New York City was in a frenzy with government officials, road closures, high-level forums, and roundtable discussions for the 78th annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week (September 17-24, 2023). Diplomats, business leaders, philanthropists, and activists gathered to discuss how to combat our world’s most pressing challenges, such as inequality and climate change.
2023 marks the halfway point for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—17 targets to improve livelihoods and reach prosperity for people and the planet by 2030. From eradicating poverty and food insecurity to tackling climate change, gender equality, and education, the SDGs are a guide for the government, civic sector, and private sector to work together and achieve inclusive growth. Since the goals were initially proposed in 2015, only 15% of them have been met, leaving a lot of work to be done in the next 7 years. The fact of being “down at halftime” was a key message throughout the week, calling on actors and leaders from across sectors and industries to help turn progress around.
As an entry-level UNGA and Climate Week attendee, I’m reporting back to the Economy Zero community with what I learned, from high-level barriers to achieving the SDGs to specific priorities for climate progress and the energy transition. Whether convening at the Mastercard NYC Tech Hub, attending panels at the UN SDG Pavilion, or picking up dinner with colleagues, there was a sweeping sense of urgency across the city to take action.
In no particular order, my key takeaways from the week are below:
Calls for specificity were requested for leaders to make clear how they are working to achieve progress toward the SDGs. From vague climate commitments to ambiguous amendments to the social contract, we will not eradicate poverty, stay below 1.5 degrees C, or achieve equality unless we get very specific. But, for all the demands for specificity that were made, there were several panels where I waited to hear anyone say anything specific…
Lack of resources, political will, and good data were discussed in relation to nearly every target, from climate and inequality to health and education. Mobilization and access to finance that can be delivered rapidly is especially crucial to make progress on climate commitments. To attract private capital toward development and climate projects, we need well-structured financial mechanisms to minimize risks for investors and ensure they make good returns.
Lack of continuity in the approaches to tackle the SDGs has led to wasted money, wasted efforts, and ultimately failure in achieving long-term, sustained progress. Global coordination of development interventions across sectors is critical to ensure action is additive and cumulative, rather than duplicative. However, I think one of the biggest benefits from these types of global gatherings is that bringing together passionate and dedicated leaders from across sectors created possibilities for new partnerships to be formed.
Harnessing the power of AI to advance social impact and climate change was a hot topic throughout the week, integrated into every conversation as the next frontier for progress. However, questions around equity remain—in terms of inputs, desired outcomes, and use cases.
Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Kate Brandt, presented one advanced use case of AI and machine learning for early-warning systems: Google Flood Hub. Google Flood Hub is applying AI for enhanced extreme weather prediction and alerts to governments and residents to show where flooding will occur 7 days in advance (and has expanded to 80 countries providing forecasting to 460 million people).
Attaining SDG progress in Africa will unlock development progress for the world. Africa has the youngest and fastest growing population in the world, one of the largest growing markets, and is home to an abundance of resources for green growth, making the continent an opportunity to set the pace for green industrialization. But, we can’t achieve the SDGs without doing so in Africa, where US$1.3 trillion is needed annually to meet the 2030 agenda.
The role of the private sector in achieving the SDGs is growing, with more and more private sector representatives leading conversations about how business can engage with development and climate issues. Public trust in the private sector has been on the rise since the pandemic, and the response and ownership of global challenges by private actors at UNGA and Climate Week showed promise of greater commitments to come.
According to Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, the two biggest challenges to decarbonizing the global economy are 1) The lack of financing for clean energy development in emerging markets, and 2) Disjointed international cooperation and the geopolitics of energy. He emphasized that one of the biggest lessons the IEA learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine is that long-term energy security will be achieved through clean energy, not fossil fuels. Among others throughout the week, he underscored that any commitments to renewables are insignificant if we are unable to phase out coal power globally—without this, we will never reach our 1.5 degree C goal.
One thing I appreciated about Director Birol’s comments was that he did get specific.
Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate shared similar sentiments, echoing Director Birol in saying that until the root cause of the climate crisis–fossil fuels–is addressed, any action we take will not make worthwhile progress. She also reminded us that to achieve a just transition, we must not forget communities transitioning from energy poverty to energy security.
One quote has been top-of-mind since I left New York City last week, spoken by Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, Executive Vice President of the African Center for Economic Transformation. It’s a Ghanaian phrase that says “two people in a burning house do not stop to argue.” Our collective house, the planet, is burning, and there are still billions of people without access to an escape route. What’s worse, the longer it takes for us to achieve the SDGs, the more of us become climate-vulnerable, food insecure, and at risk of disease or dehydration.
Up next are the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Marrakesh, followed by COP 28 in Dubai, where we can only hope leaders get more specific, unlock new funding sources, and create lasting partnerships to scale solutions that work, because the clock is ticking.
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