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SDSN September NY Events

By Kathy Zhang

SDSN and our partners are hosting a series of exciting events in New York, in and around the UN General Assembly (UNGA 70) and the Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. For more information on any of these events and to express your interest in participating please write to the SDSN Secretariat focal point, listed below. Please direct all media inquiries to Kathy Zhang.

Public Events

Invite-only Events

Public Events

The following the events are free and open to the public. RSVP is required for attendance.

Shared Values for Sustainable Development
Hosted by Religions for Peace in partnership with SDSN
September 17, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Church Center for the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
No advanced RSVP required.
Inquiries: George Geng

The purpose of this symposium is to affirm the coherence between the values underpinning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the values of the world’s major religions. Taking place a week before the adoption of the SDGs by world leaders, it will bring together major representatives of the world’s religions alongside diplomats
and development experts to explore the moral case for sustainable development. Religious leaders will endorse a common declaration in support of the SDGs.

Youth for SDGs
September 22, 7:00pm-8:00pm
Lerner Cinema, Columbia University, 2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Register here

SDSN Youth will highlight the activities from its global #KnowYourGoals campaign, which empowers youth to be active participants in the localization and implementation of the SDGs. Additionally, this event will convene youth leaders and organizations to identify opportunities for collaboration in a shared platform for youth engagement in SDGs after their adoption. This event will conclude with a film screening that provides an introduction to the SDGs. Keynotes speakers include Ahmad Alhendawi, United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth; Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the SDSN and the Earth Institute; Noëlla Richard, Youth Policy Specialist at UN Development Programme (UNDP); and Siamak Sam Loni, Global Coordinator of SDSN Youth. The event is free and open to public; RSVP is required for non-Columbia University ID holders.
Contact: Kathy Zhang

Third International Conference on Sustainable Development
Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Getting Started
Co-hosted by SDSN and the Global Association of Master’s in Development Practice (MDP)
September 23-24
Lerner Hall, Columbia University, 2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Register here

The conference will focus on solutions for implementing and monitoring progress towards achieving the SDGs. The first day of the conference will feature speakers from businesses, NGOs, and the UN and will look at implementation and monitoring of the SDGs from a global perspective. On the second day, accepted papers about solutions implementation at the national and sub-national level will be presented. The overall conference will present a clear picture of how policy decisions will spur progress and data systems will track achievements.
Contact: info@unsdsn.org

Data, Monitoring, and Accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals
A High Level Plenary at the International Conference on Sustainable Development
September 23, 2:00pm-2:45pm

This high-level plenary session will bring together speakers from Bertelsmann and SDSN to present findings of a Bertelsmann-SDSN study on how the SDGs can be monitored in OECD countries. The event will also feature speakers from the OECD, the UK, Germany, and Mexico. The first part of the discussion will focus on the indicators assessment, the current monitoring systems in OECD countries, and the required investments in these systems for the SDGs. The second part will turn to the political review processes in OECD countries and at the global level.
Contact: Eve de la Mothe Karoubi

ICT for Development
Hosted by the Earth Institute and Ericsson in collaboration with SDSN
September 23, 3:00pm-5:00pm

The Earth Institute at Columbia University, working with the SDSN and in collaboration with Ericsson, will launch a report in September that will explore the role of broadband and ICT in achieving the SDGs. The study will examine the technical and socio-economic impacts of ICT and broadband on sustainable development, and map out pathways for accelerating ICT’s impact. This event will feature a plenary discussion about the report and the role of ICT in achieving the SDGs.
Contact: Aditi Shah

Music for a Sustainable Planet
September 23, 7:30pm-9:00pm
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
Purchase tickets

The International Conference on Sustainable Development presents “Music for a Sustainable Planet” featuring The Kronos Quartet and ÆON Music Ensemble performing works in response to Climate Change. At this pivotal time in history as World Leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the adoption and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, this concert offers a musical interpretation of what is at stake and what is possible. Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute will offer opening remarks that contextualize the larger issues being faced by all of us as we work for a more sustainable future. The program will include a World Premiere of “Rise” by Vladislav Boguinia, a piece inspired by data revealing the desperate state of our oceans. The Kronos Quartet and the ÆON Music Ensemble will premier this amazing multi-media work as well as presenting pieces by Omar Souleyman, Hamza El Din, and Terry Riley.

Cities Committing to the SDGs: A High-Level Mayors Event
September 24, 7:00pm-9:00pm
The New School; The Tishman Auditorium, University Centre at 63 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Register here (300 tickets available to the general public)

Mayors from major cities around the world will showcase their commitment to sustainable development. Mayors will be invited to sign and present a declaration, marking their intent to implement the SDG agenda within their cities. The event will be followed by a press briefing and a cocktail reception.
Contact: Jessica Espey

Invite-only Events

7th Annual SDSN Leadership Council Meeting
September 24

This biannual meeting convenes SDSN’s Leadership Council to explore SDSN’s strategy and governance structure for SDSN to support support successful outcome at climate conference in Paris (COP21) and the implementation of the SDGs.
Contact: Elena Crete

Integrating Humanitarian Work into the SDG Agenda
September 26, 2:30pm-4pm

During the June Leadership Council meeting in Paris Jan Egeland and Mike Penrose underscored the importance of integrating humanitarian issues into the SDG agenda. We will now convene a small group of people, including Jan and Mike, to explore specific opportunities for the SDSN to support and promote this integration. Inter alia we will explore the role an SDSN Thematic Group could play. Participation in this event is open to Leadership Council members and invited outside experts only. Please contact Eve if you would like to participate. An agenda and logistics information will be circulated to participants ahead of the meeting.
Contact: Eve de la Mothe Karoubi

The SDGs and Mining: Challenges and Opportunities
September 27, 9:00am-11:00am

Together with the World Economic Forum, UNDP, and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, SDSN is preparing an atlas of how the SDGs will affect corporations in the mining sector. The organizers are also charting out opportunities for the mining sector to contribute to the SDGs. A draft for public consultation of the Atlas will be launched at this event.
Contact: Lauren Barredo

Launch of the New Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
September 28, 3:00pm-6:00pm

This high-level event will launch a new Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, mobilizing governments, companies, civil society, and academic institutions to support the data revolution for the SDGs. The event will feature a heads-of-state panel to announce the partnership, make specific commitments, and respond to queries from the media and participants.

UrbanSDG Campaign High-Level Plenary and Workshop
September 28, 9:00am-1:00pm

This high-level event will convene the members of the SDSN-inspired UrbanSDG Campaign, which was so successful in mobilizing the urban community around a goal for cities and human settlements. Participants will explore how the SDG on Cities and Human Settlements can be implemented and how a “New Urban Agenda” can be crafted at Habitat III in 2016. Leadership Council members who are interested in urban development are invited to join the meeting even if they have not been active members of the Urban SDG Campaign.