It includes a toolkit for the United Kingdom which includes “Measuring up: How the UK is performing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals” among other tools.

Sustainable Development Goal Project BISB v2

The department established the competition to engage with talented school students and to give insight into the type of thought-provoking issues involved in studying Global Sustainable Development at Warwick.

I am writing to you as we turn the page on yet another difficult year. It is no secret that 2023 has been a year of polycrisis for humanity and our planet. From climate change and conflicts to deepening inequalities and widening economic insecurities, a wide array of threats has continued to test our resilience, our perseverance, and has challenged our hopeful vision for a better future for all.

But times of crisis are also times of opportunities for change, as we have seen with the breakthrough agreement signed at COP 28.

Change requires a clear vision and a sense of urgency. Change also requires everyone taking action and engaging with policy processes at all levels. Let me take the opportunity to thank again all of you who helped in mobilizing over 157 million SDG actions around the world, providing a much-needed demonstration that together, through determination, solidarity, and unity, we can drive transformative change for the better.

Let me also thank the more than 5,000 initiatives that submitted their application to the UN SDG Action Awards, showcasing that change is possible and is happening even in the most challenging of contexts. And a final kudos to the finalists and winners we celebrated at the SDG Action Awards Ceremony at the UN Food System Summit in July in Rome, Italy.

Now, let me look ahead at 2024. Our main priority will be the Summit of the Future in September: a once-in-a-generation opportunity not only to take concrete steps to address our current predicaments but also to reinvigorate global cooperation and a much-needed commitment towards leaving a fair, just, and sustainable world for generations to come. In the months leading up to the Summit, the UN SDG Action Campaign will convene multi-stakeholder platforms aimed at increasing inclusive and transparent participation in the political processes, co-create advocacy campaigns with partners, and catalyze for change on critical issues such as SDG financing, debt, the international financial architecture, inequalities, youth engagement, and global governance – those very issues that will form the basis of the Summit’s action-oriented outcome document: the Pact for the Future.

But our 2024 plans don’t end there! Next year will also usher in another edition of the UN SDG Action Awards. I look forward to sharing our plans for the Awards, including when we will open the application process, the date and location of the Awards ceremony, and additional information for prospective applicants. In these troubled times, we believe that it is more important than ever to spotlight changemakers who are making the SDGs a reality for people and planet while delivering a message of hope and of possibilities.

Finally, let me end with a call for peace. Allow me to ask you to pause for 1 minute, follow this link, and watch INFINITE – an inspiring visualization by Marco Conti Sikic on the continuum of peace which, as we know, is the precious and enduring foundational aspect of our shared prosperity.

INFINITE, artist Marco Conti Sikic’s ode to Peace, made its 2023 debut during the Unite to Act Digital Art Exhibition.
This call for peace fills us with the hope and possibility of what might be in the new year.

Let 2024 be a year of opportunity, change, and cooperation – because there isn’t anything we cannot achieve when we come together.

UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – What are they and can they be achieved?

More information below the video.

Carl Wright co-chaired UN consultations/negotiations on the 2030 Agenda on SDGs. He is a former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and a diplomat with a wealth of experience in UN affairs.

Dr Wright has over 40 years of professional experience working with the UN, the Commonwealth, the EU and intergovernmental organisations. Carl`s work has involved him with participation in the negotiations on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developments, co-chaired the UN`s SDG goals 2014/15 and had participated in conferences with the UN Secretary-General and had attended the Addis Ababa Finance Conference and Paris Climate Conference.

Carl has also worked with the International Labour organisation and adviser to the UN Commission on Transnational Corporations, a Commonwealth diplomat and was a full-time Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum. Carl`s work has also engaged him with other UN bodies including the UNDP, UNESCO, WHO and UNESCO and this involved collaboration on specific development projects drawing also on funding from the UK government and the EU.

Carl is an enthusiastic supporter of the UN Association for many years and has served as an elected Trustee on behalf of the Association membership to the UNA-UK Board. Currently Carl have been quite involved in the localisation of SDGs at community and local government level including in Canterbury especially on climate change (see www.ccap.org.uk)

The 2030 Agenda adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

According to the report, the impacts of the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, a weak global economy, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed weaknesses and hindered progress towards the Goals. The report further warns that while lack of progress is universal, it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who are experiencing the worst effects of these unprecedented global challenges. It also points out areas that need urgent action to rescue the SDGs and deliver meaningful progress for people and the planet by 2030.

See our summary of progress towards SDG13: Climate Action

Download the full report here