GFFD joins UN Secretary-General’s Special Event on the SDGs

Germany – The GFDD, in its capacity as a think tank that works in support of the UN 2030 Development Agenda, has participated in the UN SDG Action Campaign, a three-day event in Bonn, Germany.

During the opening of the conference at the United Nations offices in Bonn, several senior government officers and UN officials highlighted the importance of working together to make the SDGs a success.

The event was attended by 1,500 participants from around the globe, as well as former UN officials, among them Juan Samovia, former Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and Cristina Gallach, former UN Under Secretary General, now serving as the Spanish Government High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda. In his remarks Mr Samovia noted that “much more needs to be done in order to achieve the SDGs. We need to make the SDGs known for them to be achievable.”

Ms Gallach continued by highlighting, “We need government and non-government organisations to achieve the SDGs.”

Celebrities, entertainers, and members of the private sector were present to honor the cause of the UN Secretary General’s Global Festival of Action.

The theme of this year’s event was “I Am SDGs.” The event is organized by the UN Secretary General as a special initiative aiming at promoting and scaling up the achievement of the SDGs by bringing together different stakeholders, ranging from UN agencies to think tanks.

The Action Campaign aims to mobilize and inspire individuals and organizations to take action and join the global movement for the SDGs, while showcasing what individuals, think tank, academic institutions, and sports entities are doing to promote and sustain the SDGs at all levels.

The organizing committee honored the evening awards recipients as well as paid tribute to the efforts carried out by the governments of Germany and Spain for their engagement in promoting the UN 2030 Development Agenda.

The event also saw a variety of performances from artists across the musical spectrum, including an inspirational rap on the SDGs performed by Inverted K.

The evening, succeeding in its goal of honoring those who push forth efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, left attendees with a new sense of optimism and momentum for furthering sustainable development.

In this context, GFDD will continue working within the framework of the SDGs as a way to help raise awareness in scaling up the achievement of the Goals by 2030 among other think tanks and higher education institutions.

About the SDG Global Festival
The SDG Global Festival of Action (2-4 May 2019 in Bonn, Germany) is a ground-breaking event powered by the UN SDG Action Campaign with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office and partners. The Festival is crowdsourced, designed BY the SDG Action community FOR the SDG Action Community. The Festival’s overall aim is to gather and inspire SDGs campaigners and multi-stakeholder partners to scale up and broaden the global movement to take action for the SDGs.

Taking place in Bonn every year, the Festival provides a dynamic and interactive space to showcase the latest innovations, tools and approaches to SDG advocacy and SDG action. It brings together leaders from governments, local authorities, international organizations, civil society, activists, young advocates, the creative industry and the private sector– to scale up the impact of their work and strategize joint actions, whilst motivating new organizations and individuals to join the movement and take action for the SDGs. https://globalfestivalofaction.org/the-festival/