March 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - The past year marked the five-year anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. However, Covid-19 pandemic has drastically, yet disproportionately affected lives around the world. The virus disruption resulted in deeper inequality and more challenges in advancing both the climate agenda and the realization of SDGs. In response to the current situation, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), along with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) organized a series of webinars since last December on three topics respectively: “making the case for integrated climate SDG Action”, “how to maximize climate & SDG synergies – identifying opportunities and navigating trade-offs”, and “overcoming constraints to implement climate & SDG synergies – capacity, financing and monitoring.” These three webinars have not only attracted a wide range of audiences both within and beyond the UN system, but they’ve also demonstrated UNITAR’s determination and dedication to further advance the progress of SDG, despite the disruptions of the situation.
With the advancement of the 2030 Agenda, numerous academic resources have proven to us that the pursuit of SDGs doesn’t impede the realization of climate goals. On the contrary, the synergies between climate goals and SDGs have set a foundation for a greener and more sustainable recovery from the current situation. Therefore, UNITAR seized this historical moment and embarked on the journey of creating this public online course to educate the public on the benefit of transforming people’s actions and creating long-lasting positive impact through responsible, climate and SDG-friendly actions.
UNITAR
The content of the online course will build on the 2019 Climate and SDG Synergies Conference in Copenhagen, and the 2020 Virtual Consultations, going into more depth to facilitate the application of synergies in practice. The three modules of the online course will be based on a series of online webinars, and will respond to the questions: why, what and how. The first module “why” will equip stakeholders to make the case for synergies; the second module “what” will zero-in on tools used to identify and harness climate & SDG interlinkages; and the third module “how” will focus on strategies to overcome implementation challenges. The Climate & SDGs Synergy course was designed carefully with today’s special situation in mind. The interactive yet intensive series transcended geographical boarders. Its rich and comprehensive content will equip policy and decision makers with necessary knowledge and resources to facilitate the synergies between climate goals and SDGs.
UNITAR has always been working diligently on advancing the SDGs through both online and offline training programs. The current situation has only given us more reasons to keep taking actions on incorporating SDGs into our daily lives. It is our mission to educate more key decision makers on the concept of SDGs and climate synergies, to eventually grant the humanity a greener, more sustainable future that gives rise to peace and harmony.