Objectives
The President of the General Assembly will convene his third Town Hall meeting on 27 June 2023, as part of his ongoing efforts to encourage civil society’s participation and valuable contribution to key issues on the agenda of the General Assembly. While Member States remain the ultimate decision-makers within the United Nations, it is crucial for stakeholders to embrace their role as decision-shapers. The third Town Hall will be presented as a Q&A with civil society and will focus on how the upcoming SDG Summit (September 2023) and the Summit of the Future (September 2024) can contribute to sustainability transformation and a more effective global cooperation that can tackle today’s challenges as well as new threats in the future.
In his “Our Common Agenda” report, the Secretary-General called for an inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond to the needs of the people and planet. This approach aims to get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track by turbocharging their implementation and addressing gaps in global governance arrangements. As our world faces a set of complex and interlocking crises, resulting in a new chapter of the history of humankind, we have a great responsibility to strengthen the multilateral system.
Building on the SDG Summit, the Summit of the Future in 2024 will be a key opportunity to reaffirm shared principles and advance practical solutions. As Member States embark on consultations on the scope and topics of the Summit of the Future, hearing questions and ideas from civil society will be important to inform those discussions.
The Town Hall will serve as an opportunity for civil society to ask questions and to engage with the President of the General Assembly on issues including, but not limited to:
- How can we strengthen the international community’s response to complex global shocks?
- How can we deliver on our responsibilities to future generations yet to be born? How can youth engagement contribute to the discussion?
- How can the international community address the challenges and opportunities posed by rapid technological development, in particular in the area of AI, and ensure a just digital transition?
- How can the international community go beyond GDP as the primary measure of development and progress towards SDGs?
- What are the most important challenges to be addressed by the Summit of the Future? What role do you see for the Summit of the Future in the implementation of sustainability transformation at all levels?
The Town Hall is supported by the Department of Global Communications, with additional support by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Format
The Town Hall will be held in person and webcast live on UN WebTV and UN YouTube. The moderated event will start with a short conversation with the President of the General Assembly followed by a Q&A segment with civil society representatives.
The co-facilitators of the Summit of the Future will attend the exchange. The Town Hall is not part of the formal preparatory process of the Summit of the Future. As such, no outcome is expected following the event.
Logistics
Civil society representatives, including those from organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC and formally associated with the Department of Global Communications, are invited to attend the Town Hall meeting in person. All in-person participants are required to register in advance here by 22 June 2023.
Agenda
27 June 2023
11:00 am Opening by moderator
11:05 – 11:20 pm Conversation with the President of the General Assembly led by the moderator
11:20 – 12:30 pm Questions and answers with the PGA
12:30 pm Remarks by co-facilitators of the Summit of the Future
12:40 pm Closing by moderator
