The Lead Facilitator for the Women Leading Group, with support from UN Women, acknowledges that the current international financial architecture established after World War II is no longer suitable for addressing modern challenges. The existing organizational and operating models contribute to structural inequalities, jeopardize social, economic, and environmental rights, fragment international financial and economic relations, and hinder the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conditionality and austerity policies imposed by international financial institutions further limit fiscal space and exacerbate wealth concentration at the top.
To address these issues, a diverse and cross-cutting group of thought leaders and practitioners, including feminist and women’s rights organizations, LGBTI+ organizations, UN agencies, Member States, and other relevant stakeholders, will come together. The objective of the event is to examine the gendered impact of a country’s financial structure and discuss possible reforms that can be implemented. This plan, supported by civil society, member states, the World Bank Evolution Roadmap, and the Secretary-General, aims to accelerate progress towards the SDGs and promote gender equality and the rights of women and girls. The plan can be designed and expanded to ensure faster achievement of these goals.
In order to maximize the impact of the SDG Summit, the Secretary-General will organize an SDG Action Weekend. This weekend will provide an opportunity for stakeholders, UN agencies, and Member States to gather at the UN Headquarters and make concrete commitments and contributions to advance the SDGs. The SDG Action Weekend will consist of SDG Mobilization Day on September 16th and SDG Acceleration Day on September 17th, both to be held at the UNHQ in New York.
SDG Mobilization Day aims to bring stakeholders from all sectors together inside UN Headquarters to rally for the ambitious SDG Summit and UN General Assembly High-Level Week. On the other hand, SDG Acceleration Day will focus on the United Nations’ High Impact Initiative. The SDG Summit itself, scheduled for September 18-19, will mark the halfway point towards achieving the SDGs. It is essential to change course and generate the breakthrough and momentum required to accomplish the SDGs by 2030. To achieve this, the Secretary-General will organize the SDG Action Weekend, where stakeholders, UN agencies, and Member States will collaborate to establish concrete commitments and contributions that will drive SDG transformation until 2030.