Activating the SDGs

The SDG Lab discusses UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on UN 2.0, outlining his vision for strengthening the organization’s capacities for a modern, agile, and future-forward UN system. This vision is built around two core elements: a forward-thinking culture; and cutting-edge skills in data, digital transformation, innovation, strategic foresight, and behavioral science.

As the adage goes, “It’s that time of the year…”, and for individuals and organizations working in the sustainable development and multilateral spaces, September means the UN High-Level Week, commonly known as UNGA. This year’s high-level week is exceptional for its focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, with two key kick-starter events: SDG Action Weekend (16-17) followed by a two-day SDG Summit (18-19).

The Lab sat down with Michele Griffin of the Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda (OCA) policy team to hear first-hand what the OCA represents, its origins, and why this agenda is so important and groundbreaking in efforts towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and promoting long-term sustainability.

The Geneva SDG Day, on September 28, organized by the Geneva Graduate Institute, the SDG Lab and UNDP, will provide an opportunity for Geneva’s interested stakeholders to discuss, through different sessions, in-person and online, the outcomes of the upcoming SDG Summit, which will take place in New York on September 18-19. This year’s Summit marks the halfway point for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

The SDG Lab, IISD, and CEPEI will host virtual conversations and Q&A sessions with experts exploring why this Summit is crucial, how to raise ambition for SDG implementation, and discuss successes and lessons learned so far.

SDG Lab recently sat down in conversation with Lisa Kurbiel, Head of Joint SDG Fund, the UN’s flagship global fund. The exchange delved into long-term approaches to financing the SDGs and ways the UN system could redesign its approach to financing sustainable development. The Lab spearheaded this interview as part of its convening role, which aims to bring together key actors to share insights on advancing the SDGs and explore emerging and future trends and topics related to long-term sustainability.

Join the UN SDG Lab in rethinking our current socio-economic systems to truly reflect what younger generations value and translating such priorities into effective policymaking during the SDG Summit 2023 official side-event "Manifesting new sustainability values: from aspirational envisioning to practical policy-making".

With just over seven years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this commentary in the peer-reviewed journal Emotion Review provides the SDG Lab’s perspective on how better understanding emotions could serve as the missing link to greater progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and long-term sustainability.

UN Geneva’s 2022 annual report summarizes its achievements and serves as a reminder that multilateral solutions are key to responding to today’s issues and fast-evolving needs.

This workshop hosted by the SDG Lab on 26 June, explored the importance of local data in understanding and addressing the specific challenges related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the regional, city, and community levels.

The SDG Lab’s new dialogue series “So What’s Next?” kicked off on June 12 with an intergenerational exchange on putting future generations at the heart of long-term sustainability, co-hosted by the Geneva Graduate Institute. Opened by UN Geneva Director-General Tatiana Valovaya and Geneva Graduate Institute Director Marie-Laure Salles, the discussion focused on how to strengthen long-term sustainability from the perspective of future generations.

Over the last two decades the digital space remained insufficiently governed, prompting urgent social, ethical, economic, and regulatory questions. In his fifth OCA policy brief on Global Digital Compact, UN Secretary-General proposes a common vision for global digital cooperation. SDG Lab unpacks how the Global Digital Compact can ensure open, free and secure digital future for all.