28 September

The United Nations Association of New Zealand held its national conference today, Advancing the 2030 Agenda. While the conference was unable to take place in person due to safety concerns, the full programme was delivered online.

The conference explored what actions need to be taken to advance the 2030 Agenda. With development gains being reversed by multiple global crises, including conflicts, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic, urgent action is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Keynote speakers were former Director-General of Health, Dr Sir Ashley Bloomfield, and Dr Alan Bollard, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat in Singapore.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, also provided a special address. In his remarks, the Director-General reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic and reminded attendees not to forget the painful lessons learned, "the most important of which is that we can only face shared threats with a shared response."

The Director-General also noted WHO member states are now negotiating a legally binding accord to ensure a more coordinated global response to future pandemics. "We seek your advocacy for the accord and for fighting misinformation about it."

The conference featured panel discussions covering a range of topics, including Countering misinformation and rebuilding trust in institutions, Ensuring Human Rights and Democracy, Building international peace and security, The climate challenge, and the United Nations for New Zealand.

© Scoop Media