Blog Post

SDSN engages in 2nd International Congress on Human Rights in Valencia

  • By Dorothea Strueber
  • •
  • 30 Oct, 2018
  • •
The Sustainable Development Goals are the result of the most important consultation and consensus among the member states of the United Nations to date and constitute an ambitious plan of action to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions before 2030. The 2030 Agenda is established based on universal human rights, therefore, for the effective achievement of the Agenda, all countries must apply and implement the treaties and commitments acquired on human rights.
On October 25 and 26, SDSN engaged in the 2nd International Congress on Human Rights, organized by the Fundación Mainel and supported by the Generalitat Valenciana and the Universitat de València, which explored the synergies between these two vital global agendas.
The meeting coincided with the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. This document had a historical significance in exposing universal values for all peoples and nations, in addition to recognize that all people have the same dignity and the same value.

H.E. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Chair of SDSN Spain, on the role of civil society in the promotion of human rights in the context of sustainable development.

In his opening speech, Chair of SDSN Spain H.E. Miguel Ángel Moratinos called for the need for civic action towards the SDGS in the context of human rights. Referring to Albert Camus, who noted that while his generation would not “make the world a better place, but would not allow it to fall apart neither”, H.E. Moratinos highlighted the urgency of joint action in the face of potentially irrevocable damage. Still, given the location of the conference, he came to highlight the exceptional efforts undertaken across the board of stakeholders in Valencia. The autonomous community had been one of the first to translate the SDGs to the local level through educational, political, and civic engagement.
Throughout the congressional meetings, both national and international speakers highlighted the diverse aspects of the complex relationship of the SDGs and the Human Rights Agenda: Paul Dembinski shed light on why a just international financing system plays a major part in securing equal opportunities around the world, while María do Céu Patrão Neves and Stefano Semplici explored the connection between health, human rights, and sustainable development. Teresa Fajardo commented on this relation from the angle of climate justice, followed by Ignasi Grau and Vicente Bellver who discussed the role of educating in human rights as a key to achieving progress.
Dorothea Strüber, Manager at SDSN, highlighted the role that universities can play to lead this global movement through the four main areas of academic influence, as highlighted in the “Getting started with the SDGs in Universities” Guide published by SDSN Australia, New Zealand & Pacific: Research, education, operations and governance, as well as external leadership.

Speakers of the Second Edition of the International Congress on Human Rights.

SDSN Newsletter - July 2021

By SDSN Secretariat • 03 Aug, 2021 •
This month, SDSN celebrated its growing network, talked about the incredible amount of media coverage on the 2021 SDR, and reflected on this year's High Level Political Forum

WRI Report Spotlight: “Unlocking a Renewable Energy Future: How Government Action Can Drive Private Investment”

By Fiona Laird • 02 Aug, 2021 •
World Resources Institute recently released Unlocking a Renewable Energy Future: How Government Action Can Drive Private Investment, a report outlining key challenges to increasing clean energy investment and deployment. This report digs into the financial and regulatory mechanisms available to support policy frameworks like that outlined in SDSN USA’s Zero Carbon Action Plan (ZCAP), released in October 2020.

European Commission launches proposals to reach 55% emissions reduction by 2030

By Sam Van Hoof • 30 Jul, 2021 •
The ‘Fit for 55' package includes a ban on combustion engines from 2035, a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and a Social Climate Fund among other provisions.

SDSN Canada 2021 Members Meeting Recap

By Giovanni Bruna • 29 Jul, 2021 •

SDSN Canada reconvened the network membership on June 16th, 2021 for the annual Members Meeting.

This year's meeting featured conversations on the current state of the SDGs in Canada, emerging opportunities for post-secondary institutions, networking breakout sessions, and a featured joint presentation by the Brookings Institution and Rockefeller Foundation on mobilizing campuses and communities for the SDGs using the 17 Rooms initiative. A lightning round of member initiatives was also included to highlight a portion of the SDG work happening across the network.

Recap the discussion by reading the meeting notes   or listening to the audio recordings for each session.

Meeting Highlights:

  • The SDSN Global annual Sustainable Development Report 2021  was released June 2021, tracking progress on the SDGs by country (Canada ranked 21st in the world). The report outlines the short-term impacts of COVID-19 on the SDGs and describes how the SDGs can frame the recovery.
  • The Government of Canada has released Canada’s National Strategy for the SDGs, Moving Forward Together. The strategy outlines a set of 30 actions towards the SDGs, including localizing the SDGs, supporting partnerships with Indigenous initiatives, and advancing research into the gaps in Canada's efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
  • The 17 Rooms initiative  is a tool for advancing SDG collaboration, community-centric conversations, and bottom-up action. There are three key principles of consideration:
    • Every SDG gets a seat at the table (a dedicated room).
    • Identify what the next step is, and not the perfect step. What are things you can do together over the next 12 to 18 months that you can implement action on the SDGs?
    • It is about conversations, not presentations. The goal is to learn from each other and create a community of practice.
    • Join the 17 Rooms-X Community of Practice to access the beta toolkit.
  • A ‘lightning round’ of presentations by members spotlighting SDG work from Colleges and Institutes Canada, the Interdisciplinary Research Center in the Operationalization of Sustainable Development (CIRODD), Vancouver Island University, the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Waterloo.

The meeting was also a chance to invite the membership into initiatives designed to be more intentional about the network’s collective presence and impact. In this vein, the network thinks that the 17 Rooms process can be a critical resource for campus conversations on the SDGs. It also relaunched the Member Challenge , is starting the ‘SDG Teaching Community’ for faculty across the network, and is convening a small working group of interested members to talk about an enhanced governance structure for the network.

Public Consultation on SPA Report

By Lauren Barredo • 29 Jul, 2021 •
We encourage stakeholders to provide meaningful input to aid the development of a better and more complete report. We invite feedback from individuals and organizations, from all sectors.

Environmental and Agricultural Impacts of Dietary Shifts at Global and National Scales

By FABLE • 28 Jul, 2021 •
The FABLE Consortium is releasing two policy briefs over the coming months intended to advise national governments on sustainable land-use and diets. The first brief, entitled “Environmental and agricultural impacts of dietary shifts at global and national scales'' is now available.

Media Coverage of the Sustainable Development Report 2021

By SDG Index • 23 Jul, 2021 •
The Sustainable Development Report 2021 has been covered by the BBC, the Guardian, Washington Post, and more than 100 other media outlets.

The Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

By Isabella Massa • 21 Jul, 2021 •
SDSN together with the United Nations Resident Coordinators in SIDS and the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda hosted on 12 July 2021 a High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) side event to discuss the issue of measuring multidimensional vulnerability, and its relevance for international financing mechanisms.

SDGs Today Launches My School Today!

By SDGs Today • 20 Jul, 2021 •
SDGs Today recently launched their My School Today! call to action, meant to support students and local communities to geo-reference their schools and education facilities as part of an effort to promote timely information on school locations in Africa

SDSN at the 2021 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)

By SDSN Secretariat • 20 Jul, 2021 •
SDSN and our networks are hosting a number of events alongside the UN's High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). We are thrilled to invite you to join us at the following events, which SDSN is hosting or are organized by our partners.
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