Who we are
The Global Forum is a network of organisations working towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Members of the Global Forum have an advisory function to their governments. The network also has strategic partners that support the Global Forum and its members.
Our story
During the United Nations SDG Summit in September 2019, the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), together with the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future, with financial support of the Governments of Germany and Finland, initiated the concept of a Global Forum for National SDG Advisory Bodies.
Following its establishment, the members met for an inaugural meeting in Bogotá in 2020, followed by a second network meeting in Cape Town in 2022.
Our vision
Members of the network share a common vision of a sustainable future for the planet, where achievement of the SDGs has been achieved through national implementation that fully reflects the needs of the whole of society and benefits all.
Our mission
The Global Forum’s mission is to connect national-level multi-stakeholder councils, commissions and similar advisory bodies to national policy-making for the SDGs, as well as government’s planning, implementation and reporting of the 2030 Agenda.
What we do
By providing a network that connects national-level organisations, the Global Forum helps to foster accelerated implementation through fast tracking exchange and learning on what works best to deliver the SDGs.
Why this matters
Transformation is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But the required transformations in the critical areas of people, planet, prosperity and peace are very challenging.
To find solutions to these challenges, every country will need to enable negotiation between all stakeholders, consensus building and the involvement of all sectors of society to provide governments advice that integrate the various interests and conflicting positions. This is what Global Forum members do. They therefore have a vital function in helping their governments to navigate through these processes successfully.
Global Forum members are committed to the following ways of working:
- a collective and demand-driven approach in all processes
- a belief in the power of consultation to ensures that all voices are heard
- a commitment to the sharing of learning and experience
- a dedication to enabling transformations that benefit the whole of society and leave no one behind
- valuing outcomes that arise from carefully facilitated negotiation.
Governance and steering group
The Global Forum has a steering group, that consists of two network members from each continent and is tasked with taking strategic decisions. The steering group regularly votes two members as chairs. The steering group is supported by the secretariat and encompasses advising members, as well as observers.