Social Good Summit in Iran focuses on the new Sustainable Development Goals

To raise awareness around the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iran held a Social Good Summit Press Conference on 29 September at UN Common Premises featuring UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Gary Lewis and Dr. Mohammad Ali Farzin, Head of Inclusive Growth and Development Cluster at UNDP. “The Social Good Summit is a flagship event for UNDP,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. “We plan to use the Social Good Summit’s platform and audience to help governments and partners launch the Sustainable Development Goals to help make the new Global Goals a household name everywhere”, AVA Diplomatic reports.

To raise awareness around the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iran held a Social Good Summit Press Conference on 29 September at UN Common Premises featuring UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Gary Lewis and Dr. Mohammad Ali Farzin, Head of Inclusive Growth and Development Cluster at UNDP.

 “The Social Good Summit is a flagship event for UNDP,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. “We plan to use the Social Good Summit’s platform and audience to help governments and partners launch the Sustainable Development Goals to help make the new Global Goals a household name everywhere.”

From left: Dr. Mohammad Ali Farzin, Head of Inclusive Growth and Development cluster – UNDP and Mr. Gary Lewis, UNDP Resident Representative

At the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September, more than 150 world leaders adopted the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With the theme, “New Goals. New power. New technology,” the UNDP Iran’s aim for the Social Good Summit was to help popularize the new Goals at the national level. Introducing and popularizing the goals will be the first important step in achieving this new and ambitious development agenda.

Speaking at the Press Conference, Mr. Lewis said: “The new 17 SDGs are much more ambitious and broader than the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). They set higher standards in trying to eradicate poverty and hunger. And they set much higher standards in asking the world to achieve education, health, gender equality and climate change goals.”

Mr. Lewis added: “The new SDGs are universal and they will apply to all countries regardless of their level of development. And there is strong recognition that now all countries must do their part.”

Dr. Farzin then presented to the press a PowerPoint Presentation which focused on the achievements and shortcomings in reaching the MDGs.

He then focused on the newly adopted goals – the SDGs and said: “Although they are ambitious goals, they are reachable. Every country needs to play its role. The first step was to adopt the SDGs by the member states, as this step shows that all countries are on the same page and believe that the targeted goals are of high importance in eradicating poverty and hunger, and achieving universal education, health, gender equality and combating climate change.”

A Social Good Summit press conference was held at UN Common Premises in Tehran on 29 Sep 2015

Dr. Farzin also added: “It is now time to act and start implementation, and we at UNDP stand ready to assist the Government of Iran in reaching the 17 goals.”

Adopted by all 193 UN Member States – including Iran – the SDGs are 17 ambitious goals to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice and tackle climate change for everyone by 2030.

UNDP Iran stands as a ready partner to support the Government of Iran and others to carry forward achieving the Goals at the national level by 2030.