23 September 2020, Wednesday
UNGA CONFERENCE 2020
Five Years of Action Towards the SDGs
23 September 2020, Wednesday | www.unga-conference.org
On the Occasion of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, the Journalists and Writers Foundation and its Global Partners organized the 5th Annual UNGA Conference, entitled; “Transforming Our World: Five Years of Action Towards the SDGs”. Organized by 35 Global Partners from 24 countries, the UNGA Conference 2020 hosted 21 distinguished panelists from 11 countries who shared their knowledge and years of experience in advocating for women empowerment and gender equality, implementing the SDG Goal #16: peace, justice, and strong institutions, and assessing lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 500 participants from 47 countries actively contributed the discussions with their questions, arguments, and comments from different points of views.
The UNGA Conference is the flagship event of the JWF creating a platform for diverse stakeholders to discuss the Global Agenda 2030 and offer innovative solutions, strategies, and policy recommendations, with the view of further advancing the culture of peace, human rights and sustainable development. The conference gathers together a group of panelists and high-level speakers in 3 Panel Sessions to discuss a particular agenda and propose a framework of action.
Since 2014, the JWF has proudly provided a platform for discussion for hundreds of high-level dignitaries and experts from all over the world, including Heads of States and Delegates to the UN General Assembly, UN High-Level Dignitaries (ASG, USG, PGA), UN accredited diplomats, experts, and prominent civil society actors. Last year, the UNGA Conference 2019 contributed to the SDG #17 in the revitalization of Global Partnerships by mobilizing 36 CSOs and NGOs from 24 countries.
Background
The successful implementation of SDG #17 (Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development) remains at the focus of the UNGA Conference 2020. The JWF contributes to this mandate by mobilizing its Global Partners to share best-practices and policy suggestions on the achievement of the UN Development Agenda 2030.
In 2015, the Member States committed to a new path of inclusive, transformative and achievable development strategy for humanity and the planet with a mission of “Leaving No One Behind”. The action-oriented 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages all stakeholders including UN Agencies, Member States, private sector, civil society actors and experts to bridge the gap between policy and knowledge, create interlinkages between the goals and accelerate the implementation progress of the SDGs.
This year is a strategic turning point for our global community, as we all fight the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented global threat is however expected to strengthen the international communication and facilitate collaboration between the Member States of the United Nations, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society organizations, towards a common objective of creating peaceful and inclusive societies, where everyone is equally entitled to human rights, without discrimination.
Following a diligent consideration of policy outcomes from relevant sessions of UN WOMEN, ECOSOC, UN DESA, the Commission for Social Development and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the UNGA Conference 2020 includes the below topics.
Five Years of Action towards the SDGs will include a comprehensive debate taking stock of the past 5-years of actions towards the SDGs in three areas: (1) Women Empowerment and Gender Equality, (2) SDG #16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and (3) Lessons learned from COVID-19 Pandemic: Evolving Social and Economic Development for Sustainability. Finally, the UNGA Conference will also provide a civil society perspective and assessment of major United Nations Conferences and Summits’ progress since 2015.
UNGA Conference 2020 Goals and Objectives:
(1) Creating a platform to debate on UN Global Agenda 2030 and analyze the “Five Years of Action Towards the SDGs”
(2) Sharing inclusive and gender responsive policies for women’s and girls’ empowerment through the critical areas of actions included in the Beijing Declaration
(3) Developing local and international strategies, policy recommendations for implementing SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
(4) Ensuring human rights and rule of law for social and economic development for all
(5) Proposing a framework for an action plan on the evolving social and economic development for sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic
DECLARATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS
Panel 1 Resolutions
Panel Session 1 reflected on 25 years after the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, especially a review of how the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted then.
Resolution 1.1: The UNGA Conference 2020 adopted the resolution that recognizes Gender Perspectives and Women’s Leadership in Policy Making, Good Governance and Accountability to include women. But it adds that women on their own may not achieve much, as has been observed the last twenty-five years, since Beijing 1995.
We the participants of UNGA Conference 2020 declare that gaps found in developing an inclusive policy should be filled, where both genders (men, women, boys and girls) learn from the start the importance of women’s enabling process to support their contribution to sustained household incomes and state economy. READ MORE
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