NGO Global Summit for UN SDGs

It was presented with the endorsement of the Permanent Missions of Ghana to the United Nations. Bruce Knotts, Chair of the NGO DPI Executive Committee led the three-day proceedings as Conference Chair, held in Con- ference Room #1 on the UN campus in New York City. Patrick Sciarratta developed the program with the sole support of the World Development Foundation, Dr. William Guo and Cristina Fan, directors.

• The aim of this event was to continue discussions on NGO responsibilities for SDG implementa- tion, reporting, and verification as a full partner in the UNs 2030 global challenge for development. What actual programming and partnerships will fulfill the challenges presented by the UN SDGs, the outcome documents, and other discussions concluded at the recent UN DPI Conference last May in the Republic of Korea? What other Public Private partnerships were possible that would help ensure SDG success?

• This three-day event enabled NGOs, the media, and others who were not able to attend the suc- cessful gathering in Korea, as well as prepare all those in civil society to answer the challenges and opportunities posed by the SDGs and provide input on future steps. The gathering reflected other efforts to move public and private partnerships, alongside UN efforts, to ensure maximum success for the SDGs over the coming 15 years.

• Historically, civil society may have had less of a role in planning the global development agenda. This summit empowered civil society to collaborate in a way that may in some ways shape the SDGs for years to come. The UNs 2030 Challenge has determined that an urgent call must reach from Member States, the UN global staff, to civil society, all working together on the roadmaps for SDG success.

The Sessions was opened by Conference Chair Bruce Knotts, with additional welcomes from the President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mogens Lykketoft, followed by official UN welcomes from H.E. Ambassador Oh Joon, Permanent Mission of Republic of Korea to the United Nations, offering the Host Nation Welcome from the 66th Annual UN DPI Conference last Spring,

A highpoint of the Opening featured artist Jakob Trollback, the creator of the SDG visual element, who reminded us that communicating the goals in all ways was essential to people understanding and accepting them as their own. Other welcomes were provided by representatives of the mayor of New York City, Helen Clark of UNDP, as well as Jeffrey Brez and Bruce Knotts, representing UN DPI and NGO DPI, who helped lead the initial conference on the topic in the Republic of Korea at the 66th Annual DPI Conference on May 31, June 1 and 2, 2016. Part of the mission of this event was to spur on public private partnerships in the civil society sector, in order to help promote SDG success across all sectors. The events began with a recap of recent past efforts, from the Korea DPI conference to the present. Titled: Coming from, Going to: Starting at the Outcome, Where Next? was moderated by a former DPI Conference Chair, Jeffery Huffines and featured the reflections of Ms. Diana Bas (Executive Director, UNDP), and Scott Carlin, DPI Conference Co-Chair, Korea. From there the conference captured some of the highlight panels from the DPI Conference:

The Right to Accessible, Safe and Inclusive Learning Spaces, moderated by Bruce Knotts, Conference Chair, with Panelists: Leslee Udwin, Founder and CEO, Think Equal, Joseph S. Akoro, Founder and CEO, RenfoCap Centre, Rurik Nackerud, Elisabeth Morrow School, Little School Technology Integration, and Carol Bangura, Doctor of Public Health Candidate, Senior Development Officer, NGO Representative to the United Nations.

STEAM for Global Citizenship to Power the SDGs, moderated by Dr. Eunhee Jung, Executive Director, IVECA International Virtual Schooling, with Panelists: H.E. Ambassador Riadh Ben Sliman, Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the UN, H.E. Ambassador Choonghee Hahn, Permanent Mission of Republic of Korea to the UN, Babette Allina, Executive Director, Government Relations and External Affairs, RISD, Dr. Robert Swap, Research Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia Extraordinary Professor, Environmental Sciences and Management, the Potchefstroom Campus of the North West University, South Africa, and Ann Woo, Senior Director, Corporate Citizenship, Samsung Electronics in NA.
Several other important roundtable discussions ensued. These were based more generally on the topic of public private partnerships for the success of the SDGS:

Global Citizens as Stewards of the Planet: Partnerships for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, moderated by Mr. Amir Dossal, Founder and Chairman, Global Partnership Forum, with Panelists: Bryan Maygers, Executive Blog Editor, Huffington Post, Dan Connors, Aris Wind and Solar, and Gopal Patel, Director, The Bhumi Project.

Small Island Development and the SDGs – An Ongoing Member State Discussion with Civil Society, Moderated by, Dr. Radhika Iyengar, Center for Sustainable Development, Earth Institute, Columbia University, with Panelists: H.E. Ambassador Caleb Otto, Permanent Mission of Palau to the UN, and H.E. Ambassador Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Mission of Maldives to the UN.