Experts discuss UN sustainable development goals
Young Soo-gil, fifth from right in the front row, chief of SDSN Korea and a visiting professor at the graduate institute KDI School, poses with participants of a forum “Setting Korea’s Targets under the UN Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Korea-Green Korea 2014 Forum,” at Songdo Convensia, Song-do, Incheon, Thursday. / Courtesy of Korea Environment Institute
By Park Ji-won
Experts discussed ways to develop the United Nation’s goals for sustainable development worldwide at an international forum in Incheon, Thursday.
The forum was billed as, “Setting Korea’s Targets under the UN Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Korea-Green Korea 2014 Forum.”
Professors, government officials and private sector figures shared views on domestic and global issues to boost the notion of sustainable development. Through this, the world’s nations can attempt to tackle the global crises of poverty, economic instability, social inequality, and environmental degradation. The two-day event is being held at the Songdo Convensia in Incheon.
Young Soo-gil, chief of SDSN Korea and visiting professor at the graduate institute KDI School, opened the discussion with a presentation on sustainable development goals.
The SDSN was founded in August 2012 and is part of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s key major innovations within the UN. It aims to accelerate joint learning and help to overcome the compartmentalization of technical and policy work by promoting integrated approaches to the interconnected economic, social, and environmental challenges confronting the world.
American Economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of the SDSN and special adviser to Ban Ki-Moon, delivered a key note speech via video from the United States.
He said that Korea needs to play a key role in helping to build the UN’s sustainable development. This stems from the fact that South Korea achieved perhaps the most economic success in the shortest period of time over the past number of decades; this makes the ROK a shining example of sustainable development, and it can have a leadership role in helping other countries to achieve progress.
He emphasized the great effort by the SDSN to apply the notion of sustainable development in the global society as part of establishing the UN Post 2015 agenda.
UN Post 2015 is the UN’s new development agenda that reflects new development challenges.
“All of these big international negotiations take at least one generation to implement the new goals and agreements. Therefore, our agenda for 2015 is to create new processes of governance by companies and political systems,” Sachs added.
Two main sessions will be held today with the themes of the environment and the economy.