UNGA President Announces SDG Implementation Strategy

8 November 2016: UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Peter Thomson announced a strategy to strengthen momentum for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during the 71st UNGA session, which he said is intended to “create meaningful momentum in implementing each of the 17 SDGs.”

Thomson outlined the SDG implementation team within the Office of the UNGA President, tasked with forming “action alliances with key partners.” The team is led by Special Adviser Dessima Williams, and comprised of experts from the UN Secretariat and secondees from UNDP, World Bank Group, UN funds and programmes, and Member States, as well as Macharia Kamau as Special Envoy on SDG Implementation and Climate Change.

The team’s work will focus on three tracks. The first is “Raising the global public’s awareness of the importance of SDG implementation.” Thomson stressed the need for people to see the SDGs “as both rights and responsibilities” and to “accept the SDGs as the best path” towards sustainability. To this end, the team will: promote the inclusion of the SDGs on the school curricula of every country, by reaching out to national governments and working hand-in-hand with the UNICEF’s ‘World’s Largest Lesson’ initiative, and personally requesting commitments from all Heads of Government to include the SDGs in their educational systems; use online communications to reach a “new global audience” with the SDGs, in partnership with the Secretary-General’s office, UN Agencies, the UN Secretariat’s Department of Public Information, and SDG Advocates; work with the SDG youth advocates to engage youth activists in communities around the world, including by supporting the 2017 ECOSOC Youth Forum in collaboration with the President of ECOSOC; and employ high-level advocacy to raise awareness of SDG implementation, while engaging traditional and social media to engage new stakeholders.

Thomson stressed that progress on one Goal is directly linked to progress on other Goals.

The second track is “Strengthening momentum in the implementation of each of the 17 SDGs.” On this area, the Presidency intends to focus on: aligning increased private investments and capital flows with the SDGs, including through “greening” the financial system and its regulatory mechanisms; strengthening domestic resource mobilization capacity; and exploring how concrete and targeted assistance can help countries improve their data and statistical capacities, among other approaches. Thomson stressed that progress on one Goal is directly linked to progress on other Goals, and highlighted their potential for realizing human rights and gender equality.

Thomson detailed the team’s plans for mobilizing early action on each SDG. For example, on SDG 1 (no poverty), he highlighted that SDG Implementation Assemblies will convene around the world in partnership with regional commissions and the UN Development System. On SDG 2 (no hunger), the Presidency will push for increased investment, trade and social protection to support implementation, in collaboration with UN partners. On SDG 8 (decent work), the team will work with experts to identify which strategies will support major employment gains.

On SDG 9 (infrastructure and industrialization), the team will “engage actively” with the Global Infrastructure Forum in April 2017. On SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), the presidency will work to reduce the environmental footprint of the OPGA’s office, including through carbon offsets. On SDG 14 (oceans), committed to ensuring that the June 2017 Oceans Conference will “deliver the necessary partnerships, programmes, commitments and call to action.” On SDG 15 (land on earth), he said the team will “establish means to advance of the objectives” of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF), in May 2017.

The president also drew attention to several events to be planned, including:

On SDG 3 (good health), a meeting on the sidelines of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in April 2017, which has the theme ‘Changing population age structures and sustainable development;’
On SDG 5 (gender equality), an event on ‘Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work’ on the margins of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW) in 2017;
On SDG 10 (equality), a meeting on tackling inequalities, prior to the World Bank spring meetings in 2017, with a particular focus on social, economic and political inclusion, in collaboration with the Commission on Business and Sustainable Development and others;
Also on SDG 10, a High Level Panel to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (COPD), in December 2016;
On SDG 11 (resilient cities), a high-level debate towards the end of the 71st session, as mandated by the Habitat III Conference outcome document;
Also on SDG 11, a dedicated meeting on SDG implementation with mayors, community administrators and city resilience leaders;
On SDG 16 (peaceful and inclusive societies), an informal meeting of the UNGA in January 2017 to explore how best to develop the links between the 2030 Agenda and the Sustaining Peace agenda, and to promote UN system-wide coherence in addressing them.

The third of the Office’s three tracks is “Supporting the UN and related agencies in making their maximum contribution to SDG implementation at all levels.” Thomson underscored the UN system’s “crucial role” in SDG implementation in countries as well as in the follow-up and review processes at the global level. His office plans to: convene briefings between the incoming UN Secretary-General, members of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), and Member States, on strengthening the UN system’s response to the SDGs, “in tandem with the QCPR process”; appoint co-facilitators of the process to realign the UNGA’s agenda with the 2030 Agenda; and improve frameworks for engagement between the UN and civil society, the private sector and other actors.

Finally, Thomson committed to reporting on the progress against this plan at the 2017 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). [UNGA President Statement] [UNGA President’s Team] [SDG Implementation Strategy]