About
The Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) follows up on and reviews the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the UNECE region. Focusing on practical value-added and peer learning, it creates a regional space to share policy solutions, best practices and challenges in SDG implementation and helps identify major regional and subregional trends. Read more
Programme
Speakers
| Amb. Michael Gerber | Marie Chatardová | Amina J. Mohammed | Olga Algayerova | |||
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| Chair of the Regional Forum |
President of the Economic and Social Council |
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UN's Deputy Secretary-General (video message) |
UNECE Executive Secretary |
| Cristiana Paşca Palmer | Peter Messerli | ||
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Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva |
Chair of the Regional UNDG Team,for Europe and Central Asia | Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) | Professor of Sustainable Development |
Peer learning round tables
- Round tables
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Compilation of case studies Governments and other stakeholders were asked to provide case studies from their national experience in implementing the five SDGs, which formed the basis of the discussions at peer learning round tables. Kindly find a compilation of all case studies here.
- SDG 6
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SDG 6 Sustainable Water
Making universal access to water and sanitation a reality in the UNECE region
Room 5/6 (level 3), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)- How can countries assess existing gaps in the equity of access to water and sanitation?
- Which social and economic measures are proving effective to address problems of equity in access to water and sanitation?
- How can all relevant stakeholders and sectors, such as finance, education, housing and health, provide solutions to the challenge of universal access to water and sanitation?
Interpretation: English / French / Russian // Room 3 (level 0), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)- How can water needs of different sectors and the environment be balanced, including in the face of increasing water scarcity?
- What kind of intersectoral coordination and planning arrangements are proving effective?
- How are countries dealing with conflicting water uses and trade-offs in transboundary basins?
- How are countries and basins coping with growing water scarcity?
- SDG 7
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S DG 7 Sustainable Energy
Improving the efficiency of the energy system
Interpretation: English / French / Russian // room 18 (level -1), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)- What are countries doing to overcome barriers to improving energy efficiency?
- What approaches have been effective in accelerating investments in energy efficiency?
- What is being done to improve energy efficiency in industry?
- What steps are countries taking to improve energy performance of buildings?
Case studies Ukraine Ukraine: Improving Energy Efficiency – Launch of the State Program on Energy Efficiency Serbia Establishment and operation of the Budgetary Fund for Energy Efficiency The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Raising awareness for energy consumption through a marketing campaign “Energy Mathematics” Germany Applying industrial waste heat to supply new city district in Hamburg
Transforming energy in support of the 2030 Agenda
Interpretation: English / French / Russian // room 4 (level 0), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)- What policies and measures are policymakers developing/implementing to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy?
- How can the need to reduce CO2 emissions in order to reach the objectives of the UNFCC Paris agreement be reconciled with the necessity to rely on fossil fuels as an important share of the energy mix in the short and medium term?
- How are countries addressing potential social impacts of the transition to sustainable energy
- SDG 11
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SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
Financing the transition to sustainable cities and communities: challenges and opportunities
room 2 (plenary), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)- What policy tools and financial mechanisms can policymakers use to promote access to affordable decent housing and basic services? What are the challenges they face in financing effective policies?
- What are the instruments they can use to reduce the environmental footprint of cities, improve air quality and manage waste, ensure sustainable transport and disaster risk management? How can they harness the power of ICT and other innovative technologies and processes?
- Which governance structures for housing and urban finance showed to be successful? Who are the key stakeholders in urban and housing finance? How can the integrated and participatory urban planning promote effective use of existing financial resources and leverage new sources of finance?
Case studies Belgium (region Flanders) Urban renewal projects Flanders Italy Renovating School Buildings Glasgow City Council The case for integrating the SGDs at international, national and local level with reference to the Government Strategy for Scotland and the development plan for the City of Glasgow Council of Europe Development Bank Fostering competition in small housing markets - innovative housing programme in Montenegro Czech Republic Rental housing finance for older persons
Promoting resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements
Interpretation: English / French / Russian // room 5/6 (level 3), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)- What approaches do governments take to promote resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements? What tools (normative frameworks, standards, etc.) are available to support these efforts?
- What are the gaps in the availability of reliable data to track and monitor progress and to deliver urban solutions? How can they be addressed?
- What are the opportunities for more effective multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the implementation of SDG 11, the New Urban Agenda and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction?
Case studies REC Caucasus The KPIs for Smart Sustainable Cities and overcoming the data availability barrier in small cities The Kyrgyz Republic
Resilient cities Russian Federation Sustainability of urbanized areas Nordic Council of Ministers Nordic Sustainable Cities – Promoting solutions for sustainable, liveable and smart cities Potenza, Basilicata, Italy #weResilient: A local governance and accountability model for territorial and community resilience Serbia From response to resilience: Disaster Risk Management in Serbia - SDG 12
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SDG 12 Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns
Successful approaches to delivering on Sustainable Consumption and Production by 2030
Interpretation: English / French / Russian // room: 4 (level 0), International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG)- Are the prerequisites for SCP – the governance, institutional and policy approaches used in implementing SCP – in place? Are they effective? Who is taking the lead in SCP?
- Are the enablers for SCP – technology, financing, investment, education and awareness-raising, etc. – in place? What are the approaches used? Are they effective in supporting SCP?
- How are the private sector and civil society engaged to bring about behavioural change?
- What are the bottlenecks and challenges? What is the way forward?
Towards a circular economy: innovation for sustainable value chains
Room: 2 (plenary, level 0), International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG)- How to move from a linear to a circular production pattern? What are the challenges and opportunities? What is the potential contribution of innovation and partnerships?
- Which innovative practices can support information sharing among different stakeholders to ensure that consumers have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable lifestyle?
- How can enhanced transparency and traceability of value chains and their environmental, social and health risks contribute to raising knowledge and awareness about sustainable production?
- How can policymakers meet the target to halve per capita global food waste by 2030?
- SDG 15
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SDG 15 Sustainable management of forests and ecosystems
Sustainable Forest Management and the SDGs
Устойчивое управление лесами и экосистемами
Interpretation: English / French / Russian // Room: Room 3 (level 0), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)- How can policymakers use Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) policies and tools to increase climate resilience and integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning?
- How can SFM contribute to and influence energy policies to increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix?
- How can policymakers enhance SFM to protect and restore water-related ecosystems, reduce the degradation of natural habitats and halt the loss of biodiversity?
- How can policymakers further promote SFM to achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources and encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices? How can SFM support the bio-economy and improve progressively global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation?
- How can sustainable forest management make cities more resilient?
Case studies The State Forests, Poland Carbon forests - a natural solution to enhance climate change mitigation efforts The Republic of Kazakhstan Sustainable forest management for cities: The “green belt” of Astana city European Network Integrate INTEGRATE – A European-wide network to enhance nature conservation in sustainably managed forests IKEA of Sweden AB - Inter IKEA Group IKEA Wood Direction – Having positive impact on people, society and planet. Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism, Austria A journey through the value chain of wood: the case of Austria. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland Forest products and the bio-economy: the case of Finland
Forest Europe: Statement on the occasion of the Regional Forum
Biodiversity at the Heart of Sustainable Development – Toward Transformation and Resilience
Room: Room 18 (level -1), International Conference Center Geneva- Why are biodiversity and healthy ecosystems important for sustainable development? Are there recent case examples that demonstrate the linkages between biodiversity and healthy ecosystems in terms of providing revenues and jobs, water, agriculture tourism, and other benefits?
- How can policymakers enhance the integration of ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and subnational planning and development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts? Are there specific examples of successful measures already put in place which could be replicated or scaled up, including measures which target specific economic sectors?
- What are the most important obstacles and challenges for implementing SDG 15? What are some of the most important changes that are needed to address such challenges?
Case studies Georgia Earth Observation technologies designed for action The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Expanding Protected Areas in the Balkans Poland Sustainable tourism development through the Carpathian Convention
Side events
| 1 March 2018, 13:15-14:30 |
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- Fashion and the SDGs: What role for the UN?
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Organiser: UNECE
Venue: room 2 (plenary hall), International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
Description: The fashion industry has a significant impact on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This side event gathers the UN offices that address issues related to sustainable fashion to brainstorm and discuss how the UN could reach a comprehensive, coherent and coordinated approach towards the development of a sustainable fashion industry in order to contribute efficiently to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Please find further information here. - Adolescents and Youth as partners to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
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Organiser: Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, UN SDG Action Campaign, European Youth Forum, UNFPA EECA Regional Office, UN Youth Delegates of Sweden, Slovakia and Hungary
Venue: room 3, International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
Description: This side-event will discuss and share best practices on how Member States can work together with adolescents and youth as partners on the implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in specific in the process of drafting Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), and in their delegations to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
Please find the programme of the side event here. - Achieving the SDGs by participation of all – in the light of SEA/EIA procedures
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Organiser: Czech Republic
Title: Achieving the SDGs by participation of all – in the light of SEA/EIA procedures; Perspectives of the Czech Republic, Georgia, EU and UNECE.
Description: The event focus on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA) as tools for preventing and mitigating damage to environment and health through inclusive and participatory decision-making and international collaboration. It builds on experience of the Czech Republic and Georgia and will concentrate on specific activities under the regional programme "Greening Economies in the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood" (EaP GREEN) placed under the competence of the UNECE. It also links to participation as a lead theme of the current Czech presidency of ECOSOC.
Please find further information here.
- Rural women, migration and agriculture
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Organiser: FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the International Organization for Migration
Venue: room 18, International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
Description: The side event aims to raise awareness on the links between agriculture, rural development, food security and migration in the region of Europe and Central Asia. The focus is on measures to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and income of rural women, small scale producers and family farmers, by discussing the key challenges of rural migration and its gendered impact on migrant workers and left-behind communities, including women and the elderly in the countries of the region. Practices will be identified to create better conditions and resilient livelihoods in rural areas, that allow women and men to stay and continue farming and engage in non-farming activities in rural areas rather than migrating.
Please find here the programme of the side event. - SDG 6 in-depth review: UN-Water Synthesis Report 2018 on Water and Sanitation
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Organiser: UN-Water
Venue: room 15, International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
Description: To provide input to Member States preparing the in-depth review of SDG 6 for the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, UN-Water will release a report on the global status on water and sanitation. This side event presents the early signals emerging from the writing process and discusses ways to accelerate achieving SDG 6 within the broader context of the 2030 Agenda. Kindly find further information in the programme and here.
| 2 March 2018, 8:30-9:45 |
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- Gender Equality as an Accelerator for SDGs Implementation
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Organiser: United Nations Issue-Based Coalition on Gender Equality for Europe and Central Asia Region
Venue: room 3, International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
Description: The aim of this event is to clearly position gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls within the broader scope of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and identify gender as an accelerator for sustainable development in Europe and Central Asia.
Please find the programme here. - EAEU sustainable development and its experience of the SDG implementation at sub-regional level
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Organiser: Eurasian Economic Commission
Venue: room 7/8, International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG)
Description: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a key element of the strategic long-term development for most countries of the world including Member States of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The focus of this side events is on three aspects: (1) how regional integration supports the achievement of the SDG Agenda in the EAEU and its Member States, (2) presentation of the System of Integration Indicators (SII) and (3) presentation of the report on Inclusive Growth for the EAEU Member States.
Further information and the programme of the side event. - Making the business case for sustainable infrastructure: the SAVi methodology
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Organiser: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Venue: room 15, International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
Description: Conventional methods of assessing the financial feasibility of infrastructure ignore a range of material environmental, social and economic risks, intangibles and externalities. When these risks and externalities are included, the business case for sustainable infrastructure become much more apparent. IISD developed the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) tool to demonstrate to governments, investors and citizens why sustainable assets can deliver better value for money and more attractive internal rates of return. This session will cover the essentials of sustainable infrastructure, the use of the SAVi methodology, as well as a demonstration of SAVi on an actual infrastructure project (offshore windfarm in the Nord Sea) to foster an understanding of the information that SAVi generates.
Please find here the programme of the side event. - Mechanisms for citizen engagement and measurement for the implementation of Agenda 2030
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Organiser: UN Volunteers (UNV) and the International Labour Organization (ILO)
Venue: room 4, International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
Description: Agenda 2030 highlights a people-centered approach to development efforts. An estimated 1 billion people volunteer in their communities globally. To date, discussions under SDGs have focused primarily on financial resources. This session provides guidance on how Member States can strengthen analysis and reporting under SDG17 through integrating national data on volunteerism by:- Including qualitative and quantitative data to estimate economic value of volunteering;
- Demonstrating case studies on voluntary citizen engagement to provide a narrative on social inclusion.
Evidence on volunteerism is a source of information that can be used to showcase a ‘whole of society approach’ within VNRs and to move beyond financial resource considerations. The session will be run by UN Volunteers and the International Labour Organization.
Please find here the flyer and programme of the side event.
Documents
- Report
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The Report of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE region (E, F, R) provides the official input from the UNECE region to the 2018 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) which took place in New York, 9-18 July 2018.
- Participants
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All the essentials are summed up in our guide for participants.
More than 600 participants registered, including government delegations from about 50 countries. Take a glance at the list of registered participants. If you have any comments on the participants list, please contact [email protected]. - Programme
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EN FR RU Programme PDF Provisional Agenda PDF PDF PDF - Speakers
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Preliminary List of Speakers
- Statements
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Speaker Statement Chair of the Regional Forum: Ambassador Michael Gerber Opening Statement President of the Economic and Social Council: Marie Chatardová Opening Statement UN Deputy Secretary-General: Amina J. Mohammed Opening Statement (video message) UNECE Executive Secretary: Olga Algayerova Opening Statement Chair of the Regional UNDG Team for Europe and Central Asia: Cihan Sultanoğlu Opening Statement Professor of Sustainable Development, University of Bern: Peter Messerli Keynote Speech UNECE Executive Secretary: Olga Algayerova Closing Statement Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva: Michael Møller Closing Statement Member States Statements Albania Statement High-level Policy Segment Armenia Statement High-level Policy Segment Azerbaijan Statement High-level Policy Segment Belarus Statement High-level Policy Segment (Russian) Chair’s Summary of the SDG Coordination Leaders Forum (Minsk, 21-22 Feb 2018): ENG RUS France Statement High-level Policy Segment Germany Statement High-level Policy Segment Israel Statement High-level Policy Segment Kyrgyzstan
Statement by the State-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy Lithuania Statement High-level Policy Segment Montenegro Statement High-level Policy Segment Poland Statement High-level Policy Segment Republic of Moldova Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Slovenia Statement High-level Policy Segment Switzerland Statement High-level Policy Segment (French) Organization Statement Civil Society Organisations Opening Statement Civil Society Organisations Closing Statement World Health Organization (WHO) Statement Council of Europe Statement / Council of Europe contribution to the 2030 Agenda Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Statement - Photos and Press Releases
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Photos:
Opening, High-level Policy Segment
Side events: Fashion and the SDGs, SDG 6 Water Synthesis Report, Achieving SDGs by the participation of all, Youth as partners,
Articles:
Pre-meetings
| Civil Society Pre-Meeting (28 February 2018, Geneva) |
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| Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2018 VNR countries (28 February 2018, Geneva) |
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Sustainable Development and Gender Unit (SDGU) UNECE |
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Palais de Nations 8-14 Avenue de la Paix 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland |
