EVENTS

THE 2023 HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM

The year 2023 is of pivotal importance for the SDGs. Adopted by the UN in 2015, Agenda 2030 has reached its middle point. As the consensus sees the world out of track for the achievement of its goals, the 2023 The United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and SDG Summit will be critical opportunities to review the hitherto pathway, renew global engagement and give a new impulse to the implementation of the Agenda. In this scenario, Regions play a crucial role as key actors for at least 65% of the Agenda 2030 targets. 

This year, the HLPF will focus on SDGs 6 (clean water and sanitation), 7 (affordable and clean energy), 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and 17 (partnerships for the Goals). 

It will take place in person at the UN headquarters in New York. Four sessions will be of special interest for Subnational Governments: 

• Tuesday, July 11th, 3:00 – 4:15 PM – “Transformation from the ground up: Acting at local level” 
• Thursday, July 13th, 10:10 AM – 1:00 PM – “SDG 11 and interlinkages with other SDGs –Sustainable cities and communities” 
• Friday, July 14th, 9:00-11:00 AM – “Perspectives from major groups and other stakeholders at the mid-point of the SDGs: Towards inclusive transformation” 
• Tuesday, July 18th, 9-10:30 AM – “Regional realities” (Dialogue) 

Besides, several Side Events will be dedicated to the Subnational level.

Among the most relevant documents that will be presented, the GTF declaration will present the position of subnational governments in the review of the SDGs. You can find it here: STATEMENT -HLPF2023

See below to learn more! 

HLPF SIDE EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS 

Regions4, in collaboration with the Government of Flanders, is organizing a special side event to the HLPF on July 11th with the title “Innovative approaches to the implementation of SDGs at subnational level”. The event will see a high-level political segment that will focus on innovative actions on implementing and interlinking these SDGs. A second segment will bring the attention to tangible projects. Experts from Regions4 Member Governments will showcase initiatives that tackle one or more of these five dimensions of sustainable development, with a particular focus on interlinkages. Closing remarks by OECD will be followed by a networking lunch. 

WHEN: July 11th from 9 AM to 12 PM EST 

WHERE: Flanders House New York, 620 Eighth Avenue, 38th floor, New York, NY 10018, US.   

To attend, please register at this link by July 9th.

AGENDA 

9:00 – Welcome messages 

• Mr. Yves Wantens, General Representative of Flanders to the USA 

• Mr. Eugenio Amato, Regions4 Sustainable Development Officer 

9:10 – Keynote speech 

• Mr. Felix Dodds, Sustainable development and governance expert 

9:20 – High-Level Segment – Policy and Governance Innovation for SDG Localization 

• Mr. Jan Jambon, Minister President of Flanders (video) 
• Mr. Carles Llorens, Secretary-General of Oru Fogar Network
• Ms. Sayda Melina Rodríguez Gómez, Secretary for Sustainable Development, Yucatán, Mexico (video)
• Ms. Silvina Rivero, Minister of Coordination of the Province of Cordoba, Argentina
• Mr. Jonan Fernandez, Secretary General of Social Transition and Agenda 2030, Basque Country, Spain (video)  
• Ms. Meritxell Serret, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Union, Catalonia, Spain
• Mr. Leonardo Orlando, Prefect of the Province of Manabí, Ecuador
• Mr. Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Québec, Canada (video) 
• Stefano Marta, Coordinator of A Territorial Approach to SDGs, OECD – Closing remarks to the high-level segment

10:15 – Networking coffee 

10:45 – Experts Segment 

• Ms. Leen Govaerts, Unit Manager at VITO/Energyville, Flanders – Water & energy innovations, inspiration to accelerate the achievements of the SDG together;
•  Ms. Anne-Sophie Lapointe, International Affairs Advisor for the Government of Québec – “The Blue Fund : Protecting Quebec Blue Gold”;
• Mr. Maarten Hens, Chief policy advisor, Department of Environment, Flemish government – The Blue Deal: transforming the way Flanders manages and uses its water; 
• Mr. Daniel Pérez, General Manager of L’Energètica, Public Renewable Energies company of Catalonia – Motivation, objectives and the first steps of the deployment of the public agency for renewable energiesof Catalonia, “L’Energètica”;
• Video – Contribution by the Port of AntwerpBruges, Flanders – The innovations enhancing sustainability of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges
• Mr. Wim Dries, president of VVSG (Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities) – SDG data fueling local policies in Flanders; 

11:45 – Closing 

• Q&A 
• Closing remarks

12:00 – Networking lunch 

LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS FORUM (LRGF) ON THE 2030 AGENDA

WHEN: July 12th

On July 12th, the Global Taskforce for Local and Regional Governments (GTF) is organizing a high-level side event to advocate for the role of Subnational Governments in the implementation of SDGs, with a focus on SDG 11. The event runs under the title “Harnessing high impact localization policies to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through SDG 11 and towards the 2023 SDG Summit”. It will take place in person from 10 AM to 1 PM at the UN Headquarters, Conference Room 1. For all detail please visit: Local and Regional Governments Forum.  

PARTICIPANTS MUST REGISTER UNDER THIS LINK BY JULY 5TH. 

AGENDA 

10:00-10:30 – Opening 

• Accelerating the Achievement of SDG 11 to Close the Gaps Towards the SDG Summit

10:30 – 12:45 – Interactive Dialogues  

10:30 – 11 – Dialogue 1 

• SDG 11 as a key enabler for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda 

11:00 – 11:30 – Dialogue 2

• Local public services to address inequalities, promote innovation and foster sustainability 

11:30 – 12:00 – Dialogue 3

• Local and regional governments and the future of production and consumption 

12:00 – 12:45 – Localization and Innovation Exchange

12:45 – 13:00 – Closing

LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS DAY

WHEN: July 13th

The Local and Regional Governments Day will bring together the participation of representatives from local and regional governments and their networks, international organizations, and civil society to advocate for a renewed governance and financial framework that empowers local and regional governments to ensure local service delivery, the right to housing, women’s empowerment and the protection of our ecosystems. It will focus on the key messages of the local and regional government constituency to the 2023 HLPF, the findings of the Global Taskforce’s “Towards the Localization of the SDGs” annual report, the importance of high-impact partnerships to achieve the SDGs and revisiting financial frameworks. 

AGENDA 

10:00 – 11:00 Opening  

11:00 – 12:00 Launch of the Global Taskforce’s 7th “Towards the Localization of the SDGs” annual report  

12:00 – 13:00 SDG11 High- Impact Partnerships Round table

14:30 – 16:00 Media for Cities  

16:30 – 17:45 Vlr-vsr Days Official Launch