Plans unveiled for biggest ever Global Goals week to accelerate progress on SDGs

Plans for Global Goals Week 2018 were announced today for the third annual week of action where the United Nations and partners from around the world come together to drive action, raise awareness and hold leaders to account in order to accelerate progress to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals.

Plans for Global Goals Week 2018 were announced today for the third annual week of action where the United Nations and partners from around the world come together to drive action, raise awareness and hold leaders to account in order to accelerate progress to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals.

Global Goals Week was launched in 2016 by founding partners Project Everyone, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Foundation to offer an SDG-focused branding umbrella for key convenings both within and alongside the UN General Assembly (UNGA). It has grown each year and continues to recruit more partners in the build-up to 2020, a key milestone for the Goals agenda.

Timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly, Global Goals Week will be held 22 to 29 September, with events taking place in New York and around the world. All activations will be connected through social media using the hashtag #GlobalGoals. In 2017 the conversation around the SDGs during the UN General Assembly reached 150 million people, with almost 4 billion combined social media and media impressions and more than 2 million actions taken. The week will again run parallel to Climate Week NYC, intensifying the drumbeat of progress towards the Goals.

The announcement comes as leaders concluded the sixth High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York last week which saw 46 countries, more than ever before, report on their progress to the Global Goals. The HLPF highlighted that while positive progress is being made, it is not at sufficient speed to achieve the Goals by 2030. Therefore it is more critical than ever that both the public and world leaders reaffirm their commitment to the Goals agenda.

Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, said, "Global Goals Week calls for collective action, creativity, innovation, and commitment to deliver on the SDGs for everyone, everywhere. The last two weeks at the United Nations have showcased progress made by all countries. However, we must do much more in all constituencies, at all levels everywhere, to deliver for people and planet."

Richard Curtis, Writer, Campaigner, and Project Everyone Founder added,

"In 2020 we will be a third of the way through the SDGs. With only two years to go to that crucial milestone - now is the time to inspire people to take action and to press world leaders to achieve what the Goals set out: a rigorous plan to make us the first generation to end extreme poverty, the last generation to be threatened by climate change - and the generation most determined to end injustice and inequality."

With over 30 events already confirmed, the week is on track to be the biggest Global Goals week yet. In addition to significant convenings by the UN including several UN agencies, the week will feature new events like the first ever WISE education summit and returning Goals-focused gatherings from organizers like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Global Citizen. Organizations like World Economic Forum, Bloomberg and the UN Global Compact will include strong participation from the private sector and will explore the opportunities of public-private partnerships in meeting the Global Goals. The week will also break out of New York as The UN SDG Action Campaign, Action for Sustainable Development, and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty drive a Global Day of Action on September 25, which will see thousands of people around the world show their commitment to the Goals.

Kathy Calvin, President & CEO of the UN Foundation, said, "The Sustainable Development Goals present both a bold vision for a better future and a challenge for collective action to achieve the goals. Global Goals Week is a response to that challenge – creating opportunities for partners from many different areas to work together to drive change."

The power of collaboration is at the heart of Global Goals Week, with organizations and individuals from across government, the private sector, civil society, media and the UN coming together to cultivate ideas, identify solutions, and generate meaningful partnerships for the Global Goals.

Achim Steiner, the UNDP Administrator, said, "Global Goals week is an invitation to people across the world to celebrate that which unites us. Whether as individuals, families, communities or countries - everyone is welcome to become part of this global movement dedicated to our common future. Global Goals week connects millions of people and countless initiatives committed to making a difference."