On September 24th 2024, the High-Level Week of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly will open in New York City USA. The theme of the General Debate will be “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”.
The gathering is an important milestone to review the progress made so far on the SDGs and to accelerate efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The IUCN delegation taking part in the different segments of UNGA79 and Climate Week will include the IUCN President, the Director General, the Regional Director for North America, the Permanent Observer of IUCN to the UN, as well as other supporting staff members.
This year, the main event of the High-Level Week will be the Summit of the Future (22-23 September). Here Heads of States and Governments will discuss how to overcome the recent global shocks that undermined international cooperation and how to breathe new life into the multilateral system. The outcome of the summit are three action-oriented documents outlining a path for the upcoming years. These documents include the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations. The Summit of the Future will also be preceded by two Action Days aimed at generating momentum for meaningful action.
Furthermore, three High-level meetings will take place over these days on antimicrobial resistance, on the total elimination of nuclear weapons, and on addressing the existential threats posed by sea level rise. The latter is of particular importance for IUCN due to its strong links with climate change.
In parallel, Climate Week NYC will take place (22-30 September 2024). This event brings together over 500 events and activities across the City of New York. It brings together business leaders, decision-makers and civil society representatives from a wide variety of backgrounds, and from all over the world, to drive the transition, speed up progress, and champion change.