The challenges and crises of our time are calling for a much more sustainable path of development for our planet, our economies and societies. The Regional Forum brings together all actors to promote action, solutions and peer learning to achieve the sustainability transformation in the UNECE region.
Platform for sustainable development in the UNECE region
For the UNECE region, the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development is a broadly recognized platform that has brought together a growing number of actors and groups since its first stand-alone session in 2017.
With its predominantly high- and middle-income countries of North America, Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia as well as Israel, the Regional Forum has engaged member States in the exchange on regional priority issues of prosperity, innovation, inclusion, gender equality and environmental sustainability, climate change and sustainable consumption and production, with a positive impact on SDG implementation at the national level.
Other stakeholders such as civil society, youth, businesses, international and regional organizations, academia, parliamentarians and local governments have participated in and contributed to the Regional Forum in manifold ways, making it a participatory and inclusive platform. The Regional Forums on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region are convened by UNECE, in close collaboration with the other entities of the regional UN system in the framework of the Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP).
Global and regional dialogue on sustainable development
To keep up the momentum and maintain policy dialogue on sustainable development, the UN is convening regular intergovernmental forums at global and regional levels. The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the central UN platform at the global level to follow up and review the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. It meets annually under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and every four years under the auspices of the General Assembly.
The Regional Forums on Sustainable Development, convened annually in the five regions of the world by the respective UN Regional Commissions, are the key platforms at the regional level for policy debate, exchange of good practices and peer learning on SDG implementation. Aligned with the HLPF, they provide a space for member States in each region to discuss policy actions, practical solutions and challenges.
COVID-19: 2030 Agenda in a new context
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Accelerating SDG progress while recovering from COVID-19
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and its adverse impacts on SDG delivery worldwide and in the UNECE region, discussions around the 2030 Agenda have shifted to exploring policy options to simultaneously accelerate SDG progress and achieve a sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery.
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Regional Forum 2022: Building back better from COVID-19
In the face of the ongoing need to reconcile SDG acceleration and COVID-19 recovery, the 2022 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region will focus on building back better from COVID-19 while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the region.
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Building back better
With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations has adopted the blueprint for a sustainable future
Having 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its centre, the 2030 Agenda is stimulating action over the 15-year period from 2016-2030 in areas that are critically important for humanity and the planet.