action” at 1:30 p. m. m. EDT. Details about the occasion are here.
The report aims to provide a strategic reaction to the outcomes of the 2023 United Nations Water Conference, aggregating the Water Action Agenda, and contribute to the discussions of Member States and relevant stakeholders at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). ) 2023, which includes a special occasion focused on SDG 6 and the Water Action Agenda. More facts about the report can be found here, and pre-launch social media assets can be discovered in UN-Water’s annual June Trello list.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) is an annual flagship report produced jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It monitors and analyses global progress to end hunger, achieve food security and nutrition. It also provides in-depth research into the main demanding situations to achieve those goals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The 2023 edition highlights the most recent updates on the state of food security and nutrition around the world, adding updated estimates on the price and affordability of healthy eating. The theme of the report “Urbanization, transformation of agri-food systems and healthy diets in the rural-urban continuum” will explore how urbanization shapes agri-food systems and the implications of this link for the availability and accessibility of healthy diets, food security and nutrition.
On July 12 from 10:00 a. m. to 12:00 p. m. m. se will publish a high-level communiqué for the 5th SOFI report. EDT. For details on logging and reporting, see the following links:
The Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth will release the third edition of the Youth Progress Report 2030, assessing progress in implementing the first youth strategy of the UN formula, Youth 2030. Based on reports from 55 UN entities and more than 130 UN country teams, the report highlights: how the UN formula is driving global commitments FOR and WITH young people; have an effect on UN strategic planning; availability of investment and coherence; and coordination of youth work. It also describes how global management strengthens accountability across the formula, making sure no young user is left behind.
The full report will be available online here. The report will also be presented on a secondary occasion on 19 July as a component of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development.
Women and women make up 49. 7 per cent of the world’s population. However, their wishes for their lives, families and careers are ignored in discussions about demography and their rights are trampled on in population policies.
On World Population Day 2023, the theme “Unleashing the Power of Gender Equality: Raising the Voices of Women and Girls to Unleash the Infinite Possibilities of Our World” highlights the desire to promote gender equality to realize the dreams of 8 billion of us. The process begins by listening to the voices of women, women and other marginalized people and introducing legislation and policies that enable them to exercise their rights and make meaningful decisions. Only then can we harness the strength of part of the planet to deal with urgent upheavals. of our time. A varied and disgustingly rich world of another 8 billion people, with infinite probabilities, depends on him.
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping other young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. The theme of World Youth Skills Day 2023 is Teachers’ skills, running shoes and other young people for a transformative future. It highlights the critical role that teachers, running shoes and other educators play in developing skills that enable young people to transition into the labour market and have active interaction in their communities and societies.
Register for a hybrid occasion, “Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future: Developing Tomorrow’s Skills,” which will take place from 10 a. m. M. a 12:30 p. m. (CEST) on 14 July in Bonn, Germany. Co-organized through UNESCO-UNEVOC and WorldSkills International, the event will demonstrate the positive impact on the advancement of young people’s skills in societies and economies and empower other young people to face the demanding situations of a changing global landscape through technical and vocational education and training.
The UN Food Systems Summit 2 Taking stock marks a turning point in our collective journey towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through our global food systems. United Nations (FAO), this assembly is convened through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, organized through the Government of Italy, in collaboration with the Rome-based UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP), the UN Food Systems Coordination Centre and the UN system in general.
The stocktaking moment of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2 (UNFSS 2) will build on the momentum of the 2021 Food Systems Summit and create an enabling area for countries to review progress against the commitments to action that were made at the WSF and identify successes. , bottlenecks and persistent priorities to close the implementation hole well and successfully employ the means of implementation for food systems transformation. It will also be an opportunity to further socialize the difficult role of sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient food systems as critical SDG accelerators and advocate for urgent action at scale, building on the latest evidence that sustainable food systems contribute to greater and more sustainable outcomes for other people and the planet.
To register for the Summit, locate the main points here.
More facts and questions can also be found here.
On the official opening day of the Summit, the winners and finalists of the UN SDG Action Awards will be announced in a rite on 24 July. The UN SDG Action Awards are a flagship program of the UN SDG Action Campaign, projects and U. S. that motivates and connects others to drive positive change. Register to view the rite of the UN SDG Action Awards here.