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UNECE Regional Forum to put spotlight on sustainable COVID-19 recovery to advance full implementation of 2030 Agenda

Regional Forum 2022

How can we recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the UNECE Region? In a joint quest for answers, UNECE member States and over 500 key stakeholders will gather in Geneva on 6-7 April 2022 for the 2022 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region. 

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the vulnerabilities of our societies and stressed the need for more concrete actions to enhance sustainability in multiple fields. In this context the Regional Forum will provide a regional angle to the global theme of “building back better”, including to meet the targets set out in the 2030 Agenda, particularly for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under in-depth review at the 2022 High-Level Political Forum, namely: 

  • SDG 4 – quality education and lifelong learning 

  • SDG 5 – gender equality and empowerment of women and girls 

  • SDG 14 – life below water: oceans, seas and marine resources 

  • SDG 15 – life on land: terrestrial ecosystems, forests, desertification, land degradation, biodiversity 

  • SDG 17 – partnerships for the goals  

This year the Forum will be chaired by H.E. Edil Baisalov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic. The first plenary session of the Regional Forum will include a keynote speech by Dr. Asa Persson, member of the Independent Group of Scientists to draft the 2023 UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) which will set the scene for the high-level debate and highlight the latest scientific findings on the SDGs, taking into account the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and related recovery measures. The Forum’s exchanges will be informed by the 2022 Report on SDGs progress in the region, to be released by UNECE. 

A multi-stakeholder panel on policy coherence will take place during the second plenary session, on April 7. In this context, experiences from UNECE member States that have presented or will present Voluntary National Review (VNRs) at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will be discussed, with emphasis on VNRs as a means to promote policy coherence and multi-level collaboration. 

In addition to formal sessions, the Regional Forum will also offer a platform for various stakeholders, including governments, UN agencies, businesses and civil society organisations to organise side events related to the main theme or SDGs in focus. A total of over 40 side events will take place, offering participants the opportunity to discover some of topics discussed during the forum in more details or through a specific angle. 

Regional Fora within the UN play a crucial role in accelerating actions to realize the SDGs. We are now in the “Decade of Action” where regional policy coherence will be of utmost importance in order to create synergies to reach and achieve our joint roadmap for a sustainable future – the 2030 Agenda.  The outcome of the 2022 Regional Forum – a report with a Chair’s summary of the discussions – will be submitted to the global level as the official input from the UNECE region to the 2022 High Level Political Forum (HLPF).    

To find more information, including the Forum’s programme and to register to participate, please visit the following link

Join the conversation on social media using #RFSD2022.  

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