The fourth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) convened in Dakar, Senegal on Thursday and Friday, 3-4 May 2018, with pre-event workshops meeting on Wednesday, 2 May 2018. The Forum was attended by over 300 representatives of governments, intergovernmental organizations, and Major Groups and other Stakeholders. Held in preparation for the 2018 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Forum convened under the theme, “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.”
At this meeting, delegates discussed more than 50 key messages to be presented to the HLPF. They convened in parallel sessions, drafting groups and in plenary to discuss the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6);
- Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7);
- Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11);
- Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12);
- Life on Land (SDG 15); and
- Strengthening Means of Implementation and the Partnership for Sustainable Development (SDG 17).
The pre-event workshops focused on: strengthening integrated and Voluntary National Review and reporting of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063; “what does leaving no one behind in Africa actually look like”; and the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s (UNECA) approach in supporting the implementation of SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda in Africa. A preparatory and capacity-development workshop for Major Groups and other Stakeholders in Africa was also held, discussing, among other issues, the institutionalization of African civil society organizations in the work of the Regional Forum and in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
In their discussions during the closing plenary, delegates agreed to review the final document containing key messages to the HLPF, and submit any comments to the Secretariat within two weeks.
The summary of this meeting is now available in PDF format at http://enb.iisd.org/download/
