Halfway to 2030: September is a Pivotal Month for the Global Goals
What you need to know about the SDG Summit, Global Goals Week, and all the SDG-related activities during the UN General Assembly
September is crucial for the Sustainable Development Goals, aligning with the UN General Assembly and various Global Goals events. At the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, this month features the SDG Summit, Global Goals Week, and significant multi-lateral meetings. They offer the global community opportunities to evaluate progress, tackle challenges, and plan the next steps of our international journey.
This article covers essential details about September’s SDG events, including key sessions to track, important documents, and expected themes.
Main Events and How to Follow Them
SDG-related activities in September do not focus on a single event but rather consist of literally hundreds of events put on by the UN, major development organizations, stakeholder groups, and other experts. Here are some of the most significant ones and how to follow them.
UN General Assembly
The 78th Session of the UNGA will officially open on Tuesday, September 5th with general debate occurring the 18th through the 26th. While a wide variety of discussions will take place, this year’s assembly will strongly focus on the SDGs. The theme for this session will be “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”
UNGA will consist of eight High Level meetings:
- General Debate
- SDG Summit
- Financing for Development
- Climate Ambition Summit
- Pandemic Prevention
- Ministerial on Summit of the Future
- Universal Health Coverage
- Fight Against Tuberculosis
An overview of the meetings for this year can be found here:
https://www.un.org/en/ga/78/meetings/
Official sessions can be viewed on UN Web TV:
SDG Summit
The SDG Summit is a subset of UNGA activities and will convene September 18–19. The Summit will officially mark the halfway point to the deadline for achieving the Global Goals and will focus on the steps necessary to accelerate progress and “address the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, including the deterioration of key social, economic and environmental indicators.”
Conversations at the Summit will be informed by and continue the discussions from the High Level Political Forum held earlier this year.
It is expected that the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report will be released during or prior to the SDG Summit. We highly recommend you familiarize yourself with this document as it will help shape the next several years of global development. Check out our team’s write up on the GSDR:
Since it the Summit is part of the official UNGA activities, sessions will be available on UN Web TV.
Follow these links to learn more:
Global Goals Week
Less of an event and more of a collection of activities, Global Goals week has historically been the banner under which diverse SDG-related meetings, platforms, and opportunities for direct action have occurred. This year Global Goals week will officially occur between September 15th and 24th.
It is expected that GGW 2023 will bring together over 150 partners from civil society, business, academia, and the UN system to focus on the 2030 Agenda.
Here are some of the events we, along with our colleagues at StartingUpGood, will be paying attention to:
International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD)
Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Sep 18–20
https://ic-sd.org/
2023 Concordia Annual Summit
Concordia
Sep 18–20
https://www.concordialive.com/AnnualSummit23
Sustainable Development Impact Meetings
World Economic Forum
Sep 18–22
https://www.weforum.org/events/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2023
Solve Challenge Finals 2023
MIT Solve
Sep 18
https://solve.mit.edu/events/solve-challenge-finals-2023/
Devex @ UNGA78
Devex
Sep 19–21
https://pages.devex.com/devex-at-unga-78.html
Business Fights Poverty Global Goals Summit 2023
Business Fights Poverty, Barclays, Visa and Harvard Kennedy School Corporate Responsibility Initiative
Sep 19–21
https://businessfightspoverty.org/global-goals-summits/
UN Global Compact Leaders Summit
UN Global Compact
Sep 19
https://events.unglobalcompact.org/leaderssummit23/home
ASPIRE 2030 Assembly 2023
ASPIRE 2030 and Microsoft Innovation Center
Sep 20
https://www.aspire2030.org/ggw
Forum of the Future 2023
Forum of the Future and Google for Startups
Sep 25
https://www.forumofthefuture.org/ggw
A full list of events can be found on the Global Goals Week Calendar:
Other Side Events
In addition to the list of events mentioned above, there are hundreds of other gatherings that seek to take advantage of the milieu including some of the most highly anticipated sessions of the month. Here are three we will be following:
Science Summit
ISC International Science Council
Sep 12–29
https://sciencesummitunga.com/ssunga78/
Climate Week NYC
Climate Group
Sep 17–24
https://www.climateweeknyc.org/
Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
Clinton Global Initiative
Sep 18–19
https://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative-september-2023-meeting/
Goalkeepers Event
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Sep 19–20
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/about-event/
We also recommend you check out the UNGA Events Guide for a list of nearly 400 sessions ranging from broad dialogues to seminars narrowly focused on nuanced issues:
Expected Themes
According to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the SDGs are “woefully off track.” He states in the introduction to the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Report that:
Progress on more than 50 per cent of targets of the SDGs is weak and insufficient; on 30 per cent, it has stalled or gone into reverse.
The world is still recovering from the disruptions of COVID-19, feeling the impacts of global conflict, including in Ukraine, and is battling the effects of climate change. This polycrisis makes few feel that the Global Goals will be attainable by 2030.
However, rather than give up, we expect most participants in this month’s activities will be repeating a single word: Accelerate.
Investments in the SDGs have made the challenges faced the last decade more manageable and laid the groundwork for continued improvements. We may not achieve all of our targets by 2030, but few will argue that it’s not worth trying.
Additionally, in reviewing the myriad documents and abstracts related to events in September, here are some of the themes we expect to see rise to the top:
- Importance of robust food systems to achieve food security
- Addressing climate change, especially through decarbonization
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment
- Innovation and technology for realizing (and tracking) the SDGs
- Ongoing investments in global health
- Financing and investment to achieve the goals
- Collaboration and partnerships
Conclusion
September represents a crucial month for the global community as we reflect on the journey of the Sustainable Development Goals and plan the course for the next significant phase. As we reach the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda, the multitude of events and discussions will undoubtedly shed light on our achievements, challenges, and the road ahead.
Recognizing the importance of these gatherings and their potential impact on the future of sustainable development, we commit to keeping our readers informed every step of the way. Stay tuned for ongoing updates throughout the month, as we endeavor to bring you comprehensive insights and highlights from these pivotal SDG-related events.
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