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Sustainable Development Goals

Millions of people around the world are unable to fully enjoy their rights and to live a prosperous life. Implementing human rights-based frameworks that promote sustainable development can ensure an inclusive society. The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to do this by creating a world where no one is left behind.

We provided inputs to the 2030 agenda, bringing a parliamentary perspective to it and helping parliaments prepare for its implementation. In April 2015, the 132nd IPU Assembly adopted the Hanoi Declaration entitled: The Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Action, in which parliaments committed to doing their utmost to strengthen national ownership of the goals; translate the goals into enforceable domestic laws and regulations; and hold governments accountable for the goals they subscribed to.

Our role is to help parliaments achieve these objectives. We provide direct assistance and policy guidance to national parliaments with implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We regularly organize regional and inter-regional seminars and summits for parliaments to promote greater awareness about the SDGs and foster regional cooperation. The agendas of these events are adapted to the region’s specific targets, placing special emphasis on discussing critical factors for sustainable development that are particularly relevant (such as climate change, gender equality, health, and economic, social and environmental disparities). 

At the national level, we undertake needs assessment missions to evaluate the preparedness of parliaments to integrate SDGs into their legislation. To help with this, we launched a self-assessment toolkit that provides a comprehensive status check on the parliament’s current awareness and work on sustainable development issues. The toolkit has been designed to assist parliaments to identify good practices, gaps and opportunities so they can effectively integrate SDGs into their work while ensuring compliance with human rights principles.

At the United Nations, we organize regular parliamentary side events at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development—the main UN hub to review global progress on the SDGs over the next 15 years.