Our focus is on tracking the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by paying attention to how these Global Goals are being measured, monitored, and reported. A significant part of that work is following data-related events worldwide to keep you informed of the international community’s progress towards achieving the SDGs.
Here is our list of the top five events to pay attention to in 2024:
- Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (9–10 May 2024)
- AI For Good Global Summit (30–31 May 2024)
- High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (8–17 July 2024)
- UN General Assembly (10–24 September 2024)
Science Summit | International Conference on Sustainable Development | Global Goals Week | Summit of the Future - UN World Data Forum (11–14 November 2024)
Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs
Hosted by: UN ECOSOC
09–10 May 2025 | New York, NY
This two day event will be held in-person, however video of the sessions are expected to be available live and post-event via UN Web TV.
According to organizers:
The ninth annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) will be held from Thursday, 9 May, to Friday, 10 May 2024. As in previous years, the theme of the STI Forum will be closely aligned with that of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), but will have an exclusive focus on the role and contributions of science, technology and innovation to sustainable development.
The theme for the STI Forum 2024 is: “Science, technology and innovation for reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”.
AI For Good Global Summit
Hosted by: UNITU
30–31 May 2024 | Geneva, Switzerland
It is expect this in-person event will be made available for viewing via live streaming and post-event uploads to YouTube.
The AI for Good Global Summit is the leading action-oriented United Nations platform promoting AI to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities. AI for Good is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) — the UN specialized agency for information and communication technology — in partnership with 40 UN sister agencies and co-convened with the government of Switzerland.
High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development
Hosted by: ECOSOC
08–17 July 2024 | New York, NY
The HLPF is the most important event for decision making and reporting related to the SDGs. It includes plenary discussions of significant topics, a focus on specific goals, the presentation of Voluntary National Reviews, and serves as a platform for launching reports and conducting adjacent stakeholder dialogs.
It will be available live on video and after the event via UN Web TV.
According to organizers:
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held from Monday, 8 July, to Wednesday, 17 July 2024, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, 15 July, to Wednesday, 17 July 2024as part of the High-level Segment of the Council. The last day of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC will be on Thursday, 18 July 2024. The theme will be “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”.
The HLPF in 2024, without prejudice to the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, will review in-depth:
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere;
Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture;
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts;
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels; and
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Following states have expressed interest to carry out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the 2024 HLPF:
Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belize, Brazil, Chad, Colombia, Congo (Republic of the), Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Georgia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Honduras, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Palau, Peru, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zimbabwe
UN General Assembly
10–24 September 2024 | New York, NY
The pinnacle of global cooperation gatherings is undoubtedly the UN General Assembly. While not exclusively a data related event, its importance in the annual cycle of evaluating progress on the Global Goals cannot be overstated.
UNGA also serves as the foundation for numerous more specialized events directly focused on our interests:
Science Summit
10–27 September 2024 | New York, NY
The role and contribution of science in attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be the central theme of the Science Summit. The objective is to enable science collaborations to demonstrate how science supports the attainment of the UN SDGs and Agenda 2030.
The Summit will examine what enabling policy, regulatory and financial environments are needed to implement and sustain the science mechanisms required to support genuinely global scientific collaborations across continents, nations and themes. Scientific discovery through the analysis of massive data sets is at hand. This data-enabled approach to science, research and development will be necessary if the SDGs are to be achieved.
SSUNGA79 will bring together thought leaders, scientists, technologists, innovators, policymakers, decision-makers, regulators, financiers, philanthropists, journalists and editors, and community leaders to increase collaborations across a broad spectrum of themes including ICT, health, nutrition, agriculture, astronomy, the environment, climate, geodesy and space, amongst others.
International Conference on Sustainable Development
Host by: European Center of Sustainable Development
11–12 September 2024 | Rome, Italy
The International Conference on Sustainable Development is organized by the European Center of Sustainable Development in collaboration with CIT University. The 12th ICSD 2024 is inspired from the critical challenge of human, environmental, and economic sustainability concerning the present and future generations in a global-scale context.
Global Goals Week
September 2024 | New York, NY
Global Goals Week is an opportunity for the global community to come together as one and commit to achieving the SDGs by 2030. It is a multi-sectoral effort with more than 150 partners from civil society, business, academia and the UN system. During the week, individuals and organizations can join the conversation in order to share ideas and solutions to build back better from global challenges. It is a shared commitment to accelerate action on the SDGs and make sure that no one is left behind.
UN Summit of the Future
22–23 September 2004 | New York, NY
The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future. This once-in-a-generation opportunity serves as a moment to mend eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively tackle current challenges as well as those that have emerged in recent years or may yet be over the horizon. We already have the “what” in the form of many existing agreements and commitments, starting with the UN Charter and including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and many others. The Summit of the Future will look at the “how” — how do we cooperate better to deliver on the above aspiration and goals? How do we better meet the needs of the present while also preparing for the challenges of the future?
UN World Data Forum
11–14 November 2024 | Medellin, Columbia
The World Data Forum is the perennial event for those interested in how the SDGs are being tracked, monitored and reported. It has historically been available virtually as well as in person.
The aim of the UN World Data Forum is to spur data innovation, nurture partnerships, mobilize high-level political and financial support for data, and build a pathway to better data for sustainable development. The stakeholder community represents a diverse range of governments, civil society, the private sector, donor and philanthropic bodies, international and regional agencies, the geospatial community, the media, academia, and professional bodies.
Written by SDGCounting
