Largest Global Goals Week Yet Unites 80+ Partners to Deliver for People and Planet

Running alongside the UN General Assembly, Global Goals Week (21-30 September) is designed to bridge the gap between leaders and their citizens with exciting events across multiple sectors on the SDGs

New York, NY

September 3, 2019

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Megan Rabbitt

As world leaders gather inside the halls of the United Nations in New York in September, people and organizations around the world are joining a global movement to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Global Goals Week organizers announced today.

Momentum is rising for 4th annual Global Goals Week as reports on the efforts to achieve the goals show that they are falling short, and that far greater action and partnership is urgently needed to promote prosperity and well-being for all people while protecting the environment.

Running alongside the UN General Assembly, Global Goals Week (21-30 September) is designed to bridge the gap between leaders and their citizens with exciting events across multiple sectors on the SDGs – an ambitious set of goals for people, planet and prosperity.

Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, said, “We have an urgent need to accelerate action on the ground, and Global Goals Week presents an important opportunity to scale up the actions and partnerships to address some of the most critical aspects of the 2030 Agenda. The numerous events taking place during the week shows strong commitment from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and many more partners, to bring our collective response to the next level.”

She added, “Global Goals Week will build the foundation for a decade of action to deliver the SDGs by 2030. This is our pathway towards peace and prosperity for all people and for a healthy, thriving planet.”

More than 80 partners and thousands of participants have registered their events so far, making this the largest Global Goals Weeks since its launch in 2016 by founding partners Project Everyone, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Foundation.

During this year’s High-Level General Assembly week, world leaders will participate in a series of summits and high-level meetings to boost action on climate change and accelerate progress on sustainable development, aimed at securing healthy, peaceful and prosperous lives for all. The high-level events cover the Sustainable Development Goals, climate action, health, financing for development and small island developing states.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said that it was abundantly clear that a much deeper, faster and more ambitious response was needed to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to achieve the 2030 goals. His SDG report, released in July, revealed that achieving the targets requires the world to pick up the pace and reach the farthest behind. In this year’s report, the UN identified climate change and inequality as the two defining issues of this generation.

SDG Advocate Hindou Ibrahim said, “On the ground climate change is already bringing insecurity, conflict and further poverty to the poorest. We only have 10 years left. It is now time for a world where true leaders from politics and business raise their ambition and take real actions, not just discourse, to achieve the SDGs, save our planet and really reduce inequality and ensure we have a sustainable future.”

While governments convene inside the UN halls, the week will feature events like the Social Good Summit, the Goalkeepers Awards with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Goals World Cup, the Global Week to Act for the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Impact Summit with the World Economic Forum and many more.

The week’s momentum extends beyond New York with people gathering around the world to discuss the issues, build partnerships and declare action to be taken to achieve the SDGs.

Global Goals Week events in 2019 include: 

For a full schedule and more information including how to participate in Global Goals Week, visit globalgoalsweek.org. The events listings will be updated as new events come online. Join the conversation and showcase your action to reach the #GlobalGoals.

About the UN and SDGs 
The 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted the bold, forward looking and ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015. The Agenda, which includes 17 transformative Sustainable Development Goals, calls on all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity and social well-being while protecting the planet. The Goals recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and threats to biodiversity. The Goals demand that everyone must benefit and that no one must be left behind. In an effort to create awareness and inspire action on the Goals, the UN Secretariat, UNDP and other parts of the UN system collaborate with a range of partners, including creative agencies, the entertainment industry, media organizations and businesses who are committed to advancing the agenda.

About Project Everyone 
Project Everyone seeks to put the power of great communications behind The Global Goals for Sustainable Development, accelerating the creation of a fairer world by 2030, where extreme poverty has been eradicated, climate change is properly addressed, and injustice and inequality are unacceptable. Their mission is to ensure that everyone on the planet knows what The Global Goals for Sustainable Development are, so that they stand the greatest chance of being achieved. The assumption at the heart of this project is that if people know about the goals they can hold their governments, businesses, local and international institutions to account.

About the United Nations Foundation 
The United Nations Foundation acts as a strategic partner to help the United Nations mobilize the ideas, people, and resources it needs to drive global progress and tackle urgent challenges. We focus on issues at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, build initiatives across sectors to solve problems at scale, and engage citizens who seek action. Founded in 1998 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner, the UN Foundation works with philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual partners. Learn more at: http://www.unfoundation.org.

About the United Nations Development Programme 
Working in 170 countries, on all continents, regardless of conditions, UNDP is the largest global development organization in the world. We lead the United Nations’ mission to end poverty while preserving the environment. Partnering with communities, governments and the private sector, we are committed to eliminating inequality around the world, fighting climate change and achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Our mission is to protect our planet and its people to create a better tomorrow for generations to come. Learn more about UNDP at: http://www.undp.org.

Media Contacts

Project Everyone 
Alice Macdonald
Phone: +44 07525149995
Email: alice@project-everyone.org

UN Foundation 
Serena Jiwani
Phone: +1 202.854.2355
Email: sjiwani@unfoundation.org

UNDP 
Lesley Wright
Phone: +1 646.371.5415
Email: lesley.wright@undp.org