On 17 October, SDG Advocate Alaa Murabit delivered a keynote speech on the theme “How to reach the global goals in a world marked by conflict, fragility and flight?” during the Utvecklingsforum, a development event funded and organised by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
Murabit began the speech by praising Sweden’s leadership in human rights but also expressing concern about “the newly emerging voice of contained borders and selective human rights,” which makes the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals all the more crucial.
“Sustainable societies elevate, amplify and work with women and youth – not only when crisis hits, but more importantly in the building of institutions and future policies and strategies,” she remarked, while also stressing that “sustainability does not come simply because we talk about it.” Murabit stressed that the international community “must provide the $3-5 trillion necessary to promote sustainable security through inclusive measures.”
She concluded the keynote speech with a declaration that “sustainability is the defining issue of our century. We will all be judged by how we measure up to it – by whether we are part of the problem by refusing to act or part of the solution by taking action to become more sustainable.”
Open to the public, Utvecklingsforum is an annual development conference bringing together actors working with and engaging themselves in global development.