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October 2023
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July 2024
SDG Lab Dispatch: Special Post-SDG Summit Edition
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In this special post-SDG Summit edition of the SDG Lab Dispatch, we delve into the insightful events and discussions that transpired during and after the 2023 SDG Summit. We envision a response from the viewpoint of the SDG Summit itself. Read on.
Post SDG Summit round-up
“Dear SDG Summit participants…” a letter from the SDG Summit
Now that the SDG Summit is one month behind us, we wanted a novel way to share our insights on the gathering. A general report back in narrative form is the standard go-to, but what about a different, perhaps more provocative format—hearing from the SDG Summit as if it were a person? Here we go: A letter to 2023 SDG Summit participants.
SDG Lab @ SDG Action Weekend
On September 16, we convened the workshop “Manifesting New Sustainability Values: From aspirational envisioning to practical policymaking” as an official side-event of the 2023 SDG Summit's SDG Action Weekend in New York.
Held in partnership with Reos Partners and the Major Group for Children and Youth, the workshop provided an interactive space to envision a world that genuinely reflects the values and priorities of younger generations, and to discuss what policies are needed to make such world a reality for current and future generations. A full summary of the side event, published by the UN Secretariat, is available here.
Geneva SDG Day, 28 September
To reflect on the outcomes of the recently held SDG Summit, SDG Lab in collaboration with the Geneva Graduate Institute and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Geneva organized an SDG Day to bring together the Geneva ecosystem in a series of debriefs and discussions on how to advance action on the SDGs following this important milestone Summit. The day included a high-level morning discussion; a virtual debrief webinar; and an evening event in a “hot seat” format.
The “hot seat” intergenerational dialogue was organized between youth leaders and senior representatives from the Geneva ecosystem on keeping commitments alive for a sustainable future. Experts engaged with three students from Swiss universities on pressing topics focused on sustainability challenges including the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the role of the private sector and other stakeholders. For more: Summary | Recording
Post-SDG Summit virtual debrief
This debrief, hosted by IISD, CEPEI think thank and SDG Lab, reached over 330 participants through an interactive panel discussion on the key takeaways from the 2023 SDG Summit.
Presentation of Geneva Graduate Institute Capstone project
Since the start of the year, we have been mentoring a group of students at the Geneva Graduate Institute as part of an Applied Research Project (ARP) titled "Towards a New Social Contract of Sustainable Development for Future Generations". The culmination of the students’ work was presented during the SDG Summit Day. The three students – Bokyong Mun, Luciana Yael Markstein and Gisenly Garcias Garcia – explored alternative concepts of sustainable development that exist on the margins of the global discussion, and investigated the tools and actions necessary to bring them from the margins to the center of the development narrative.
Building Bridges 2023
The fourth edition of Building Bridges was held at CICG from 2-5 October providing a key moment for the finance and sustainable development communities to come together to shape the global sustainable finance agenda. Some 70+ sessions were organized during the four-day event, including the Summit, which provided a high-level moment for leaders across all sectors to not only recommit to sustainability through the lens of finance, but to also highlight concrete projects and activities.
Expanding on the theme of future of financing sustainable development, the Lab, together with the Permanent Missions of Canada and Republic of Kenya, hosted an off-programme session on the future of financing sustainable development. Capitalizing on Building Bridges Week and the presence of different actors in Geneva, the multi-stakeholder discussion called for value-based decision-making and financing, as well as narratives that prioritize investments in the human and environmental economy over short-term fixes. Ultimately, fostering care and meaningful democratic engagement, both publicly and privately, was equally highlighted as a key ingredient for long-term sustainability.
On The Horizon
So What’s Next” series | 31 October, 14:00 – 16:30 | Palais des Nations
As part of the SDG Lab`s “What’s Next” series at the end of October we will be bringing together a diverse group of colleagues from the Geneva ecosystem and beyond for a discussion of how to rethinking our economic system by questioning how we better measure what we value, such as by going beyond GDP. This event is by invitation only.
Thought leadership roundup
UPDATED: Our Common Agenda - SDG Lab commentaries on policy briefs
We partnered with IISD SDG Knowledge Hub to publish commentaries to help unpack the UN Secretary-General’s series of Our Common Agenda Policy Briefs. They examine the key contents of the briefs and share perspectives on how these topics serve to inform the larger intergovernmental processes on sustainable development, including the SDG Summit in September and the 2024 Summit of the Future. Briefs published to date include:
For an all-in-one overview of the 11 Our Common Agenda briefs, consult the summary prepared by the UN Secretariat.
In case you missed it…
Affective Sciences: A Missing Link to Delivering the 2030 Agenda - SDG Lab commentary in Emotion Review
This commentary in the peer-reviewed journal Emotion Review provides the SDG Lab’s perspective on how better understanding emotions could serve as a missing link to greater progress towards the 17 SDGs and long-term sustainability. For the SDG Lab team, the commentary sparks a broader exploration into an important yet often overlooked topic when sustainable development policies are designed and implemented. Expect more from us on this exciting area of research and discourse.
