Reaffirming commitment at the SDG Summit 2023

Boosting Progress towards the SDGs with PAGE

At halftime toward the deadline of 2030, the promise of the SDGs is in peril. For the first time in decades, development progress is reversing under the combined impacts of climate disasters, conflict, economic downturn and lingering COVID-19 effects.

The 2023 SDG Summit will gather world leaders at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 18-19 September to reaffirm their collective commitments to the Goals and the promise to leave no one behind. This Summit is a defining moment to urgently put the world back on track to achieving the SDGs.

PAGE and the Global Goals

PAGE works to transform economies into drivers of sustainability by supporting nations and regions in reframing economic policies and practices around sustainability – allowing the development of a green economy. Here we explore how PAGE’s work tackles the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Through integrated and holistic support, PAGE enables countries to reduce poverty, increase jobs and social equity, and strengthen livelihoods and environmental stewardship while sustaining economic green growth.

UN PAGE is effective through the partnering of five UN agencies, funding partners, and partner countries that work together to transform economies into drivers of sustainability by supporting nations and regions. PAGE is recognized as a model for delivering coordinated support of the UN to countries for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets of the Paris Agreement.

In many ways, PAGE aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With its upstream policy focus and comprehensive thematic portfolio, PAGE is well-placed to respond to the interconnected nature of the SDGs.

Through an inclusive green economy strategy, PAGE helps governments work together across sectors and integrate policies and procedures to accomplish the SDGs.

We have opportunities before us to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals.

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General

Understanding the SDGs

SDGs is the common acronym for the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs concept was agreed upon at the Rio+20 Summit in 2012. The Rio+20 Outcome Document called for the SDGs to be “global in nature and universally applicable to all countries while considering different national realities, capacities, and levels of development”.

After intense negotiations, 17 SDGs, together with their 169 targets, were adopted in September 2015. The 17 SDGs are integrated and indivisible and balance environmental, social, and economic concerns. They build on past achievements and commitments, such as the Millennium Development Goals.

The goals will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the earth, including poverty eradication, food security, health, education, gender equality, access to water, sanitation, clean energy, decent jobs, essential infrastructure, strong institutions, inequality reduction, sustainable urbanization, responsible production and consumption patterns, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and ecosystem conservation.

The 17 goals were designed to address a variety of concerns. PAGE has focused on work targeting these Global Goals in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and will continue to work with partnering and graduated countries to achieve an inclusive and green economy.

We will look at how PAGE has helped advance SDG 4 (Quality Education) in Latin America, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) in Africa, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production Patterns) in Asia in the sections that follow. These examples show the tangible results of PAGE’s dedication to developing a green, sustainable, and equitable economy for all.

Peru

UN PAGE has worked towards SDG 4 in Peru, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education while promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Target 4.7 is a crucial focus, aiming to equip learners with knowledge and skills for sustainable development, including instruction on sustainable lifestyles, gender equality, human rights, global citizenship, and cultural diversity. To achieve this, PAGE designed two university courses on “Green Growth and Development” and “Green Economy Modelling,” integrated into the University of the Pacific curriculum in September 2020. Additionally, a comprehensive “Green Economics for Public Servants” course was offered as an elective in the University’s School of Public Management to enhance capacity across government institutions.

Learn more about Peru

Iindigenous-peoples-Amazon-forest-holding Global Goal Posters

South Africa

UN PAGE’s efforts in South Africa contributed to SDG 8 by promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth with full and productive employment. Target 8.2 focuses on achieving higher economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation. The Green Economy, Industry, and Trade Analysis, conducted in 2016, identified various sectors, including small-scale embedded generation systems, water technology, biogas-to-transport value chain, and bio-composites, as areas with trade opportunities for green industrial development. This analysis led to the formulation of the Bio-composite Action Plan and Implementation Strategy, finalized in 2018, and the Biomaterial Market Demand Study launched in August 2020 to support economic diversification.

Learn more about South Africa

Indonesia

For SDG 12, UN PAGE ensures sustainable consumption and production patterns in Indonesia. Target 12.3 aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. In Indonesia, food waste contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. To address this issue, PAGE completed a Policy Scoping Assessment on Food Loss and Waste (FLW) in West Java Province, followed by a roundtable discussion with stakeholders. The insights from these efforts inform regional policies to tackle FLW across the food supply chain, ultimately influencing national policy processes for responsible food consumption and production in Indonesia.

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Advancing the SDGs with PAGE's Continued Work

Through its commitment to supporting partner countries, PAGE empowers countries to improve their Inclusive Green Economy knowledge base. By generating and sharing knowledge products such as manuals, reports, lessons learned, and best practices, PAGE informs and supports national policy analysis and formulation.

Since 2013, PAGE has worked with partner countries to create lasting change embedded in national policies and institutions. Furthermore, the significance of SDG 17 to UN PAGE cannot be overstated, as it underscores the importance of cooperation to achieve shared sustainability objectives, encourage green and inclusive economies, and complete the larger 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Learn more about PAGE and the SDGs