Background - Global Climate SDG Conference
Background
Despite increasing commitments, the 2030 Agenda and the Paris goals are both off track. The annual Sustainable Development Goal Report just issued shows that only 17 per cent of the SDGs are on track, and progress on over one third has stalled or even regressed.
The Sixth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have warned urgently that the world community stands to fall further behind and may not achieve its 2030 Sustainable Development and Paris Agreement Goals unless we change course dramatically. Profound economic, social, and environmental transitions are needed to overcome the interconnected crisis of poverty and hunger, biodiversity loss and climate change amongst others.
There is a growing demand for actionable, synergistic, and transformative approaches to address interconnected global crises together. This concept is emphasized in the first GST outcome at COP28 in Dubai, where member states agreed upon the need to address climate action in the broader context of sustainable development. Similarly, the UNEA 6/7 resolution calls for strengthened global cooperation to maximize co-benefits between environmental action and the achievement of the SDGs. The recent G7 communique on climate, energy and environment commits to pursue synergies approach towards the SDGs when addressing the triple global crisis.
Since 2019, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat promoted climate and SDG synergetic actions to tackle these challenges. To deepen this effort, an Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergies was formed in May 2023, producing two Global Reports. UNDESA and UNFCCC, with support from various institutions and countries, will continue to enhance awareness and strengthen synergies through global conferences.
The Fifth Conference is convened with a view to support ongoing global efforts in raising ambition on climate action and the SDGs following the 2024 milestones, including the High-Level Political Forum in July, the Summit of the Future in September and ahead of the 29th Conference of the Parties to UNFCCC later this year.
The 5th Global Conference on Climate and SDG Synergy in September 2024, to be hosted by the Government of Brazil in the margins of G20 meetings, will bridge the political discussion with practical solutions presented as the main findings of the new 2024 Global Report by the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy.
Held in conjunction with Brazil’s Presidency of the G20 activities, the Fifth Climate and SDG Synergy Conference will be complemented by a series of related meetings in early September. These events will create a unique environment for the rich exchange of ideas, experiences, and best practices.
