By Rita Joshi

BONN (IDN) – In 2015, countries from around the world adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. In November 2016, the Paris Agreement on climate change entered into force, addressing the need to limit the rise of global temperatures.

Since January 2016, governments, businesses and civil society together with the United Nations have been mobilizing efforts to achieve the SDGs. Meanwhile 12 years are left for the 2030 Agenda goals to become a reality. The UN Summer Academy in Bonn is offering an engaging five-day programme from August 27 to August 31, 2018 aimed at ‘Bringing the 2030 Agenda to life’.

Enrolment deadline is August 13. The cost of participation amounts to $1000. Travel and accommodation have to be paid by participants.

Leveraging the presence of 19 UN entities in Bonn, as well as numerous leading institutions in international development, the UN Summer Academy will provide an exclusive opportunity for dialogue with professionals and thought leaders who are currently working towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on a daily basis.

The Academy combines academic rigour with cutting-edge thinking, builds on renowned faculty and is open to professionals from all sectors. Participants discuss transformative approaches required for implementation and share multiple concrete examples and practices from diverse countries and stakeholder perspectives.

The solution oriented workshops called Application Labs foster peer-to-peer learning and the Story Fair provides a networking platform for participants to engage with the different organisations and showcase the work of their organisations to an international audience.

In the course of the programme, participants also get the opportunity to engage in a day-long excursion which brings to the fore real life examples of concrete sustainable development practices.

The five-day course is open to UN staff, government representatives, civil society representatives, academics, business representatives, as well as a select number of Master and post-graduate students.

Upon successful completion of this course – involving $1000 participation fees – the Academy assures participants to:

  • Have deepened their knowledge of the core substance and processes related to the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement as well as the Financing for Development process;
  • Have an increased awareness of the specific roles of different development partners as well as related cooperation opportunities;
  • Have had a first-hand exposure to good practices in the area of sustainable development programming and implementation;
  • Have gained knowledge and skills on building substantive and sustainable partnerships and enhancing their networks.

Started in 2012, the UN Summer Academy, which also maintains Turin and Virtual Campus, takes pride in the strength of its faculty which includes former Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, current Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, former Chef de Cabinet Susana Malcorra, former Under Secretary-General Sigrid Kaag, former Assistant Secretary-General Sir Richard Jolly and various heads of UN Bonn agencies, including UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa as well as German Development Institute Deputy Director Imme Scholz. [IDN-InDepthNews – 11 July 2018]

Useful links > https://www.unbonn.org/
http://www.unssc.org/featured-themes/un-summer-academy
http://www.unssc.org/news-and-insights/news/unssc-annual-report-2017-launched/
http://www.unssc.org/featured-themes/unssc-knowledge-centre-sustainable-development
sustainable-development@unssc.org
#Communication and advocacy #Sustainable Development #face-to-face #Up to 1 week

Photo: The United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development, Bonn. Credit: UNSSC

IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.

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