New MoU signed between the SDSN and the European Parliament’s SDG Alliance to strengthen the implementation of the SDGs in the EU and globally

24/06/2022 By Maëlle Voil

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the informal grouping of Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) known as the SDG Alliance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to join their efforts in promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the EU, its Member States and neighboring countries as well as the wider international community.

The SDG Alliance was officially launched in September 2021 and is a cross-parliamentary alliance of MEPs committed to placing the SDGs at the centre of policy making in the European Parliament and across the EU. It is part of the broader ‘Parliamentarians for Global Goals’ initiative. The SDG Alliance receives informal advice from its standing advisory committee, SDG Watch Europe, a cross-sectoral alliance of European civil society organisations.

The SDSN was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary General and has non-governmental organisation status. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2020, SDSN launched SDSN Europe, an initiative that coordinates the efforts of 15 national and regional networks of SDSN in Europe and catalyse actions on issues related to European policy. Every year, the SDSN publishes the Sustainable Development Report which tracks the performance of all UN member states on the SDGs. It also publishes a special European annual edition of the SDR. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

SDG Alliance aims to influence policy activities at EU level relating to the SDGs, and to obtain secretarial support in order to do so. Among SDSN’s core aims is to feed its research and expertise to policymakers and intends to focus further on the EU over the coming months and years as part of its upcoming SDG Transformation Centre. SDSN comprises a global and European network of experts. The Parties are therefore well placed to form a mutually beneficial partnership: whereas the SDG Alliance will benefit from the expertise and resources provided by SDSN, this partnership will enable SDSN to enhance its knowledge of the EU sphere, expand its network and gain exposure for its activities.

This non-financial cooperation will initially concentrate on three major focus areas: (1) Research inputs and briefings by SDSN secretariat and its network of experts; (2) Joint initiatives, seminars, and workshops; (3) secretarial support provided by the SDSN. The MoU will remain operative until the end of the 9th legislature of the European Parliament, until mid-2024.

Contacts

Maëlle Voil, Communications Manager, SDSN, Paris (maelle.voil@unsdsn.org)
Susan Fogarty, Accredited Parliamentary Assistant to the Chair of the SDG Alliance MEP Barry Andrews (susan.fogarty@europarl.europa.eu)

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