Civil Society Organisations attend Summit of the Future for revitalised multilateralism and public participation for the 2030 Agenda
By SDG Watch Europe
SDG Watch Europe was among the key civil society representatives at this year’s Summit of the Future Action Days in New York, held on 20-21 September.
During the Action Days, SDG Watch Europe participated in a high-level side event organised by the European Parliament and Ivory Coast focusing on the financing needed to achieve the SDGs. They highlighted the urgent need to reform the financial architecture to create a fairer global financial system. The event concluded with positive remarks from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who emphasised the ‘strong political will to push forward progress’ from the Parliament.
Alongside bilateral meetings with key officials, delegations, and civil society organisations from different countries, SDG Watch Europe and the EEB shared some preliminary findings from their research on deliberative democracy at the 2024 Global People’s Assembly, which took place on the sidelines of the UN Summit of Future. This research was presented to demonstrate to both EU and global decision-makers why public participation and deliberative democracy must be strengthened, and how they can accelerate SDG implementation. The event discussed the role of democracy and public participation in boosting civic space and advancing the SDGs implementation.
It’s not a secret that the SDGs are significantly behind schedule, with the UN’s own projections stating a meagre 17% of targets are on track for 2030, with over one-third either stalled or moving backwards. Despite this, the Pact for the Future, the main outcome document of the Summit, falls short on concrete commitments for greater civil society involvement, public participation and deliberative democracy, and concrete steps for implementing SDGs in the last five years before 2030.
The EU therefore must step up its efforts. This includes a new European Voluntary Review in the 2024-2029, as well as clear leadership and structured involvement for civil society in the SDGs throughout the new mandate.
SDG Watch Europe will discuss the key civil society demands and priorities for the incoming European Commission at the Civil Society Forum for Sustainability, taking place in Brussels on the 4 and 5 November. More information is available here.