FACT SHEET:
un EVENTS IN 2024
See the list below compiled by AfP to track major UN events and opportunities for civil society engagement in 2024, particularly around peace and peacebuilding.
Event: ECOSOC Youth Forum 2024
Themes: “Youth Shaping Sustainable and Innovative Solutions: Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Crises”
Guided by the overall theme of the 2024 ECOSOC and HLPF on “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: the Effective Delivery of Sustainable, Resilient, and Innovative Solutions”.
Description: The forum is the premier global platform for young leaders to offer solutions, ideas, and converse with global leaders. The space provides the opportunity for youth to share their visions and actions for the future and provide ideas for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The discussions will take place around the SDGs under review at the 2024 HLPF, namely, no poverty (SDG 1), zero hunger (SDG 2), climate action (SDG 13), peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).
When: April 16th - April 18th
Where: New York, NY (UN Headquarters)
Links and Resources:
Event: SDG 16 High-Level Conference - Peace, Justice and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development
Themes: Peace, Justice, and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development
Description: This conference serves as the Official SDG 16 Review Conference in preparation for the HLPF in July. The SDG16 High-Level Conference will assess the progress and challenges related to SDG16 and will provide inputs that support SDG16 for all other upcoming conferences in 2024 that analyze this SDG. The conference will have representatives of governments, international organizations, civil society, and youth in attendance.
When: May 6th
Where: New York, NY (UN Headquarters)
Links and Resources:
Civil Society Involvement:
Endorse the 2024 Rome Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+ here.
Event: 2024 UN Civil Society Conference
Themes: In Support of the Summit of the Future
Description: The UN Civil Society Conference is the premier event in the civil society calendar at the UN. It typically attracts more than 3,000 participants, representing more than 700 civil society organizations from 100+ countries. This conference offers civil society the opportunity to provide their perspectives on specific issues and brings together UN System officials, prominent international civil society organizations, youth changemakers, academia, public opinion makers, and international media.
When: May 9th - May 10th
Where: Nairobi, Kenya
Links and Resources:
Civil Society Involvement:
Participation in the United Nations Civil Society Conference is open to representatives of civil society organizations associated with the Department of Global Communications and/or in consultative status with ECOSOC. Civil society organizations not included in these groups that are legally registered with the national/federal government of a Member or Observer State of the United Nations are also welcome to register for the conference.
Event: CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 88th Session
Description: Countries that are party to the convention submit country reports every four years for review. CEDAW country review reports cover the legislative, judicial, administrative, or other measures that have been adopted to implement the convention. The report is submitted to the UN Secretary-General and then presented at a country review in Geneva to other members and civil society. The 88th session will review the reports of Brazil, El Salvador, Estonia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Montenegro, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, and Singapore.
When: May 13th - May 31st
Where: Geneva, Switzerland
Links and Resources:
Civil Society Involvement:
Since its early sessions, the Committee has invited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to follow its work. To ensure that it is as well-informed as possible, the Committee invites representatives of national and international NGOs to provide country-specific information on the States parties whose reports are scheduled for consideration at a given session. National and international NGOs are also invited to provide country-specific information to the pre-sessional working group on those States parties whose reports are before the group. Such information may be submitted in writing in advance of the relevant session or working group. In addition, the Committee sets aside time at each of its sessions, usually on the Monday of the first and second week of the session, to enable NGO representatives to provide oral information in public meetings. The pre-sessional working group allows NGOs to provide oral information in closed meetings. The Committee encourages international NGOs and United Nations agencies, funds, and programs to facilitate attendance at Committee sessions by representatives of national NGOs.
Event: High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2024 (HLPF)
Theme: "Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: the Effective Delivery of Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative Solutions”
Description: The HLPF was established in 2012 and meets annually under ECOSOC and every four years under the General Assembly. HLPF 2024 is under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)—2023 HLPF was under the General Assembly. The HLPF is the central United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. HLPF 2024 will review in depth the progress on SDGs 1 (no poverty), 2 (zero hunger), 13 (climate action) 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and 17 (partnerships for the goals). The review process considers changes in the international environment since the previous HPLF, shares good practices and challenges, identifies areas of concern, and recommends ways forward in terms of policies, partnerships, and coordination. Additionally, many member states have expressed interest in carrying out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda. VNRs encourage member states to conduct a review of the progress of all the SDG goals at a national and sub-national level. The VNRs aim to create an opportunity to share experiences, including successes and challenges while seeking ways to strengthen policies. States that have expressed interest in completing a VNR for the HLPF include Argentina, Austria, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe.
When: Monday, July 8th - July 17th
Three-day ministerial segment, in which high-level officials from Member States present their VNR reports, as part of the High-Level Segment of the Council from July 15th - July 17th
Where: New York City, NY
Links and Resources:
Civil Society Involvement:
Event: UN General Assembly (UNGA) 79
Description: Annual session of the General Assembly (runs September to December)
When: The session will open on Tuesday, September 10th. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be Tuesday, September 24th.
Where: New York City, NY
Links and Resources:
Event: Summit of the Future (SOTF)
Theme: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow
Description: The Summit is a high-level convening of world leaders aimed to strengthen global governance for the sake of present and future generations. The Summit is focused on looking at “how” the UN can cooperate better to deliver the promises agreed upon in existing agreements and commitments including the UN Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 2030 Agenda, and the Paris Agreement. The outcome of the Summit is the “Pact for the Future”. The “Pact for the Future” is meant to be an action-oriented outcome document and will be negotiated and endorsed in the lead-up to the Summit. Germany and Namibia are co-facilitators on the document and recently released the “Zero Draft” of the Pact (which is in review at the moment)—a starting point for intergovernmental deliberations on the final Pact for the Future.
The Pact for the Future will have five chapters:
Sustainable Development and Financing for Development
International Peace and Security
Science, Technology and Innovation, and Digital Cooperation
Youth and Future Generations
Transforming Global Governance
When: September 22nd - September 24th
Where: New York, NY
Links and Resources:
DevEx Opinion by Jake Barker and Ben Donaldson, The UN Summit of the Future is Crunch Time for António Guterres, January 18, 2024.
CIVICUS interview with Richard Ponzio of the Stimson Center, The Summit of the Future is a Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Make a Difference in People’s Lives, January 14th, 2024.
World Economic Forum, Breathing New Life into the SDGs: What is the UN Summit of the Future in 2024?, November 8, 2023.
International Peace Institute, What Could a Successful Summit of the Future Look Like in 2024?, August 24, 2023
Civil Society Involvement:
Previous Stakeholder Consultations:
Virtual consultation (February 21st) — Feedback on the Zero Draft of the Pact for the Future with Major Group and other Stakeholders (MGoS) and Civil Society representatives. The goal of this consultation was to give MGoS and civil society representatives the opportunity to share their feedback on the zero draft of the Pact for the Future.
Virtual consultation (December 13th) - Goal: provide participants an opportunity to share their expectations for the Summit and offer concrete suggestions for the zero draft of the Pact for the Future.