Photo: UNDP Asia Pacific
Global Policy Dialogue Series
About the Global Policy Dialogue Series
To support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other initiatives of the Department and the wider UN system, UN DESA launched a Global Policy Dialogue Series in July 2020 aimed at highlighting solutions for accelerating SDG implementation. The series is made possible through the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund.
The sessions are dynamic, with UN DESA using its convening power to bring together global thought leaders and its own socioeconomic experts to consider today’s major issues. The conversations, typically 90 minutes long, are led by a professional moderator to ensure that the discussions are sharp and to the point. UN DESA partners with other UN entities and top socioeconomic forums, and broadcasts everything live on Zoom and/or the Department’s social media pages to expand its reach to audiences that may not typically follow UN proceedings. The events are held in English with translation in American Sign Language where possible and multilingual captioning available. The results of these discussions are shared with UN leadership and will inform future work on the economic and social effects of the pandemic.
Then-Under-Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin and members of the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs participate in the launch of the Global Policy Dialogue Series in July 2020.Latest event
Accelerating Innovation and Data Management for Sustainable Forests
Thursday, 28 March 2024, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT (New York time)
Forests and Sustainable Development Goal 15, Life on Land, will be in the spotlight in March as International Day of Forests is commemorated on 21 March. This year, the United Nations is celebrating the theme, “Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World,” and UN DESA will organize a Global Policy Dialogue highlighting some of these solutions, as well as better ways to improve monitoring and data-gathering related to forests.
Our event is free and open to all. It will be held in English with captions available in other languages on Zoom. The event is made possible by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund.
Previous events
Advancing partnerships in support of the new Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States
UN DESA held on 23 February 2024 a conversation on how multi-stakeholder partnerships can drive implementation of sustainable development in small island developing states (SIDS). This event also served as the final segment of the SIDS Partnership Symposium, an associate event to the 2024 Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD), held at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The event aimed to gather insights and perspectives from SIDS stakeholders on how the SIDS Partnership Framework can be improved in its upcoming phase to bolster implementation of SIDS priorities through partnerships in SIDS.
Future-forward Development Planning in Asia and the Pacific
UN DESA and UN ESCAP held a hybrid stock-take on 20 February 2024 and discussed the current economic outlook for Asia and the Pacific, using data from the “World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024” (WESP) report launched in January. In-person experts from both organizations and other stakeholders from the region considered the challenges that the current outlook presents to the delivery of the SDGs, in particular related to SDG 1, No Poverty, and offer suggestions for sound policies to ensure the well-being of people in Asia and the Pacific.
Science-based Policies for Climate and SDG Synergies
Evidence-based policies would help both the implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, said authors of the “Global Sustainable Development Report 2023” (GSDR) at a UN DESA Global Policy Dialogue on “Science-based Policies for Climate and SDG Synergies,” held in the SDG Pavilion at COP28 in Dubai, in December 2023. The dialogue highlighted suggestions for improving the science-policy-society interface. taking ideas from both the GSDR and the recent “United in Science 2023,” a multi-agency UN report spearheaded by the World Meteorological Organization that highlights the crucial, yet often under-recognized and under-utilized, role weather-, climate- and water-related sciences play in achieving the SDGs.
How Close Are We to Gender Equality? A Snapshot Across the SDGs
The “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2023” published by UN DESA and UN Women in 2023 provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of gender equality across all 17 SDGs. It highlights prevailing trends, gaps, and recent setbacks on the journey towards achieving gender equality by 2030. However, the report paints a worrisome picture. Halfway to 2030, progress on SDG 5 – Gender Equality – is clearly way off track, with only two Goal 5 indicators being “close to target” and no SDG 5 indicator at the “target met or almost met” level. UN DESA hosted a Global Policy Dialogue to present the information in the “Gender Snapshot” in an interactive format for a wide audience.
Engaging Youth on the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023: A UN DESA Classroom Policy Dialogue
Just after Member States agreed to accelerate action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals at the SDG Summit in September, UN DESA and UN Academic Impact brought the key input to the summit—the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 (GSDR) – to a virtual classroom for a conversation on how all stakeholders can turn promises into results. This Classroom Global Policy Dialogue featured one of the authors of the report presenting the report, in-depth, to a target audience of students and other members of the academic community interested in sustainable development, policymaking, social science, economics and other related fields.
Time for Transformation: a UN DESA Global Policy Dialogue with the authors of the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023
To support the global push for increased SDG ambition, UN DESA organized a special edition Global Policy Dialogue on “Time for Transformation,” featuring several members of the Independent Group of Scientists who prepared the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023. They discussed the key messages from the report, including how the power of science can help us understand and navigate relationships among social, environmental and economic development objectives.
Innovations for Sustainable Cities and Communities: Exploring SDGs 9 and 11
In Session 2 of UN DESA’s Global Policy Dialogues to Turbocharge the SDGs, speakers looked at solutions and best practices for synergizing our efforts towards SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities, which will be reviewed in-depth at July's High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
Accelerating Clean Water and Energy for All: Exploring SDGs 6 and 7
In Session 1 of UN DESA’s Global Policy Dialogues to Turbocharge the SDGs, speakers looked at solutions and best practices for synergizing our efforts towards SDG 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 7 on Affordable and Clean Energy, which will be reviewed in-depth at July's High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
Financing a Sustainable and Inclusive Transition in Latin America and the Caribbean
Watch our conversation from Santiago, Chile, on the sidelines of the 2023 Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development at UN ECLAC. Our event highlighted several key messages of UN DESA's "Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2023,” and addressed the specific regional challenges and opportunities in reducing debt and scaling up investment and development cooperation.
Indigenous and Youth Solutions for Clean Water
As part of the UN system’s commitment to SDG 6, and as a lead-in to the UN 2023 Water Conference, UN DESA in March 2023 organized a Global Policy Dialogue on “Youth and Indigenous Solutions for Water,” highlighting several key messages of the Conference, including how water is a cross-cutting issue supporting the entire 2030 Agenda. By raising the voices of youth and Indigenous Peoples, this event aims to highlight the intersectionality of the issues these vulnerable groups face and showcase their innovative solutions to the water crisis.
Leaving No One Behind in an Ageing World: A UN DESA Global Policy Dialogue
On 31 January, UN DESA organized a Global Policy Dialogue on "Leaving No One Behind in an Ageing World," highlighting several key messages of the World Social Report 2023, including the challenges population ageing brings to achieving the SDGs and policy advice for leveraging the opportunities ageing societies offer.
Building a Sustainable World for 8 Billion People: A UN DESA Fireside Chat
On Tuesday, 15 November, as the world population surpassed 8 billion people, UN DESA held a Global Policy Dialogue Fireside Chat at the SDG Pavilion at COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt. Speakers from UNFCCC, UNFPA, and Izabella Teixeira, a member of the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs, marked the milestone with a discussion on how to build a sustainable world for this growing population.
Preparing for 8 Billion People: A UN DESA Global Policy Dialogue
Ahead of the Day of 8 Billion People, UN DESA held an intergenerational dialogue on 20 October with members of the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs, UN staff, leaders representing older persons and young people to consider ways to best accommodate this population growth.
Protecting Biodiversity in Times of Crisis: Exploring SDGs 14 and 15
Ahead of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) happening 5-15 July, UN DESA hosted a discussion on two of the SDGs to be reviewed in-depth at the Forum. Experts at this session on SDG 14, Life Below Water, and SDG 15, Life on Land, discussed ways to strengthen the interlinkages between these Goals and ideas for building and scaling up partnerships to reach our targets.
Promoting Gender Equality Through Education: Exploring SDGs 4 and 5
Ahead of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) happening 5-15 July, UN DESA hosted a discussion on two of the SDGs to be reviewed in-depth at the Forum. Experts at Tuesday's session on SDG 4, Quality Education, and SDG 5, Gender Equality, will discuss ways to strengthen the interlinkages between these Goals and ideas for building and scaling up partnerships to reach our targets.
Big Questions for the Global Economic Recovery
In May 2022, UN DESA brought together members of the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs (HLAB) with young leaders for an intergenerational dialogue on how to get the economy back on track, while reducing inequalities and protecting the planet. The event served as the launch of a new HLAB compendium on the economic recovery, helping to promote the volume Six Big Questions for the Global Economic Recovery, which aims to make the in-depth knowledge and insights of the Board Members available to a wide spectrum of readers in support of whole-of-society solutions to challenges of our time.
The Future of Sustainable Development Financing
UN DESA hosted a discussion in April 2022 on how to overcome the great finance divide that currently exacerbates the divergence in development prospects and threatens to undermine achievement of the SDGs. Experts from around the world explored how to create reliable access to affordable financing as well as how to improve the international system for resolving situations of unsustainable sovereign debt The event helped promote the new 2022 Financing for Sustainable Development Report prepared by the Financing for Sustainable Development Office of UN DESA.
The Future of Population Growth
In this event, experts from around the world joined UN DESA to examine the links between global population and the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The event also launched a new report, "Global Population Growth and Sustainable Development, prepared by the Population Division of UN DESA.
The Future of Money
UN DESA hosted a discussion in January 2022 on monetary policy, including on how Central Banks will approach recovery from the pandemic and how innovations in digital currencies can help more people achieve financial security. Speakers also considered how countries, local governments, civil society and other stakeholders are approaching sustainable investing and SDG financing in the new year and looked ahead to the next Financing for Sustainable Development Report. Speakers drew from UN DESA’s flagship World Economic Situation and Prospects 2022 report, as well.
The Future of Trust in Government
As the world continues to deal with the dual challenges of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, this session considered how governments can develop better relationships with people, build the trust necessary to tackle present challenges and act now to reduce future disaster risks. Speakers drew from UN DESA’s work towards strengthening public institutions, as well as the wider work of the UN towards rebuilding better and combatting misinformation.
The Future of Our Planet
This session, the third in a six-part series from UN DESA looking at “The Future of the World,” highlighted how environmental preparedness, including mitigation and adaptation measures, can enable us to reach a carbon-neutral world by 2050 and reduce future disaster risks. Speakers also considered how climate action now also will help us reach the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Paris Agreement. The occurred soon after the close of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, and speakers drew from the outcome of that event. This dialogue was co-organized by UNDP.
The Future of Community
This session, the second in a six-part series from UN DESA looking at “The Future of the World,” aimed to consider the rural-urban nexus and how we build communities prepared for the economic, social and environmental challenges that lie ahead. This event, co-organized by UNDP, included a live Q&A panel of experts to take on your questions about building resilient rural and urban communities. We also shared highlights from a related session at the Boao Forum for Asia in October 2021.
The Future of Work
As the world continues to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts considered the ramifications of the changing nature of work and lifelong learning—and what we need to do now in order to be better prepared for the future of work. In this event organized by UN DESA and UNDP as part of the new Future of the World Series, speakers debated crucial issues such as economic insecurity, the gig economy, informal work, fair wages, the role of artificial intelligence and policies to support workers.
Financing Global Climate Action and Promoting Digital Solutions
This session brought together leading voices in the fields of climate finance and digital governance. Finance experts, policymakers, and climate and sustainable development practitioners discussed the best approaches for ensuring that climate financing measures are included in rebuilding efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that such efforts are inclusive and help the most vulnerable. Additionally, attention was paid to emerging digital solutions, including ideas related to the Internet of Things, for climate adaptation and mitigation, and ways to scale them up.
Strengthening Sustainable Forest and Ocean Management to Mitigate Climate Change
This session, the third in a four-part series on “Building a Global Coalition for Sustainability after COVID-19,” focused on forests and the ocean and their roles in mitigating climate change. Leading voices in the fields of forest and ocean ecosystem restoration and management discussed practical solutions and ways to reform these systems to improve people's lives and protect these resources.
Imagining the Carbon-neutral Future: Transformations in Energy and Transport
This session, the second in a four-part series on “Building a Global Coalition for Sustainability after COVID-19,” brought together leading voices in the fields of clean energy and sustainable transport with experts from the UN system to discuss practical solutions and ways to reform these systems minimizing their effect on the environment.
Building Food and Water Security in an Era of Climate Shocks
This Global Policy Dialogue is the first in a four-part series, "Building a Global Coalition for Sustainability after COVID-19." The session, organized by UN DESA in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), looked at how climate change is affecting people’s access to safe and nutritious food and water.
Shaping a New Social Contract: Session 2
In this session, UN DESA’s experts on economic, social and environmental issues took questions from the audience on the topic of “Using Data for the Climate and SDGs” and touched on macroeconomic issues.
Shaping a New Social Contract: Session 1
In this session, UN DESA’s experts on economic, social and environmental issues took questions from the audience on the topic of “Ensuring equality, inclusive growth and access to opportunities.”
Advancing equitable livelihoods in food systems
To support the UN system’s efforts towards eliminating hunger, UN DESA held a Global Policy Dialogue on food security in the context of demographic change and rural development. The event also served as a UN Food Systems Summit Dialogue aligned with Action Track 4, giving participants an opportunity to inform the process of the 2021 Summit. Watch the event on UN DESA’s Facebook page.
Gender Equality: A Data and Policy Dialogue
As we mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration to advance women's rights, new data from the United Nations Secretary-General’s report The World’s Women 2020: Trends and Statistics show that hard-earned gains in gender equality are being challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. UN DESA convened policymakers and data experts to discuss how much the world has risen to fulfill the strategic objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action and address policy actions needed to build a New Social Contract and improve equality for all.
Technological and Science-based Solutions to the COVID-19 Challenge
On 29 October 2020, UN DESA held a conversation with global leaders in science and technology that assessed the science-based policies and innovations that have developed during the pandemic, identifying good practices as well as areas where work is still needed. The event featured a broad panel discussion with experts, followed by regional breakout sessions led by UN DESA (English) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (Arabic).
Navigating Uncertainties: An Intergenerational dialogue on COVID-19 and youth employment
This online forum offered young people an opportunity to discuss the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic during this period of their lives when many things are in flux. The event sought to answer, “How is the pandemic affecting today’s youth employment?” and “How can young people pursue self-employment and entrepreneurship amid turbulent economies?”
Recover Better: Economic and Social Challenges and Opportunities
On 22 July 2020, UN DESA and the United Nations High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs (HLAB) launched the Board's new volume, "Recover Better: Economic and Social Challenges and Opportunities." This online dialogue aimed to answer questions including, "Are we in a recession?" What should countries do to recover better? Is a green recovery possible?
“Let’s Talk” series
Let’s Talk Climate Science: COP26 Fireside Chat with GSDR Scientists
We speak with three scientists working on the upcoming Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 at COP26 about the need for climate science to be elevated as a part of sound policy-making.
Let’s Talk Wildfires
Recent wildfires around the world are having devastating impacts on ecosystems and people from the Amazon to Siberia to the USA. What are the implications of these fires and how can the global community come together to prevent future ones? We ask the authors of UN DESA’s policy brief on wildfires to explain the issues for us.
Let’s Talk Africa After COVID-19
Hear from the authors of UN DESA’s latest policy brief on ways to rebuild Africa stronger after the pandemic, including how to implement key social protection measures.
Let’s Talk Food: A Policy Dialogue Q&A
As a follow-up to the December 2020 Global Policy Dialogue on equitable food livelihoods, UN DESA speaks in-depth with one of the panelists, Hellen Akinyi Onyango, a crop aggregator with the Farm to Market Alliance in Kenya, about how rural women and youth can be empowered and engaged to support the Sustainable Development Goals. Watch on UN DESA’s Facebook page.