Overview
On 20 and 21 April, the UN Association of Australia brought 350 people together from across Australia and around the world to discuss and workshop the partnerships needed to progress the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read the Forum Communique here.
The Forum was opened by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and Australian Foreign Minister Senator the Honourable Marise Payne.
The Forum presented:
- Plenary Partnering Sessions which provided attendees with advice and information about partnering at the international, national and city level and with young people. Partnership Broker, Victoria Thom, ran an interactive workshop to help participants determine if they are fit for partnering. A Partnership Manifesto was produced during this session.
- Interactive Thematic Discussions during which UN and Australian leaders welcomed questions and input during three breakout sessions under four key UN themes:
- Gender Equality: Economic empowerment of women and girls, Women in Leadership and Wiyi Yani U Thangani – (Women’s Voices): Securing our Rights, Securing our Future
- Climate and Planet: Circular Economy and Climate, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Human solutions for tackling biodiversity loss
- Justice and Human Rights: Modern Slavery, Driving sustainable reconciliation efforts through an Indigenous rights lens and Global Health
- Poverty and Inequality: Sustainable Finance, Financing the SDGs and Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- Our Digital SDGs Showcaseprovided businesses, schools, government agencies, start-ups and community groups will showcase what they are doing to progress the SDGs.
- Networking: Delegates were able to connect with each other and arrange individual and group meetings. Informal networking rooms discussed the four Forum themes and the SDGs and provided delegates will an opportunity to create partnerships and pledge future actions.
“Thank you so much for this wonderful two-day forum! It was truly enriching and engaging with outstanding guest speakers. I was pleased to join online from the land of the Gadigal people. Thanks again and looking forward to progressing the SDGs together.”
"It is widely recognized that sustainable development with its three dimensions -- economic, social and environmental -- calls for a fully integrated approach, engaging all stakeholders. Partnerships are critical for achieving progress across the full agenda.”
Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General
Program
Day 1: Tuesday 20th April
1.00pm - 2.00pm
3.30pm - 4.30pm
4.40pm - 5.30pm
6pm - 7pm
Day 2: Wednesday 21st April
11.45am - 12.45pm
“Everything we do…must be with a strong focus on building more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change, and the many other global challenges we face. Our roadmap is the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals”
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Speakers
“Collaboration and partnerships are critical to addressing the complexity of the SDGs. Although partnerships can be challenging to build and maintain, they provide a range of opportunities. To help forge strong partnerships, the SDGs should be used as a common starting point for discussion”
Australian SDGs Summit Outcomes Report
Partners
Session Partners
Future Leaders Partners
Connecting Partner
Supporting Partners
If you would like to partner with us to deliver the 2021 UN & Australia Sustainable Partnerships Forum, email office@unaavictoria.org.au for further details.
“The SDGs provide points of focus around which we can innovate and collaborate in the search for solutions to critical global and local sustainability challenges… we will continue to invest in these priority areas and work together with Governments, civil society, academia, and other businesses to realise the opportunities the SDGs offer to all, and we call on other business leaders to join us.”
Australian CEO Statement of Support for the SDGs
SDG Showcase
Some 40 entrepreneurs, universities, government agencies, not for profits and schools will showcase what they are doing to progress the SDGs.
Throughout the two days of the Forum, businesses, government agencies, start-ups and community groups will showcase what they are doing to progress the SDGs.
In individual virtual rooms, Showcasers will display video content and details about their work. Contact details will enable Delegates to connect with exhibitors throughout the Forum.
Then, from 1pm to 2pm on Wednesday 21 April, Delegates and Showcasers will be able to chat during a special live session.
We hope this provides a springboard for exciting new ways for Delegates and Showcasers to collaborate and partner with each other to advance the SDGs.
Showcasers
Be part of the SDGs Showcase:
Email office@unaavictoria.org.au to request the SDGs Showcase Package.
News
Forum Resources
Partnerships for the Goals Discussions and Resources
2021 UNAA_Manifesto for Partnering for SDGs
SDGx UNAA White Paper – A technology pathway to zero carbon
UNAA 2021 UN & Australia Sustainable Partnerships Forum Communique
Transforming Australia Slides: 042121 UNAA
Cities and the SDGs – UNAAV 21 April 2021
20210420_VCS Foundation Overview for SDG Partnerships Forum
Global Citizen Presentation for UNAA 2021-compressed
23 February 2021
Official Portrait
UN SDGs Leader to open Forum
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Amina Mohammed, will open the virtual UN & Australia Sustainable Partnerships Forum on 20 April 2021.
As Special Advisor to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Ms Mohammed led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She is now Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which is overseeing the implementation of the SDGs.
Ms Mohammed joined the UN in 2012, after previously serving as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.
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8 February 2021
Zoos Victoria to bring biodiversity into spotlight at Forum
Zoos Victoria will be a key partner in the delivery of the 2021 UN & Australia Sustainable Partnerships Forum.
Zoos Victoria will lead a session to discuss the work being done globally to ensure the effectiveness of the UN Summit on Biodiversity to be held in May. The Summit will seek to adopt a global biodiversity framework which includes ambitious global, national targets that can be implemented at a global, national and community scale by 2050.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last year that by “living in harmony with nature, we can avert the worst impacts of climate change and recharge biodiversity for the benefit of people and the planet”.
Zoos Victoria’s Director of Wildlife Conservation and Science, Dr Sally Sherwen, will lead this conversation. Dr Sherwen leads a dynamic team of scientists and specialists that develop and deliver strategic programs in conservation, animal welfare, education, and environmental sustainability.
“From the devastating bushfires that swept the country followed by the global pandemic, the events of 2020 highlighted how critical it is for us to re-examine our relationship with nature,” Dr Sherwen said. “There is a way forward for us if we better value our interconnectedness on this planet.”
Dr Sherwen will be joined in this session by Rachel Lowry, Chief Conservation Officer, WWF Australia and Trent Clews-De Castella, Co-Founder, PHORIA.
Rachel leads a team at WWF Australia focused on delivering transformational conservation results across Healthy Land and Seascapes, Threatened Species, Climate and Food Security.
PHORIA uses the storytelling power of Augmented and Virtual Reality to raise awareness for social impact causes aligned with the SDGs. In 2019, REWILD Our Planet used social Augmented Reality experiences to encourage people to restore balance to the natural world. Developed in partnership with Netflix, WWF, Google, and the ArtScience Museum, this installation highlighted how extensively human activity has damaged wildlife and wild places.
Contact Us
STAY UP TO DATE
Email office@unaavictoria.org.au to join the 2021 UN and Australia Sustainable Partnerships Forum e-news list.