9 November 2022 - “This pavilion is a hub of hope,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as he joined the SDG Pavilion at COP27 for its official inauguration on 8 November 2022. “It is a meeting ground for leaders to gather, to share ideas, to discuss solutions, and to heal a world in crisis,” Mr. Guterres added.
Running until 18 November at the UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the SDG Pavilion will feature more than 100 events, tackling several different climate issues related to energy, gender equality, forests, the ocean and more.
UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua took the stage together with Mr. Guterres and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell to welcome the many visitors who had gathered in the Pavilion for the opening and to underscore the need for more coordinated action related to sustainable development and climate action.
“The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement together provide a clear vision for tackling today’s most pressing challenges,” Mr. Li said, noting that the world, despite efforts, still has a long way to go to fulfil the goals of these two agendas. “We must get the SDGs on track and keep the goal of 1.5 degrees alive,” he stressed.
Mr. Guterres made a similar observation, saying that we are getting further and further away from our roadmap for a better, healthier, greener and more peaceful world, as envisioned in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But at the same time, he said encouragingly, “it is not too late to rescue the SDGs”.
“But we need massive investment in women and girls, decent work, health, education, renewable energy and social protection systems”, Mr. Guterres said, noting also the need for reforming the global financial system.
Mr. Guterres also emphasized that it is in “our power to turn things around”.
“If we act as one, if we look beyond our national borders to the plight of others, if we take inspiration from the Sustainable Development Goals, to take action, to realize them. And if we recommit to the solidarity our world needs, within this pavilion, throughout the deliberations of the COP27, as we move forward together, as a world united in solidarity,” he concluded.
Watch the inauguration event here:
Access the complete programme: www.un.org/en/COP27/SDGPavilion