16 September 2019: One week before the SDG Summit, 51 commitments to accelerate SDG implementation have been made by countries, UN entities and other stakeholders, as reported on the SDG Acceleration Action platform. The platform indicates that SDGs 17 (partnerships for the Goals), 13 (climate action), 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and 12 (responsible consumption and production) are the subject of the greatest number of initiatives, while SDGs 10 (reduced inequalities), 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and 14 (life below water) include the lower number.
SDG Acceleration Actions are initiatives voluntarily undertaken by countries and other stakeholders to speed up implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The call for Acceleration Actions was announced in May 2019 by President of the 73rd UN General Assembly (UNGA) Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, and is described in more detail in this information note.
As of 16 September, the platform registers 26 actions relevant to SDG 17, 20 actions on SDG 13, 18 actions that advance SDG 16, and 18 actions to drive SDG 12. It also reports eight actions related to SDG 10, and ten each for SDGs 9 and 14. Many of the actions address multiple SDGs.
Among the initiatives described on the platform:
- Positive Impact Events notes that it will engage the global event sector in the SDGs with the objective to reach the over 1.5 billion people who attend events every year, so they can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development by 2030;
- The UN Global Compact announces an Action Platform for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, aiming to promote business engagement and guide businesses in understanding, implementing and reporting on Goal 16;
- Create2030 expects to galvanize roughly 1,000 members of the “global creative economy” to participate in the September 2019 drafting of an Artist Declaration for Climate, and plans to gather over 10,000 signatures throughout 2020, with the objective to amplify the voice of the creative community in the climate action movement and in support of the SDGs;
- On SDG 12, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which serves as the Secretariat of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP), says the One Planet Network aspires to, inter alia: increase the number of high level commitments on SDG 12, and ensure that 30% of companies adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle (in line with SDG target 12.6). The One Planet Network is a global multi-stakeholder partnership for SDG 12 implementation in both developed and developing countries.
The SDG Summit will take place during the UNGA high-level week, from Tuesday to Wednesday, 24-25 September, at the level of Heads of State and Government, with a mandate to follow up and review progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs.
Other events that will take place during that week include: the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit (23 September); a high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) (23 September); a high-level dialogue on financing for development (FfD) (26 September); and a high-level meeting to review progress made in addressing the priorities of small island developing States (SIDS) through the implementation of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway (27 September). [SDG Acceleration Action Platform] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 45 Featured Actions, 12 September]