Reflections from the first-ever remote UNGA

By +SocialGood Connector, James da Costa

Photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG on Unsplash

With the dawn of the Decade of Action, it is clear that we have our work cut out for us. With just 10 years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is critical that we find ways to join efforts and accelerate our progress. Against this backdrop, global events took on a new role as catalysts for critical collaboration and acceleration for stakeholders, innovators, and decision-makers working towards the SDGs. Now, all of those events, including the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Global Goals Week have moved online. Here are my reflections from this year’s Global Goals Week:

1. Young people are taking the lead: This phenomenon has already been named the “YouthQuake” by Time and Wired, however, the pivot to online has perhaps only moved the balance of power into the hands of this new generation of leaders. For this new generation, leading change in today’s complex world is not about age, gender or power — it’s about doing the right thing and having the best person for the job. I saw this first-hand at the YOUNGA forum as a youth delegate, where young people had the chance to share the floor with global leaders and work on solutions through a 4-week leadership program.
2. It only takes one idea and the right support to change the world. As we start the ten-year countdown to the SDGs, now is the right time to offer support to and amplify new solutions around the globe. At the SDG Action Zone there were a plethora of solutions and innovators on display, showcasing unique innovations around the SDGs from decent work to the digital divide.
3. Cross-disciplinary collaboration is key. It’s going to take a global effort to achieve the global goals. I believe that with new online formats, we can truly have the global conversations that are needed, bringing in experts and collaborators from all over the world seamlessly. While we have all missed in-person interactions,the International Conference on Sustainable Development gave us the chance to bridge the academic, business and civic world. This year’s conference saw 1700 participants from 149 countries — the largest and most diverse attendance ever. Here, I had the chance to speak about youth engagement around the SDGs in a virtual conference format.