UNOSD 2018 Sustainable Development Transition Forum

Event: UNOSD 2018 Sustainable Development Transition Forum

Date: 29–31 October 2018

Venue: Incheon, Republic of Korea

Theme: Accelerating Progress towards the SDGs: Enhancing the role of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).

GSEF Secretary General Laurence Kwark will present at the session ‘How can the HLPF’s thematic reviews be enhanced’ from the perspective of local governments and the contribution of the social economy. The event is organized by UNOSD (United Nations Office for Sustainable Development) as part of the 2018 Sustainable Development Transition Forum (29~31 October 2018) in Incheon, Korea.

Further detail about the event is as below (from the UNOSD webpage)

Introduction and background

The Sustainable Development Transition Forum aims at establishing an interface between the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the different sate and non-state actors and stakeholders involved on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Every year the Sustainable Development Transition Forum focuses on the overarching themes of the more recent and forthcoming HLPF and the particular SDGs under in-depth review, without losing sight of the integrated and indivisible nature of the SDGs. It also looks at cross-cutting issues which have a bearing on the achievement of most if not all of the goals, like poverty eradication, gender equality, tackling climate change and promoting sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

In 2019 the HLPF will have completed a full cycle of thematic reviews of the 17 goals, and next year, in addition to the HLPF meeting under the auspices of ECOSOC, there will be another meeting of the HLPF under the auspices of the General Assembly.

In light of the opportunity afforded by next year's two-pronged HLPF -once under ECOSOC and once under the GA- the 2018 SDTF will devote consideration to the themes of the 2018 and 2019 HLPF under ECOSOC and the SDGs under review, as done normally every year, but it will also look at progress on the 2030 Agenda as an integrated whole and the SDGs as a set of interrelated goals and targets aimed at securing a sustainable development transition. Moreover, it will take the opportunity to reflect on the institutional architecture overseeing this global agenda and the global goals, with a view to providing guidance to UN Member States and other stakeholders as they ponder the question of how to make the HLPF and the broader institutional architecture more effective in supporting attainment of the SDGs.

This year's SDTF seeks to foster an open dialogue on what we have learned in the first four years of implementing the SDGs, both at the country level and at the international level, particularly with regard to the role of the HLPF. It will provide a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas among participants on how to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the coming years and how, specifically, to enhance the role of the HLPF in the follow-up and review of progress and in advancing national level implementation.

The 2018 SDTF will be held at the Holiday Inn Incheon Songdo, Incheon, Republic of Korea from 29-31 October 2018.

The event will accommodate approximately about 100 participants from governments, UN agencies, think tanks, development banks, academic institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector from around the world. The 2018 Incheon Communique summarizing the key messages that participants would like to convey to the international community in preparation for next year's HLPF will one of the main outputs of the 2018 SDTF.

The Forum is organized by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) of UN DESA, Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in partnership with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).