Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of UN DESA, I am pleased to welcome you all to today’s virtual event.
Since 2015, we have witnessed how the 2030 Agenda and its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals can drive and inspire Governments and stakeholders all over the world to undertake transformative actions - individually and collectively - for people, planet, peace and prosperity.
However, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, assessments had indicated that the world was falling short of the progress needed to achieve several SDGs, including those relating to extreme poverty and maternal mortality, while trends on others such as biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions and inequality were not even going in the right direction.
The situation is further exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic which is wreaking havoc across the globe with a disproportionate impact on the poorest and most vulnerable, including older people and children, those with disabilities, and minorities of all kinds.
In face of all these challenges, it is essential that the COVID-19 recovery efforts at all levels be guided by the universal roadmap provided in the 2030 Agenda. While Governments have the main responsibility for their implementation, the SDGs cannot be achieved without the engagement and support of all key stakeholder sectors, including the private sector, local and regional governments, the scientific and technological community, civil society and others.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As expressed by the United Nations Secretary-General: “Society is stronger and more resilient when women and men can play a meaningful role in political, economic and social life, contributing to policymaking that affects their lives, including by accessing information, engaging in dialogue, expressing dissent and joining together to express their views.”
Strengthening the engagement of stakeholders will be critical if we are serious about delivering on the Decade of Action for the SDGs. We need more meaningful participation and we need tools to support us in improving the quality of this engagement.
Today, we are pleased to present to you a new analytical framework that has been developed by UN DESA and UNDP, through its Oslo Governance Center, to support in the review of stakeholder engagement practices. This framework tool has been created with the support of a grant from the European Commission and it has benefitted from the collaboration of a number of experts, from civil society organizations and national governments, to whom we would like to express our gratitude.
We hope that this tool will be a useful instrument for governments, stakeholders and development partners to examine and reinforce the quality of different engagement practices. We expect that it will support peer-learning, strengthen collaboration, improve accountability, and lead to more inclusive practices and policies in support of the 2030 Agenda at all levels.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
More than ever, we need to share experiences, understand what works, and what can be replicated through effective participation and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Regularly assessing the effectiveness of participation channels that enable feedback loops for stakeholders will be crucial.
I wish you a very productive discussion.
Thank you.