GCNI Newsletter

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), represents a culmination of more than four decades of multilateral dialogue and debate on tackling environmental, social and economic challenges faced by the world community. It is the most comprehensive and shared blueprint to date for eliminating extreme poverty, reducing inequality, and protecting the planet.

The 2030 Agenda is universal in scope and commits all countries, irrespective of their income levels and development status, to contribute towards a comprehensive effort towards sustainable development. It also calls for the participation of all segments of society to contribute to its implementation: governments, businesses and civil society actors are considered as equally responsible for progressing and achieve it.

The Sustainable Development Goals reflects many of the European Union's priorities for sustainable development. They pose a unique opportunity for Europe and its Member States to generate real sustainable impact towards an innovative, prosperous and inclusive society.

For this reason the EU is committed to be a frontrunner in implementing them both in its internal and external policies and many of its Member States and the European continent at large are proceeding in the same direction.

Likewise, both business and civil society organizations in Europe have explicitly expressed their commitment towards the 2030 Agenda and its Goals and have already started to work on this direction.

Purpose of this Conference is to share insights into key policy, business and civil society organizations trends and developments on the SDGs within the European context in order to better understand the state of the play and promote collaboration at local, national and European level among all the different actors engaged in facing the sustainable development challenge.