By SDG Watch Europe
SDG Watch Europe held its Annual General Assembly on Thursday 9th, June in Brussels. With a full room of members, the in-person meeting offered participants a look back at the various activities of SDG Watch Europe and its Work Strands in 2021, and members gathered into smaller groups for an in-depth interactive discussion on the SDGs. Participants were also joined by representatives of the European Parliament for a closer look at how to further collaborate and engage with the European institutions, with a key focus on SDG Watch Europe’s work with the European Parliament and the recent draft own Initiative report on the SDGs.
Participants also learnt more about the Real Deal project, a Horizon 2020 project on reshaping citizens participation in the framework of the European Green Deal. SDG Watch Europe members are engaging in Real Deal activities including the Civil Society Forum for Sustainability and the development of monitoring reports on the SDGs. Elections to the Steering Committee were also held.
After many online meetings, the in-person discussions were invigorating and gave members the chance to connect and focus on core messages for transformative change, as well as to discuss and organise the actions that will be needed to hold the EU to account on its sustainability commitments.