As this year’s UN Solutions Summit approaches, Defend International reiterates its commitment to the global goals and the initiatives that advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While attending national and international meetings, Defend International members and supporters headed by founder of Defend International, Dr. Widad Akreyi, have been advocating for the inclusion of the SDGs in the outcome documents. Our focus has been to build consensus around an effective SDG-action plan and to mainstream the gender aspect in all of the goals.
The world is currently facing an unprecedented set of challenges. We must realise that investing in the SDGs makes sense. The international community must address these challenges and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 transformative goals.
The 2019 UN Solutions Summit
Held in New York in September, the UN Solutions Summit is an annual catalytic gathering at United Nations Headquarters, led by United Nations Local2030 Hub for Sustainability Solutions, UN Foundation, shift7, and the Global Innovation Exchange. This year’s Summit will take place 24-26 September from 11:00am-12:00pm each day in the UN SDG Media Zone.
Sustainable Development Report 2019

The Sustainable Development Report 2019 was released in July 2019. The 61-pages report presents how far we have come towards reaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This fourth edition of the annual report contains a review of the all 17 Goals. It uses the latest available data and inputs from custodian agencies of the United Nations system other international agencies and is prepared by the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations.
The report warms that the impacts of climate change and increasing inequality across and within countries are undermining progress on the sustainable development agenda, threatening to reverse many of the gains made over the last decades that have improved people’s lives. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, stated “It is abundantly clear that a much deeper, faster and more ambitious response is needed to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to achieve our 2030 goals. From our advances, we know what works. This report therefore highlights areas that can drive progress across all 17 SDGs: financing; resilience; sustainable and inclusive economies; more effective institutions; local action; better use of data; and harnessing science, technology and innovation with a greater focus on digital transformation. In everything we do, we must diligently ensure that policy choices leave no one behind, and that national efforts are supported by effective international cooperation, grounded in a commitment to diplomacy and crisis prevention.”

Read the report here
To view other publications related to SDGs visit DI links:
The UN DESA Video
Important Dates
10 September | Launch of the Global Sustainable Development Report |
23 September | Climate Action Summit, New York |
24-25 September | SDG Summit, New York |
26 September | High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, New York |
27 September | SAMOA Pathway High-Level Midterm Review 2019, New York |