SDG Knowledge Hub (IISD)

The 2025 edition of the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Global Forum explored ways to drive a just and equitable energy transition that supports climate action while fighting energy poverty and offers development opportunities for low-income countries (LICs), middle-income countries (MICs), and small island developing States (SIDS). Commitments announced at the Forum for scaling energy access and driving the clean energy transition exceed USD 900 million.

On the opening day of its 69th session, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) adopted by consensus the Beijing+30 Political Declaration.

The UN Secretariat has issued the UN Secretary-General’s analysis of key trends and challenges in international development cooperation. It highlights the need to strengthen country ownership and leadership, reduce fragmentation, address resource allocation, strengthen alignment with country needs and priorities, and enhance effectiveness, among other actions.

By Ann Trevenen-Jones Local and traditional food markets are a critical sustainability and resilience entry point, with multiple levers for locally led and contextualized food systems transformation that is inclusive and equitable.

The Finance in Common System (FiCS) agreed on a collective contribution to the Fourth International Conference for Financing for Development (FfD4). Building on the pivotal role of public development banks (PDBs) in financing growth and sustainable development, the report contributes to discussions on blended finance and private sector mobilization by analyzing how PDBs can operate as a system to better align financial flows with the SDGs and global priorities.

The co-facilitators of the intergovernmental consultations on the outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) have released the first draft of the text. The 28-page document will be presented during a Permanent Representative-level meeting on 24 March 2025, marking the start of the first intersessional negotiation period.

The President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) convened a high-level meeting of the UN Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), which sought to reimagine global cooperation to deliver a sustainable future amid growing challenges. Speakers called for meaningful reform to make development cooperation more equitable, impactful, and country-led, including by reforming the global financial architecture.

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) held an organizational session in preparation for the 2026 UN Water Conference. In a bid to transcend traditional approaches, calls for action heard during the meeting included resilient infrastructure, investments in technology driving innovation, and sustainable financing mechanisms to support long-term solutions for equitable access to resources and economic and environmental resilience.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) convened a three-day forum to discuss ocean governance and shape global trade-related ocean policies. The forum’s recommendations lay the groundwork for action-oriented voluntary commitments at the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in June. They also contribute to the Blue Economy and Finance Forum, scheduled for the week prior to UNOC3, and to the 16th session of UNCTAD in October.

By Katinka Weinberger and Srinivas Tata, ESCAP The Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development has long been a cornerstone for global collaboration on social development, placing people at the heart of progress. The declaration emphasized the need to prioritize poverty eradication, full employment, and social inclusion – goals that remain as urgent today as they were when the declaration was adopted in 1995.