Learning and capacity building as inclusive enablers for the 2030 Agenda

UNSSC AND SDSN ASSOCIATION WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE SDGS LEARNING, TRAINING AND PRACTICE SESSIONS at the HLPF 2016

On July 12, the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), together with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Association, will deliver a session on Learning and capacity building as inclusive enablers for then 2030 Agenda.

If people are to do things differently, they need to know what really sits behind the Agenda, why it is important and what changes are required compared to the way development was approached in the past. Learning and capacity building are key for people and institutions to internalise the substance of the new agenda and engage with new ways of delivering it jointly.

The joint session will explore core learning necessary for different groups to engage with the agenda, ways to delivering learning, looking at traditional and nontraditional approaches, as well as formal and non formal methods and new partnerships and thirdly ways to rendering learning and capacity building inclusive to leave no one behind.

The session will introduce the SDSN Stakeholder Guide on getting started with the SDGs. It will also receive inputs from theVolunteer Groups Alliance, a network made up of organisations involved in volunteering in local, national and international contexts, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Under the aegis of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the series of SDG Learning, Training and Practice sessions will take place from 11 to 15 July 2016, on the margin of the United Nations High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF). The High Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development is the United Nations central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The HLPF in 2016 is the first since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The session will include voluntary reviews of 22 countries and thematic reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, including cross-cutting issues, supported by reviews by the ECOSOC functional commissions and other inter-governmental bodies and forums. In addition to the SDG Learning sessions, it will also include a range of side events and a Partnership Exchange event.

The joint delivery of this training session represents one of the many learning activities the UNSSC and SDSN Association are committed to carry out through the partnership between the two institutions. Both the UNSSC and the SDSN Association understand that learning and training opportunities are key components for advancing the new agenda. Continuous learning will ensure that all stakeholders are always prepared to work together and jointly achieve sustainable development by 2030.

In view of this, this session will address, among others, the following concerns: what is the core learning stakeholders need to acquire to understand the 2030 Agenda and be fit to address implementation and partnership challenges? How can this learning be imparted and who are the key actors to ensure transmission to the wider population through formal and informal approaches? Which strategies can we use to successfully engage all populations in SDG implementation and to leave no one behind?

The Session takes place on July 12, 2016 from 10am – 1pm at the United Nations headquarters, Conference Room E, in New York City.

Speakers will include

• Ms Megan Cassidy, Director Operations, SDSN Association
• Ms Simona Costanzo-Sow, UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development
• Mr Ugo Caruso, UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development
• Mr. Helge Espe (Senior Advisor FK Norway, Member of the Norwegian Delegation to the HLPF and representative of the Volunteer Groups Alliance

The event will be open to registered HLPF participants, policymakers, representatives from the Un system, as well as representatives from major groups and other stakeholders with access to the UN complex. If this training is of your interest, please register here. For more information, please contact us at sustainable-development@unssc.org .