July 14, 2025, New York, USA — UNITAR office in New York, in partnership with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), launched the 2025 edition of the SDG Learning, Training and Practice series—SDGs in Practice—as a Special Event from July 14 to July 23, 2025 on the margins of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. Designed to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda, each session brought together global experts, practitioners, and stakeholders to share tools, knowledge, and practical solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This fully virtual capacity-building initiative aims to equip a global audience with the knowledge, tools, and partnerships needed to accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda.  

The series opened by welcoming over 80 participants to the first session, “From HIV to Health for All: Accelerating SDG 3 Through Practical Partnerships and Solutions,” which focused on health equity and multi-agency collaboration. Representatives from UNAIDS, WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women highlighted the urgency of collective action to advance health and gender equality, launching a conversation on cross-sector solutions to advance SDG 3 and SDG 5 in tandem.

In the third session, “Green Growth and Resilience Building,” experts highlighted Indigenous leadership, green innovation, and intersectoral collaboration for climate resilience. Dario Mejía, Technical Secretary of FILAC, and Dr. Myrna Cunningham Kain, Vice President of FILAC and Chair of the Pawanka Fund, opened by addressing climate resilience rooted in Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous contributions to sustainability. NOAH Re’Planet co-founders Frédéric Degret and Jennifer Warren continued the conversation, showcasing private-sector innovation in green technology. Simonetta Di Pippo followed, bridging space and quantum technologies with climate action, moderating a discussion between Francesca Schiavello (OQI) and Giuseppe Santangelo (I4T Foundation) on the implementation of these technologies in to advance SDG objectives. The session was concluded by Sarah Rammah, who led an interactive participant reflection via live poll.  

In session five, “Inclusive Policy and Stakeholder Engagement for the 2030 Agenda,” accessibility and inclusion were central themes. Naiara Costa, Senior Sustainable Development Officer at UN DESA, reflected on her experience across civil society and the UN system, emphasizing the need to strengthen collaboration and ensure institutional space for stakeholder engagement in SDG processes. Panelists from the International Disability Alliance, Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commat), and the Women’s Major Group stressed the importance of ensuring that those most often left behind are actively included in decision-making processes. The discussion spotlighted the structural changes required to embed accessibility, participation, and accountability into SDG implementation. 

Session seven, “Strategic Foresight for Sustainable Development: Future-proofing Policy and Partnerships,” focused on how demographic and economic foresight can shape SDG planning. Moderated by UN DESA’s Ariel Alexovich, experts Thomas Spoorenberg of UN DESA and Conrad Hackett of Pew Research unpacked demographic projections from the World Population Prospects. Sebastián Vergara, Economic Affairs Officer at UN DESA, continued the conversation, highlighting fiscal insights from the World Economic Situation and Prospects report, emphasizing the need for data-driven policymaking amid global fiscal challenges.  

The ninth session, “Investing in Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for the SDGs,” co-organized by UN DESA, RCO Mexico, and the Partnering Initiative, brought together global funders and strategists to discuss innovative funding models for SDG partnerships. The discussion was opened by Ola Goransson of UN DESA's Division for Sustainable Development Goals, followed by a moderation discussion by the Partnering Initiative's Darian Stibbe, emphasizing shifting from fragmented, project-based funding to collaborative, systems-level financing models that scale impact and unlock co-benefits. Experts, including Aitor Llodio, Eva Rehse, and Elaine Smith Genser, reinforced to participants the importance of enabling environments, long-term sustainability, and inclusive funding to scale multi-stakeholder partnerships for the SDGs.