24-25 September 2019 | NEW YORK – UCLG ASPAC President, Mayor Tri Rismaharini of Surabaya, joined global discussions on the UN 2030 Development Agenda at the High-Level Political Forum 2019 – SDGs Summit, organised under the auspices of the UN General Assembly. This is the first gathering of global leaders since UN Member States adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals on 25 September 2015 and decided to achieve them in 2030. The Summit is held every fourth year, in addition to the annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which was organised in July 2019. Both are crucial platforms for UN Member States to review the state of SDGs implementation, progress and challenges that require urgent actions.
The HLPF – SDGs Summit was organised back-to-back with Climate Summit 2019. Particular focus was on ensuring accelerated SDGs efforts in the next 10-year period, eyeing for “a decisive decade of action and delivery” (sustainabledevelopment.un.org) so that #NoOneLeftBehind. Discussion covered emerging issues in urban areas that may impact the achievement of SDGs as well as measures to remedy and accelerate the progress. The meeting also discussed measures to leverage progress across SDGs.
Enriching discussion on Localising SDGs session, UCLG ASPAC President, Mayor Tri Rismaharini of Surabaya, showcased Surabaya’s concrete initiatives to achieve the #2030Agenda which include ensuring adequate education for local people in highly populated areas, provision of adequate housing, and disaster risk reduction policies. Mayor Tri Rismaharini also attended the 2nd Local and Regional Governments Forum jointly organised by UN-Habitat, UN-DESA, Global Taskforce and LOCAL2030. She noted during the meeting that “Surabaya is working tirelessly to improve our transparency, accountability and innovation. We want our communities to be involved in the policies that will transform their lives. On that note, I am glad to share that Surabaya is the only place in the world where our citizens can pay for bus rides by presenting plastic bottles to the driver. We want to be plastic-free by 2030!”
Throughout the event, high-level participants reflected on the current status in their SDGs implementation and also their efforts to revitalise global partnership. With growing pressure to meet the 2030 deadline, participants raised their concerns on various challenges, while reiterating their commitments to the ambitious goals.
UCLG ASPAC has been assisting cities and local governments in Asia and the Pacific Region to implement SDGs at local level (localising SDGs) through various programmes and activities in various areas including Sanitation, Climate and Energy, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. LOCALISE SDGs and LEAD for SDGs funded by the EU are the two flagship programmes aimed at accelerating the achievement of SDGs in Indonesia and Pakistan, respectively.
(photo: Twitter @GlobalTaskforce)
