Cities driving sustainable development: Endorsing the SDGs & committing to their implementation
Thursday 24th September 2015 | 19:00 to 20:45 | Tishman Auditorium
The New School, 63 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10011 New York, NY
This high-level event is hosted by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network in partnership with The Campaign for an UrbanSDG, The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, and The New School .
On September 25-27, world leaders will converge at the United Nations in New York City to adopt Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to secure a sustainable and equitable future for people and planet. The 17 goals provide a framework for balanced global development across economic, social and environmental pillars. Once adopted, the SDGs will inspire public and private action; help to guide global cooperation; promote integrated thinking; and support sustainable progress in all countries.
Mayors and governors from across the United States and around the world will commit to putting their cities and states on a path towards sustainable development by committing to the SDGs, as elected leaders increasingly recognize that climate change, rising inequalities and unsustainable economic growth are immediate threats to their constituencies and economies. More than 35 city leaders will meet Thursday in New York City, on the eve of Pope Francis’ address to the United Nations, and the eve of which opens the General Assembly’s consideration and adoption of global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“This is an historic meeting,” said Special Advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Earth Institute Director Dr. Jeffrey Sachs. “As was agreed at the Vatican in July, this reunion of mayors, governors, and development leaders launches the new ‘Urban Partnership for the Sustainable Development Goals.’ When the 193 member states adopt the SDGs at the UN, they will call for cities and other sub-national governments to take on the challenge of meeting the new goals. The mayors and governors meeting on Thursday are saying loud and clear that they are ready, willing, and able to lead.”
Speakers include:
- Edmund Gerald Brown Jr., Governor of California, USA
- Mpho Franklyn Parks Tau, Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, South Africa
- Marcio Araújo de Lacerda, Mayor of Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Angela Brown Burke, Mayor of Kingston, Jamaica
- Morten Kabell, Mayorof Technical and Environmental Affairs of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Xu Qin, Mayor of Shenzhen, China (TBC)
- Iliza Saaduddin Djamal, Mayor of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
- Mitchell J. Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Khalifa Sall, Mayor of Dakar, Senegal
- Representative of the City of New York, USA
Link for Livestream
Link for Declaration of Cities’ Commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda