Hello from New York!
I am very pleased to say I arrived in the Big Apple safely (although somewhat delayed) in the early hours of Thursday morning.
I hit the ground running on Thursday morning, meeting with Her Excellency Gillian Bird, Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, to discuss our progress to date with the Global Goals Australia Campaign. We spoke about the up-and-coming Voluntary National Review of our progress towards the achievement of the goals to date in Australia. I had the chance to discuss the work of Strategic Sustainability Consultants and our exciting new project which will be launching soon!
I spent the rest of Thursday afternoon catching up on some emails and sleeping.
Friday, I spent at United Nations Headquarters, reporting to United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Thomas Gass on our progress on raising awareness of the goals in Australia. We discussed the country’s current political client, and the difficulties we are facing at the moment with the future standing of a number of politicians, including our Deputy Prime Minister, in question, pending the High Court’s ruling next month. Thomas was pleased we have been able to spread the message of the federal government's commitment to the Global Goals to nearly all of Parliament over the past 12 months.
We discussed the need for a national strategy in Australia to achieve the goals. Thomas showed me the most impressive 250+ page document, drafted by a team within the Prime Minister’s Office in Germany, which outlines a full strategy to achieve the goals and their 169 targets. You can view the strategy in English online on the German Federal Government website.
Thomas and I spoke about the importance of directing focus towards the targets, not just the goals. While the goals are an important overall framework, it is the targets which will get us there. Out of the 169 targets listed in the 2030 Agenda, Australia has only achieved 4 of these targets. We have a long way to go.
During our meeting, Thomas and I also discussed the importance of private sector engagement in the achievement of the Global Goals.The conversation centred primarily around the involvement of SMEs in the achievement of the goals in Australia, especially given the market-share of SMEs in Australia.
As many of my social media followers will know, I spend Sunday mornings eating brunch, reading the newspaper and writing articles. This week, I wasn’t going to be able to do that given I would be at the Social Good Summit all-day on Sunday. So I spent Saturday morning at Brooklyn Kettle catching-up on my article writing. I took Saturday afternoon off to get ready for the ridiculousness which will ensue this week - in true UNGA style!
On Sunday, I spent the day at the Social Good Summit where I hung out as a guest in the Digital Media Lounge, listening to inspiring speakers, hearing massive commitments being made towards the goals and meeting incredible people from all over the world. I will be publishing a summary on the Social Good Summit in the coming days, so keep your eyes peeled!
It’s been a big first four days, but I know it’s only going to get busier from here! Stay tuned for my article on Monday next week to update you on the exciting announcements and activities to come out of Global Goals Week! To stay updated day-by-day, make sure you are following me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (catglobalgoals). If you have any questions on any topics covered above, please feel free to contact me via any of these platforms or through the contact form on my website. SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
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