Join UN DESA at the SDG Pavilion at COP 28!

“What happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres upon returning from his recent trip to the southernmost continent to witness the melting sea ice. “We live in an interconnected world.” Just ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Secretary-General issued a call for urgent global climate action to “not let the hopes of people around the world for a sustainable planet melt away.”

UN DESA is answering the call by hosting for the fifth time the SDG Pavilion on the margins of COP28, offering two weeks of panel discussions, fireside chats and interviews aimed at making clear the interconnectedness of the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sessions on renewable energy (SDG 7), the ocean (SDG 8), sustainable cities (SDG 11), forests (SDG 15) and more will showcase ways people are taking action to get the world back on track to meet its carbon emissions goals. Increasing climate financing and ensuring the long-term success of small island developing States (SIDS) also are key focal areas.

The SDG Pavilion aims to be truly inclusive, and its more than 100 events will be organized by Member States, civil society organizations and UN offices from around the world, in addition to UN DESA. All of the sessions will be streamed live on the UN DESA YouTube channel, and the full programme is available online.

Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Head of UN DESA, will attend COP28 and participate in sessions that highlight the benefits of the circular economy, ways to leverage special drawing rights for climate and sustainable development, and support the upcoming 2024 SIDS Conference in Antigua and Barbuda.

"The Pavilion will focus on real, meaningful climate action," Mr. Li said. "If you are attending COP28, be sure to join me and the UN DESA team in our SDG Pavilion. We’ll have events there every day, showing how action for the global goals can help the climate challenge, too."

Watch the SDG Pavilion live from Dubai on the UN DESA YouTube channel, and follow UN DESA’s Twitter and Facebook accounts to see the highlights. You can add your thoughts to the conversation, too, by using #SDGPavilion.