SDSN at the 2021 UNGA!
SDSN and our network partners hosted a variety of events alongside the UNGA. Below you'll find recordings and summaries of those events.
Fixing the Business of Food: Private Sector Alignment with the SDGs and accountability to achieve Food Systems Transformation
September 16, 08:00 - 09:30 EDT | Watch the full event.
The global food system must be fundamentally transformed to operate within planetary boundaries and to enable human wellbeing. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognize the vital role of companies in achieving the goals, including mitigating the sector's harmful impacts on human and planetary health and supporting broader SDG achievement.
Current sustainability frameworks, standards, reporting, and certifications do not sufficiently support or measure SDG alignment of the food sector; indeed, even as corporate sustainability efforts increase, corporate alignment with the SDGs continues to face fundamental challenges. This event took stock of a range of initiatives to support SDG alignment of the food sector, and to promote the rigorous discussion, assessment, reporting and action that is needed to support the necessary transformations.
Launch of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition
September 16, 12:15 - 1:45 p.m. EDT | Watch the full event.
Decarbonizing the world energy system by mid-century to meet the 1.5° limit encouraged by the Paris Agreement requires comprehensive measures by all signatories to the Agreement. COP26 represents a decisive opportunity to put nations on the path to decarbonization by 2050 as countries raise their ambitions in their nationally determined contributions and long-term strategies under the Paris Agreement. Engineers are key actors within this process, as they have the technical knowledge, skills, and expertise to plan and help implement an inclusive and sustainable pathway to decarbonization.
The Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) is a global, high-level body of engineers and energy system experts, with geographical and gender balance, that will be tasked to publish reports and briefs on engineering solutions to decarbonization. They will thereby contribute to the UN Secretary General's Coalition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and to the UN generally on engineering pathways to achieve comprehensive decarbonization by mid-century. The work of the CEET will be undertaken by recognized global experts operating in their personal capacities and responding to requests for information and guidance by the UN. The CEET will be co-chaired by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and will engage important partners from the United Nations (UN), academia and business sectors.
Read the full press release.
The Tipping Point: The State of the Amazon & the Bioeconomy Future
September 16, 10:30 - 11:30 EDT | Watch the full event.
On September 16, the Science Panel for the Amazon & Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), convened a side event during the UN General Assembly. The session titled “The Tipping Point: The State of the Amazon & the Bioeconomy Future” focused on presenting an overview of the state of the Amazon, assessing the risk of the climate tipping points in the region, and the paradox between the Amazon's extraordinary socio -biodiversity and its distance from the scientific, technological, and market frontier of the contemporary bioeconomy. Speakers presented an in-depth discussion on what the “tipping points” mean for the Amazon and the global world, the need for conservation and restoration, as well as challenges and pathways that exist to transition to a socially-fair and sustainable bioeconomy.
The Q&A brought many great questions to all the panelists, with specific case studies on successful bioeconomy and restoration examples covered, as well as specifics on the tipping point risks and indigenous participation.
The session brought together Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, Dr. Carlos Nobre, Dr. Mercedes Bustamante, and Belén Páez.
International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD)
September 20-21 | Watch the plenary sessions.
The 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) took place online from September 20-21, 2021. The event brought together 2,057 participants from 119 different countries to discuss Research for Impact: A Sustainable and Inclusive Planet . The two day conference hosted 49 different sessions across multiple time zones to accommodate our global audience, with 204 oral presenters, 239 poster presenters, and 977 total authors.
Read our summary of the 10 plenary sessions held, including keynote remarks from HE Mia Mottley of Barbados, HE Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, and our Kapuscinski Development Lecture with a discussion between Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, and Jeffrey Sachs.
Decolonizing Sustainable Development Education
September 22, 9:00 - 11:00 EDT | Watch the full event.
Organized by global MDP faculty members and leaders from the University of Minnesota, USA; Regis University, USA; University of Pretoria, South Africa; and the MDP Secretariat, this group collaborated to develop a dialogue on Decolonizing Sustainable Development Education , as an ICSD side-event. Vanessa Andreotti from the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Colombia offered the framing remarks at this session.
The panel of MDP faculty members at TERI University, India; Regis University, USA; and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, explored the decolonization of development education and offered examples of how MDP programs are addressing this imperative. Margarita Fontecha Tirado (MDP Alumni, Emory University, USA) served as the moderator. This panel considered how development education programs can effectively spark questions of colonial legacies in development, anti-racist and anti-sexist frameworks for development, alternative visions for development, and establishing equitable collaborations in local and international contexts.
Timely Georeferenced Data for the SDGs
September 22, 11:00 - 12:30 EDT | Watch the full event.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), in partnership with Esri and the National Geographic Society, launched “SDGs Today: The Global Hub for Real-Time SDG Data” in July 2020. SDGs Today aims to advance the production and use of real-time and geo-referenced data for the SDGs with a one-of-a-kind data platform, and education and training resources. The initiative encourages countries, institutions, and civil society members to produce, share and engage with the data to help ensure that we meet the Global Goals by 2030.
SDGs Today aims to provide a snapshot of the state of sustainable development around the world while enabling countries, institutions, researchers, journalists, and civil society members to produce, access, and engage with real-time and timely (updated annually or more frequently) data on sustainable development, obtain geospatial information systems (GIS) training and education resources, and learn how to use the data effectively to drive action towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This event showcased the initiative, demonstrating how to interact with the data hub and add new data, highlighting SDG Today's original data set, My School Today!, and how to access all the available resources.
Sustainable Food Production: Views from the Amazon Basin
September 22, 11:00 - 12:00 EDT | Watch the full event.
On September 22, the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) convened a side event during the UN General Assembly 2021. The session, Sustainable Food Production: Views From The Amazon Basin , focused on land use for food production, especially soy production and cattle ranching. These activities have been mainly attributed to deforestation in the Amazon in the past decades. The event presented an overview of the state of food production in the Amazon, as well as the impact of climate change on Amazonian health, livelihoods, and food security.
The event brought together Sebastian Heilpern, Mariana Varese, Joice Ferreira, Andre Baniwa, Paulo Artaxo, and moderator Marianne Schmink, and the Q&A portion highlighted many salient points. However, one stand-out question on how climate change influences the productivity of food chains in the Amazon. Brazilian Ecologist Joice Ferreira, who has worked in the Eastern Amazon for the last 16 years as a researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency (EMBRAPA) summed up the issue succinctly by saying, “If you think of the present, it's very hard to change behavior. For example, cattle ranching is the main type of land use.
It has been hard to change from cattle ranching to other more diversified production. Climate change will demand a change in behavior and I think this will pose an even higher challenge for changing the types of land use. Another concern is if climate change prediction in the South of the Amazon is for it to be drier, and have higher temperatures, this will favor even more activities like cattle ranching instead of the other production we trying to encourage. Cattle ranching and sugar cane are better for that type (drier) of climate.”
Sustainable Development Pathways Toward The Amazon We Want/Living Amazon
September 27, 10:00 - 11:00 EDT | Watch the full event.
On September 27, the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) convened a side event during the UN General Assembly 2021. The session, Sustainable Development Pathways for the Amazon We Want/Living Amazon , focused on an overview of the state of the Amazon and the potential sustainable development pathways aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Speakers made the case for a Living Amazon, and discussed countries' performance and trends in achieving the SDGs in the Amazon.
The event brought together Ane Alencar, Lilian Painter, Germán Poveda, and Atossa Soltani, and the Q&A portion highlighted many salient points. However, one question stood out regarding the recent IUCN Indigenous Agreement. President of Amazon Watch, Atossa Soltani, who dedicates her work to Indigenous rights, summed up the issue succinctly by saying, “Even though it has been agreed to protect 30%, there has been scientific studies that show that 50% protection is actually needed based on the different ecoregions on the planet. The statement at IUCN was a statement to say that actually neither 30% nor 50% is sufficient enough to protect the hydrological system of the Amazon. We need to guarantee that 80% is the correct target for the Amazon.
The motion carried suggested that for the nations, there is an ambition, there is such a target and they understand that the hydrological system is key for the planet. What is now needs is that each country of the Amazon create their own plans on how they will maintain and restore 80% of the forest and that there will be dialogue through the Amazon Cooperation Treaty and other frameworks.”
Mobilizing Women's Digital Financial Inclusion Across Africa: Adopting a Whole of Government Approach: Mobilizing Women's Digital Financial Inclusion in Cross-Sector Recovery Efforts Across Africa
September 28, 10:30 - 11:30 EDT | Watch the full event.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted women, threatening to derail decades of progress towards gender equality and economic gains. According to a recent McKinsey study, globally, female job loss rates from COVID-19 are nearly twice as high as male job loss rates, and the effects of the pandemic have been the most severe for women in emerging economies.
Yet, even before COVID-19, in many parts of the world, women had less access to financial services than men and were at greater risk to economic shocks. Countries with supportive policies and investments of digital financial services (DFS), for example the presence of interoperable payment systems, were able to quickly rollout emergency cash transfer programs. Beyond payments, investments in women's digital financial inclusion (WDFI) have ripple effects across sectors - from health and climate to sustainable development more broadly. For example, countries with active digital ID systems have been able to more effectively roll-out vaccines and testing services. Overall, digital financial inclusion continues to be indispensable for both short-term relief measures and a core element of economic recovery plans supporting women and women-led businesses.
On the sidelines of this year's 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the G7 Partnership for Women's Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) co-hosted an event in which key African leaders, the Partnership's core champions, and emerging advocates leading implementation efforts on the ground discussed the importance of collaborating across institutional boundaries to mobilize greater digital financial inclusion.
Indigenous Knowledge for a Living Amazon
September 28, 11:00 - 12:00 EDT | Watch the full event.
On September 28, the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) convened a side event in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, during the UN General Assembly 2021. The session, Indigenous Knowledge for a Living Amazon , presented an overview of the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon and their critical role in holding back deforestation, maintaining regional and global climate stability, and – above all – protecting land rights.
The event brought together André Baniwa, Mariana Varese, Germán Poveda, Sandra Frieri, Carolina Rodríguez Alzza, and Adriana Ramos. Many important topics were discussed, including challenges in the construction of intercultural participation in the Amazon, why maintaining Indigenous languages in the Amazon is vital, and connecting and sharing diverse wisdom to achieve a sustainable Amazon.