Participants at a public discussion in Geneva, Switzerland highlighted that achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require: looking back at lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); looking forward with strategic foresight; inclusivity; and taking innovative, action-oriented approaches.
A keynote address by Gunilla Carlsson, former Minister of International Development Cooperation of Sweden and member of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, underlined linkages between security and development.
3 February 2016: Participants at a public discussion in Geneva, Switzerland highlighted that achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require: looking back at lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); looking forward with strategic foresight; inclusivity; and taking innovative, action-oriented approaches. A keynote address by Gunilla Carlsson, former Minister of International Development Cooperation of Sweden and member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, underlined linkages between security and development.
Carlsson also stressed the importance and transformative nature of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 (Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels).
Gustav Lindstrom, Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), identified three areas that will be essential in developing more effective processes over the next 15 years: partnerships, inclusion and foresight. Catarina Tully, Co-Founder of the School of International Futures (SOIF) in London, UK, highlighted the potential for “leapfrogging” over stages of governance by reaching out to citizens for policy ideas.
Thania Paffenholz, Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative (IPTI) at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, called for focusing on achievable first steps as an approach to reaching the SDGs. She also stressed the need to understand the capacity and readiness of each actor, defining what inclusivity means and whom to hold accountable.
In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed: the need for local partnerships around a decentralized agenda; the importance of SDG 16; and the benefits of a “bottom-up” approach.
The event, titled ‘Mapping the Path to 2030: Policy Instruments for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ was organized by the GCSP, the SOIF and the IPTI, on 3 February 2016, in Geneva, Switzerland. [GCSP Press Release]